Analyzing and Representing Business Decisions
November 13-14, 2013 - Las Vegas, NV
WCDT 2013 is part of the Business Rules & Decisions Forum, within the Building Business Capability (BBC) 2013 Conference
Congress Chairs: Jan Vanthienen and Ronald G. Ross
Here’s what’s happening ...
Large numbers of business rules are typically involved in making specific, situation-sensitive decisions in day-to-day
business operation. A picture can be worth a thousand words in capturing, analyzing and representing these business
rules. Think of decision tables as ‘pictures’ of decision logic based on intrinsic patterns, and think of decision
hierarchies as a model to structure decisions in a top-down, incremental approach.
In effect, decision tables serve as spreadsheets for decision logic, with all their inherent advantages. Rather than
merely list business rules, however, a decision table structures them helping you to avoid redundancies,
inconsistencies, and missing cases. In short, decision tables provide a highly agile representation of decision logic
and a proven tool for effective business analysis.
Decision tables can be used in a wide variety of applications: pricing, routing, problem diagnosis, configuration,
assignment, selection, matching, etc. They are found in many different industry sectors: insurance, health care,
taxation, regulation, credit scoring, social, retail, transportation, and more.
Background ...
Decision tables are not new. In fact, they are so natural they keep being reinvented. Far more real-world business
experience and expertise with decision tables is available than many realize. WCDT brings you up to date on best
practices and latest trends in the field.
Decision tables have a long history, older even than software engineering. More or less overshadowed by software
engineering for many years, their advantages are now winning out, especially in addressing complexity and
communicating more effectively with business people. Decision tables are a pragmatic, business-friendly
representation of business rules that dramatically improves conciseness, completeness, and correctness.
They are a key piece of the puzzle in building better business capabilities.
What you will learn ...
What the basic elements of decision tables are and how to best organize them Which representations of decision tables work best when New techniques for decision analysis and decision modeling Best practices in modeling decision tables and decision hierarchies Real-life case studies in business and government Best practices Tips and tricks The importance of business vocabulary and semantics Tools, implementations and standards Proven ideas to you help work better with real business people in real business situations
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