Final Word (For Now) on the Black Swans and Strategy Discussion: Do Business Rules Derive from a Business’s Goals and Objectives?
Question: Do business rules derive from strategy? Answer: In our experience only about 2-3% of a company’s business rules derive directly from strategy (goals and objectives). Needless to say, those are a critical 2-3%. The rest of a company’s business rules concerning behavior derive from regulations, contracts, agreements, business policies, warranties, deals, certifications, etc. Let’s call all those obligations. Every business has a choice of whether to comply with its obligations. Generally speaking, the risks of not doing so will be high in a good many (though not all) cases. So there’s certainly something to be said for being a good corporate citizen in a free enterprise system. The key is to make sure all business rules align with strategy, even if most don’t derive directly from it.Tags: alignment, black swans, business strategy, good corporate citizen, obligations, strategy
Ronald G. Ross
Ron Ross, Principal and Co-Founder of Business Rules Solutions, LLC, is internationally acknowledged as the “father of business rules.” Recognizing early on the importance of independently managed business rules for business operations and architecture, he has pioneered innovative techniques and standards since the mid-1980s. He wrote the industry’s first book on business rules in 1994.