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New Post 7/3/2012 1:40 PM
User is offline BA72
7 posts
10th Level Poster


Business Policy vs Business Rule 

 Hi,

  I'm wondering if there are any standards on how to define policies vs business rules ( are they the same ? ) vs guidelines etc... ? I've noticed that the business rules group does define a policy differently than a business rule but I'm wondering in practice what most people / companies are doing. For example would it make sense to define the business policies in a formal document as a deliverable for the business but out of that could be multiple business rules per policy which could then be used/referenced in any systems development going forward. 

 

Thanks In Advance

 

 
New Post 7/3/2012 2:34 PM
User is offline David Wright
141 posts
www.iag.biz
7th Level Poster




Re: Business Policy vs Business Rule 

 Quick Answer.... Business Policies are the source of Business Rules. Policies are statements of guidance for an organization, but are not specific to a task or decision that is done in everyday work.

One thing most organizations are good at is writing Policies and making them available to staff. So, I don't think you need to gather them up in a new document, just refer to the policy when needed as the drive or source when you write a specific rule. And yes, one Policy may generate many Rules, going from general to specific.

 

David Wright

www.about.m/dwwright99


David Wright
 
New Post 7/3/2012 2:44 PM
User is offline BA72
7 posts
10th Level Poster


Re: Business Policy vs Business Rule 
Modified By BA72  on 7/3/2012 4:51:31 PM)

 Thanks for the answer. I think where I struggle is determining what is a policy vs what is a business rule. I can determine the business rule easily but when reviewing a list of policies and trying to determine if they are really policies or business rules isn't as straightforward. There doesn't seem to be a set of criteria that can be used to make that distinction. 

 

Can you give an example of a policy with multiple rules which fits your description ?

 
New Post 7/3/2012 3:13 PM
User is offline David Wright
141 posts
www.iag.biz
7th Level Poster




Re: Business Policy vs Business Rule 

Ah, then I recommend visiting businessrulesgroup.org, it will fill you in on just what is a rule.

I would say a rule is a statement that restricts an action taken by a business. They are based on Facts.

Example - I sell cars to people, or more specific " A person can buy a car" is a fact about my business.

But "A person can buy a car, only if they are 16 years old or older." is a rule, because it restricts what I do, the "only if" describing the constraint.

The policy for this, if it exists, would be more general; my fave would be "it is my policy to sell cars for a profit without breaking the law." Good to have decided this, but does not tell me what I should do or not do to comply with the policy.... ;Selling to a person under 16 could be against the law in some places, so that is a rule driven from the policy. A company will have a number of policies, but there will be many, many rules in a typical business,.</p>


David Wright
 
New Post 7/4/2012 7:03 AM
User is offline BA72
7 posts
10th Level Poster


Re: Business Policy vs Business Rule 

 Since a policy is just more general it's hard to fit criteria/rule around what is/isn't a policy. Thus would you say it would be easier to find the rules and then determine based on them if it's not a rule then perhaps it could be a policy ? We are going to be reviewing documents to determine if the rules / policies are still valid or need adjustments. The documents could contain policies , rules or a combination of both ( they may even contain guidelines ). 

 
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