Business Rules Analysis

Comprehensive framework for eliciting, documenting, and validating business rules during requirements discovery.

When to Use This Skill

Keywords: business rules, policies, constraints, calculations, derivations, inferences, decision tables, decision logic, rule templates, validation rules, authorization rules, computation rules, condition-action, if-then rules

Use this skill when:

• Identifying business policies and constraints
• Documenting calculation and derivation rules
• Creating decision tables for complex logic
• Eliciting authorization and validation rules
• Translating policies into requirement statements
• Analyzing rule interactions and conflicts
• Validating rule completeness and consistency

Business Rule Categories

Structural Rules (Facts)

Define the nature of things and relationships:

structural_rules:
  definition: "Rules that define terms, concepts, and their relationships"

  types:
    terms:
      description: "Definitions of business concepts"
      example: "A 'Premium Customer' is a customer who has spent more than $10,000 in the last 12 months"

    facts:
      description: "Assertions about the business domain"
      example: "Each Order must have exactly one Customer"

    relationships:
      description: "How concepts relate to each other"
      example: "A Customer may have zero or more Orders"

  documentation_template:
    term: "{Term} is defined as {definition}"
    fact: "{Subject} {verb} {object}"
    relationship: "{Entity A} {cardinality} {Entity B}"

Derivation Rules (Computations)

Calculate or derive values from other data:

derivation_rules:
  definition: "Rules that compute values from other information"

  types:
    calculations:
      description: "Mathematical computations"
      example: "Order Total = Sum of (Line Item Quantity × Unit Price)"

    aggregations:
      description: "Summary calculations across sets"
      example: "Monthly Revenue = Sum of all Order Totals for the month"

    transformations:
      description: "Data conversions"
      example: "Full Name = First Name + ' ' + Last Name"

  documentation_template:
    calculation: "{Result} = {formula}"
    with_conditions: "IF {condition} THEN {Result} = {formula}"

Constraint Rules (Restrictions)

Limit what can happen or exist:

constraint_rules:
  definition: "Rules that restrict or mandate conditions"

  types:
    mandatory:
      description: "Must always be true"
      example: "Every Order must have at least one Line Item"

    prohibited:
      description: "Must never occur"
      example: "An Order cannot be shipped to a country on the embargo list"

    conditional:
      description: "Restrictions that apply under certain conditions"
      example: "IF Customer is under 18 THEN alcohol products cannot be ordered"

    range:
      description: "Numeric or value boundaries"
      example: "Order Quantity must be between 1 and 999"

  documentation_template:
    must: "{Subject} must {condition}"
    must_not: "{Subject} must not {condition}"
    if_then: "IF {condition} THEN {subject} {must/must not} {action}"

Action Rules (Behaviors)

Define what should happen when conditions are met:

action_rules:
  definition: "Rules that trigger actions based on conditions"

  types:
    authorization:
      description: "Who can do what"
      example: "Only Managers can approve orders over $5,000"

    triggers:
      description: "Events that initiate actions"
      example: "When inventory falls below reorder point, create purchase order"

    workflows:
      description: "Sequences of actions"
      example: "After order is placed, send confirmation email, then notify warehouse"

  documentation_template:
    authorization: "{Role} may/must/must not {action} {object} [when {condition}]"
    trigger: "WHEN {event} THEN {action}"
    workflow: "AFTER {event}, {action1}, THEN {action2}"

Inference Rules (Deductions)

Derive new facts from existing information:

inference_rules:
  definition: "Rules that infer new information from existing facts"

  types:
    classification:
      description: "Categorize based on criteria"
      example: "IF Customer lifetime value > $50,000 THEN Customer is 'VIP'"

    status:
      description: "Determine state based on conditions"
      example: "IF all line items shipped THEN Order status is 'Complete'"

    eligibility:
      description: "Determine if conditions are met"
      example: "Customer is eligible for discount IF loyalty points > 1000"

  documentation_template:
    inference: "IF {conditions} THEN {conclusion}"
    classification: "{Entity} is classified as {category} WHEN {criteria}"

Decision Tables

For complex rules with multiple conditions:

decision_table:
  structure:
    conditions: "Rows listing input conditions"
    actions: "Rows listing possible actions"
    rules: "Columns combining conditions and actions"

  example:
    name: "Order Discount Rules"
    conditions:
      C1: "Customer Type"
      C2: "Order Amount"
      C3: "Payment Method"

    actions:
      A1: "Apply Discount %"
      A2: "Free Shipping"

    rules:
      R1:
        C1: "VIP"
        C2: "> $500"
        C3: "Any"
        A1: "20%"
        A2: "Yes"

      R2:
        C1: "Regular"
        C2: "> $100"
        C3: "Credit Card"
        A1: "10%"
        A2: "No"

      R3:
        C1: "Any"
        C2: "Any"
        C3: "Any"
        A1: "0%"
        A2: "No"

Decision Table Template

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Decision Table: {Name}                                      │
├─────────────────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────────┤
│ CONDITIONS      │  R1   │  R2   │  R3   │  R4   │  Default  │
├─────────────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────────┤
│ {Condition 1}   │   Y   │   Y   │   N   │   N   │     -     │
│ {Condition 2}   │   Y   │   N   │   Y   │   N   │     -     │
├─────────────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────────┤
│ ACTIONS         │       │       │       │       │           │
├─────────────────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────┼───────────┤
│ {Action 1}      │   X   │       │   X   │       │           │
│ {Action 2}      │       │   X   │   X   │       │     X     │
└─────────────────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───────┴───────────┘

