• Application Logic Externalization
The first step is simply to extract a decision, implement a decision service and have developers right the rules. Business users can read these rules more easily and they are managed declaratively. Now separate and visible as a decision that can be deployed as a decision service (wiki).
>> Better IT agility, moving up the learning curve, less of a gap between expression and implementation. Can be too programmer-centric and seem like a lot of work for small benefit.
• Business Expert Access
Reporting and read-only access for business experts so they can investigate the system's behavior themselves.
>> Better understanding of the rules, common vocabulary and moving towards business ownership
• Decision Cycle Testing and Deployment
Business demand drives releases not IT. Test business decisions as business decisions.
>> Business agility, more business-centric.
• Business Expert Authoring
Templates or metaphors that allow some business user authoring
>> Increased business agility, decreased IT workload, foundation for business ownership - eliminate many of the change requests that IT hate. Business is in charge of more changes.
• Business Contextualization - Process and Decisions
Embed rules into concepts like product, contract or customer. Embed rule authoring into applications for these entities.
>> Business elements fully dynamic, policy maintenance is part of product/contract/customer maintenance.
• Full Business Ownership and governance
Rule governance structure, integrated with policy-related workflow, business owns the policies
>> True business/IT partnership, transparent and demonstrable compliance.
• Simulation and What-If
>> Increased confidence in planned policy changes. You CANNOT get this without a BRMS.
• Rule Service Strategy
Build out SOA around business decision services.
>> Rule-based agility within services, clear separation of service infrastructure from business function
• Model and Rule Sharing
Reuse common objects and rules
>> Improved compliance and reduced cost
• Rule Stewardship
Make it an organizational competency with rule stewards
>> Consistency in implementation, advocates for reuse and effectiveness, focal point for compliance
• Enterprise Rules Management or Enterprise Decision Management

• Change and variation are ubiquitous and essential
• Success increasingly relies on being able to change quickly and predictably - make this a core competency.
• SOA + BRMS = Safe, easy, predictable policy change