Business Rules: A Case Study - High-Performance Web Databases: Design, Development, and Deployment - page 127

IDENTIFYING BUSINESS RULE SOURCES
The third step is to identify business rule sources. The business rule
administrator begins with Mary Jones, the owner of the agency, but notes
that it may be advantageous to meet with one to two customers.
DETERMINING ACQUISITION APPROACHES
The fourth step is the determination of business rule acquisition
approaches. For this, the business rule administrator decides to conduct
one-on-one face-to-face interviews, when possible, with phone and fax
follow-up as needed.
IDENTIFYING BUSINESS RULE TOOLS, INTERFACES, STANDARDS,
AND PROCEDURES
The fifth step is the identification of tools for documenting business
rules. For the nanny agency, the business rules are entered into the
agency's word processor. The sixth step is to determine standards for
writing business rules.
CONDUCTING BUSINESS RULE ACQUISITION SESSIONS
The business rule administrator begins step seven with the first busi-
ness rule acquisition session with Mary. When scheduling the meeting with
Mary, the administrator asked her to forward sample documents she uses
to conduct business (e.g., nanny employment applications, customer
applications, fill-in-the-blank reference forms, and contracts).
After an introduction, the administrator begins by asking about the
primary purpose of the agency. “We match high-quality, dependable nan-
nies with good, supportive families in need of child care services,” Mary
answers. The business rule administrator immediately notices some
imprecise terms (e.g., high-quality, dependable, good, and supportive).
The business rule administrator focuses the conversation on the business
nouns in the sentence nanny, family, and childcare services.
What is a nanny? “A nanny is usually a young female who provides care
for children for payment.” This sounds like the beginning of a business
rule, but it contains imprecision.
Does a nanny have to be female? “No, although female nannies are more
common than males.” The business rule administrator notes that a nanny
is a person, not necessarily a female. In addition, the term young requires
further clarification. What is the minimum age you will accept for a nanny?
“Eighteen.” And, at what age must they no longer be a nanny? “No upper
age limit is set.”