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

Last Updated: 2025-12-26