How to Write Business Rules for Software Validation
Writing the business rules used for software validation testing involves examining company policies and procedures to identify objects and how each relates to the other. Accurately written business rules will describe how a company processes its data flow and when. Business rules define the scope, nature and roles of the data for the software development team. You'll be examining current company policies and interviewing end users.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Write down current business rules that you are aware of. Break down business rules by department, focusing on one department at a time to make it easier. For example, write "Customer Service" at the top of the page and then begin writing business rules such as "One customer service agent may help one customer at a time," "Each customer can have more than one account" or "Each customer can access his or her account via the toll free number or via the Internet." The goal is to identify the objects, which are usually the nouns, in each policy or current rule relationship and write how out how each relates to the other. Continue doing this for all applicable departments until you can no longer think of any.
-
2
Evaluate company handbooks, policy statements or operational manuals for additional relationship rules that may exist. Add the rules to the lists as you find them.
-
-
3
Interview department managers and end users to verify the relationship of the items in the business rules you do have. For example, you will need to verify in the customer service department what actual authority representatives have when making changes to customer accounts versus what the customer service agents may have previously dictated.
-
4
Enter the business rules separated out by department into a spreadsheet. Put each business object (the nouns you identified earlier) in a column of its own. Make a "Relationship" column between the business objects. Fill the "Relationship" column with verbs such as "accesses," "changes," "updates," "modify," "deletes" and so on as applicable.
-
5
Save your work when finished. Edit the document for spelling and relationship accuracies.
-
6
Present the spreadsheet with the business rules to the software development team. The software team will reference these business rules as a checklist to make sure the software application being built works properly. For example, if during the software validation phase, the software application does not allow a customer service representative to access a customer account, that software validation test failed because the software did not perform according to the business rules. The programmers will attempt to correct the issue and perform software validation tests until the application works properly.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Business rules must be easy to understand by anyone reading them. The rules should be made known to all people working on the software development team to make sure everyone has the same understanding of what the business rules are. Ask clarification questions during interviews with department heads on anything you do not understand.
If you do not have clear understanding of the data flows within the various departments, you cannot provide specific and concise business rules to the software development team. If the software application is built with inaccurate business rules, it could have strong legal consequences for the company.
References
- Photo Credit black database image by .shock from Fotolia.com
