I am gearing up for a week of seminars (through FTI http://goo.gl/jtu2K1) and a keynote (at BASSA http://www.sbs.co.za/bassa2013/) in South Africa the next several weeks. To prepare me for my visit, Cecilia Pearce has kindly explained some of the rules of the road, and the related vocabulary, that apply in Johannesburg and Cape Town. I’ll report back on any discrepancies I run into. I hope not to run into anything else(!). Steve Erlank of FTI and Cecilia both write they are ‘holding thumbs’ for me. Turns out that’s a good thing. ‘Holding thumbs’ is an idiom used to wish good luck, like crossing your fingers. Who knew? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rules and Vocabulary Acks: Cecilia Pearce Behavioral Rule: The show of a hand, similar to the royal wave, solves all indiscretions that may have occurred. Behavioral Rule (with low enforcement level): A red light, on a robot, does not necessarily mean a vehicle will stop. Definition: A ‘robot’ is referred to as a traffic light in America. Behavioral Rules: ‘Taxis’ seem to believe they own the road. They have the right of way and may stop at any time. They may decide to switch their hazards on as they stop … if they work. Take care not to tailgate. Definition: A ‘taxi’ is a cross between a cab and a bus, but a mini version. It transports about 18 passengers. Definitional Rules for Taxis: A ‘taxi’ is not easily identified by color or signage. A ‘taxi’ may be recognized by:

• being in very bad condition.
• usually being overloaded.
• using its hooter almost all the time.

Definition: A ‘hooter’ is known as a horn in America. Motivation for Constant Use of Hooters: To attract possible passengers. Definition: A ‘hooter symphony’ occurs when there is a traffic jam. Note: Do not expect any resolution of the traffic problem from a ‘hooter symphony’. You’ll be disappointed. Behavioral Rules for the ‘Taxi’ System: Should you see somebody standing on the side of the road making weird hand signals, chances are that the signals are not intended for you. This is the mechanism used by prospective passengers to inform an approaching taxi of their destination. Facts: In South Africa the taxi driver is not provided with your destination; instead a taxi driver goes to specific destinations. Taxis have designated routes but not designated dropping-off areas. Major Behavioral Rule: And do remember, we drive on the left hand side of the road(!).

Doing more of the same, just faster, is not going to close the gap between what business people need and what IT can deliver. And no silver bullets will ever fix the problem. Instead, your company needs to rethink its current means and methods – to take a step back and really see the elephant. Proven solutions for today’s challenges and opportunities exist. The handwriting is on the wall for those who wish to see it, a new vision for truly business-driven IT. The end-goal is empowerment, both of business people and of business analysts. Come and share a fresh look at business processes, business requirements, and business architectures, and see how better business capabilities are readily within reach.

• Engineering policy-based business solutions
• Order-of-magnitude improvements in business capabilities
• Compliance, traceability and know-how – all built-in
• The pathway from gridlock to business agility
• Taking business analysis to the next level
• Restoring a sense of empowerment and creativity in the workplace

 

Business Rule Forum Keynote – Wednesday, November 2, 2011 – 9:00 AM I am giving a keynote next week called Business Analysis with Business Rules: See the Elephant! at the Building Business Capability (BBC2011) event in Florida (Nov 2, 9am Eastern). If you’re there, I hope you’ll come. If not, our new book, Building Business Solutions: Business Analysis with Business Rules explains the ‘elephant’ part in the Preface. See http://www.brsolutions.com/b_building_business_solutions.php. Here are some clues … Why doesn’t every organization in the world do business rules? Doesn’t every organization have them? A great many of the ideas and tools have been around for years, all tried-and-proven. What’s the problem? It’s not that there aren’t successes – there are, lots of them. It’s not that successful techniques haven’t been written up and talked about for years – they have. You could argue that many people who think they understand business rules, actually don’t. There’s some truth to that – but consensus among experts has existed for years. The real reason is simply that the problem is so pervasive. It’s everywhere, like air, making it hard to see. Exciting things happen though once you stand back and take a look at the big picture.

• Engineering highly dynamic, definitively aligned business solutions
• Order-of-magnitude improvements in business capabilities
• The pathway from gridlock to business agility
• Not just requirements development by another name
• The process for business rules – and a fresh look at governance