Rule Documentation Templates

Standard Rule Template

rule_template:
  id: "BR-{domain}-{number}"
  name: "{descriptive name}"
  category: "constraint|derivation|inference|action|structural"
  statement: "{clear, unambiguous rule statement}"

  source:
    origin: "{stakeholder, document, regulation}"
    date: "{when identified}"
    authority: "{who can change this rule}"

  conditions:
    - "{condition 1}"
    - "{condition 2}"

  actions:
    - "{action if conditions met}"

  exceptions:
    - "{exception case}"

  examples:
    positive:
      - "{example where rule applies}"
    negative:
      - "{example where rule does not apply}"

  related_rules:
    - "{BR-xxx}"

  validation:
    testable: true
    test_approach: "{how to verify}"

  metadata:
    priority: "high|medium|low"
    volatility: "stable|volatile"
    enforcement: "automatic|manual"

SBVR-Style Template

Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules (OMG standard):

sbvr_template:
  vocabulary:
    term: "{term}"
    definition: "{meaning in business context}"

  structural_rule:
    format: "It is obligatory/permitted/forbidden that {statement}"
    example: "It is obligatory that each order has at least one line item"

  operative_rule:
    format: "If {condition} then {consequence}"
    example: "If order total exceeds $1000 then manager approval is required"

Elicitation Techniques

Rule Discovery Questions

discovery_questions:
  constraints:
    - "What must always be true?"
    - "What must never happen?"
    - "What limits or boundaries exist?"
    - "What conditions must be met before X?"

  calculations:
    - "How is X calculated?"
    - "What formula determines Y?"
    - "What data is needed to compute Z?"

  authorizations:
    - "Who can approve this?"
    - "What permissions are needed?"
    - "Who has the authority to change this?"

  triggers:
    - "What causes this to happen?"
    - "What happens when X occurs?"
    - "What events initiate this process?"

  exceptions:
    - "Are there any special cases?"
    - "What happens if conditions aren't met?"
    - "What overrides this rule?"

Document Analysis

document_sources:
  primary:
    - "Policy manuals"
    - "Regulatory documents"
    - "Contracts and agreements"
    - "Procedure documents"

  secondary:
    - "Exception logs"
    - "Help desk tickets"
    - "Training materials"
    - "System documentation"

  indicators:
    must_words: ["must", "shall", "required", "mandatory"]
    prohibition_words: ["must not", "cannot", "prohibited", "forbidden"]
    condition_words: ["if", "when", "unless", "except", "provided that"]
    calculation_words: ["equals", "calculated", "derived", "sum of"]

Rule Validation

Completeness Checks

completeness_validation:
  questions:
    - "Are all conditions specified?"
    - "Is the default case defined?"
    - "Are exceptions documented?"
    - "Is the rule source identified?"
    - "Can the rule be tested?"

  checklist:
    - "[ ] All terms defined in glossary"
    - "[ ] All conditions explicit"
    - "[ ] Actions clearly specified"
    - "[ ] Exceptions documented"
    - "[ ] Examples provided"
    - "[ ] Source and authority identified"

Consistency Checks

consistency_validation:
  rule_conflicts:
    - "Do any rules contradict each other?"
    - "Are there overlapping conditions with different outcomes?"

  terminology:
    - "Are terms used consistently across rules?"
    - "Do definitions match glossary?"

  coverage:
    - "Are there gaps in the decision logic?"
    - "Is the rule set complete for all scenarios?"

Rule Traceability

traceability:
  upstream:
    - "Source document/stakeholder"
    - "Business objective supported"
    - "Regulation/policy reference"

  downstream:
    - "Requirements implementing this rule"
    - "Test cases validating this rule"
    - "System components enforcing this rule"

  matrix:
    format: "Rule ID → Requirement ID → Test ID → Component ID"

Output Format

Business Rules Catalog

rules_catalog:
  domain: "{domain}"
  version: "1.0"
  last_updated: "{ISO-8601}"

  glossary:
    - term: "Premium Customer"
      definition: "Customer with lifetime value > $50,000"

  rules:
    - id: "BR-ORD-001"
      name: "Minimum Order Quantity"
      category: "constraint"
      statement: "Order quantity must be at least 1"
      enforcement: "automatic"
      priority: "high"

    - id: "BR-ORD-002"
      name: "VIP Discount Calculation"
      category: "derivation"
      statement: "VIP customers receive 20% discount on orders over $100"
      formula: "Discount = OrderTotal × 0.20 IF CustomerType = 'VIP' AND OrderTotal > 100"

  decision_tables:
    - name: "Shipping Method Selection"
      conditions: [...]
      actions: [...]
      rules: [...]

  validation_summary:
    total_rules: 25
    by_category:
      constraint: 12
      derivation: 5
      inference: 4
      action: 4
    conflicts_found: 0
    gaps_identified: 2

Integration Points

With Other Elicitation Commands

# Discover rules during interviews
/requirements-elicitation:interview --focus "business-rules"

# Extract rules from documents
/requirements-elicitation:extract --source "policies.pdf" --type "rules"

# Validate rules with stakeholders
/requirements-elicitation:simulate --domain "orders" --focus "rule-validation"

Rule-to-Requirement Transformation

transformation:
  constraint_to_requirement:
    rule: "Order quantity must be between 1 and 999"
    requirement: "System shall validate that order quantity is within range 1-999"

  derivation_to_requirement:
    rule: "Order Total = Sum of (Quantity × Unit Price)"
    requirement: "System shall calculate order total as sum of line item amounts"

  authorization_to_requirement:
    rule: "Only Managers can approve orders over $5,000"
    requirement: "System shall require Manager role for approval of orders exceeding $5,000"

References

For detailed techniques:

• Rule Elicitation Techniques
• Decision Table Patterns
• Rule Conflict Resolution

Version History

• v1.0.0 (2025-12-26): Initial release - Business Rules Analysis skill

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Last Updated: 2025-12-26