Involving business users in business rules lifecycle

Sašo Thorževskij (2010) Involving business users in business rules lifecycle. EngD thesis.

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Abstract

Organizations operate in dynamic environments, which require continuous modifications of business policies. The latter also implies changes in business informatics, the basis for effective and prosperous operation. To answer to the constant need for modifications and adaptations, a new approach to information systems design and implementation has been developed, based on separating business rules from the rest of the information system. In such solutions, business rule execution is entrusted to special business rule management systems, which incorporate development and management tools, including the execution environment. In existing business rules applications, developers are responsible for maintenance of the business rule logic throughout the system lifecycle. In the future we would like to encourage business users to maintain their rules by themselves, and thereby shorten the time needed to deploy new business rules into execution. The Thesis focuses on business rules, introduction of the basic concepts of business rule management systems, and providing appropriate tools for business support. An alternative method for testing business rules, which differs from the standard testing procedure due to their changing nature, is also presented. This delta testing technique simplifies the testing of continuous change in business rules. The IBM WebSphere ILOG JRules business rule management system is then used to introduce the possibilities of direct involvement of business users into the process of applying and managing business rules and thus into the lifecycle of business rules. The functionalities of the selected tools, which are presented in detail, are reviewed in order to assess if they meet our demands. Finally, we review the consequences of the usage of the featured tools in existing business rules applications. We present the possibilities to remedy these consequences, and thereby enable the integration of business users into the entire lifecycle of business rules.

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