Business rules are applicable in many ways in an organization, with a variety of ways to be expressed. Typically, business rules apply specific instructions and constraints to day-to-day actions and how they should be performed.
These rules can include:
- Policies relegating employees to working with a set list of vendors
- Invoice approval structure allowing only certain managers to sign off on invoices over a certain amount
- A specific formula to be used in calculating revenue or expenses
The Benefit of Business Rules and How They Support Automation
When business rules are determined prior to ECM, it allows for a flexible approach to meeting goals quickly and responding to shifting business needs. Business rules may not require formal documentation, but as digital transformation is occurring, they can be quite beneficial in effectively reaching business goals. Some process automation software provides to option to model your business rules separate from your processes, which makes it so no one has to manually go in and change every implementation of the rules.
How Business Rules Simplify Automation Design
A basic invoice approval system is one example of a business process that can be automated. This process can involve many complex approval structures that involve multiple cost centers and decision-makers that will vary dependant upon the type of invoice and the amount being charged.
When changes must occur, it can be time-consuming to perform updates business logic is being implemented directly within the process.
With the many advantages that business rules can provide, they should certainly be a part of an organization/business process automation strategies. Through putting business rules front and center in importance in an understandable format, business and IT will be better aligned for moving the business forward effectively.