An Application of Business Rule Optimisation

Business rules influence the behaviour of business processes and subsequent outcomes such as profitability and customer service. This is particularly important in the services sector where customers, and their needs, are different. This thesis addresses the problem of creating a set of business rules that will give the best business outcomes for the types of customer that we expect to service. In addition, the potential for business rules to work alongside and support, instead of simply replace, the human decision maker is explicitly considered. The theory is developed and then applied to a case study in loan approval. The results indicate that there is merit in this approach and that optimised business rules can improve business outcomes.