Business rules are a form of requirements that must be implemented regardless of the technology. They are critical in the quest for the holy grail of business agility.

Decision Tables are a wide-spread tool to document Business Rules. A Decision Table lists all relevant conditions in the upper 4 rows and all outcomes in the lower 3 rows. The check marks show which combination of conditions leads to the individual outcomes.

Using a Decision Table, it is easy to identify critical Scenarios or Scenario outlines to create Acceptance Tests. Each column in a Decision Table is at least ONE Scenario!

Extrapolate Scenarios from Business Rules Using Decision Tables

In their simplest definition, Business rules are an integral part of User Stories. They describe the processes, definitions and Constraints that apply to an organization. They relate to people, processes, business behavior, and computer systems. They are set up to help the organization achieve its goals.

What is the difference between a Business Rule, a Requirement, and a Scenario?

• Business Rules give you the criteria and conditions for a decision.
• A Requirement enables the implementation  n of and compliance with a Business Rule.
• Scenarios are used to validate whether a Business Rule or User Story is implemented correctly.

One Business Rule can easily lead to multiple Scenarios. You could define Scenarios that cover all outcomes to ensure that the new applications takes these conditions properly into account.