Business Rules Analysis Flashcards

What is a 'business rule' in the context of business analysis?

Answer: A specific directive that defines or constrains some aspect of the business, governing behavior, action, or decision

A business rule is a specific, actionable statement that defines or constrains business conduct — it governs how decisions are made, actions are taken, or conditions are evaluated within the business.

What distinguishes a 'business rule' from a 'business process'?

Answer: A business rule states a constraint or directive; a business process describes the sequence of activities to accomplish a goal

A business rule is a declarative statement of constraint or policy ('must', 'shall', 'cannot'), while a business process describes the procedural steps and flow of activities to accomplish a business objective.

Which of the following is an example of a 'definitional rule' (also called a term rule)?

Answer: 'Preferred customer' is defined as a customer who has placed more than 10 orders in the past 12 months

A definitional rule establishes the meaning of a business concept or term — in this case, defining what qualifies a customer as 'preferred' through specific measurable criteria.

Why is it important for business rules to be stated declaratively rather than procedurally?

Answer: Declarative rules separate the 'what' from the 'how', enabling implementation flexibility and making rules easier to maintain

Declarative business rules state what must be true or what is permitted without specifying how to implement it, separating business logic from implementation and making rules easier to change independently.

What is a 'decision table' used for in business rules analysis?

Answer: Documenting complex conditional logic by mapping combinations of conditions to corresponding actions

A decision table maps all meaningful combinations of relevant conditions to their corresponding business actions or outcomes, providing a comprehensive, structured view of complex conditional logic.

Which source is MOST likely to reveal undocumented business rules in a legacy system migration?

Answer: Subject matter experts who have operated the current system for years

Long-tenured subject matter experts carry tacit knowledge of how the current system actually works — including the undocumented rules embedded in code, workarounds, and operational practice over time.