Our Philosophy

Our focus for all things ODM is on the end user experience, the Rule Author and Change Management experience. We feel that the overall long term success of ANY Decision Solution, be it built on IBM’s Operational Decision Manager or some other Business Rules Management System (BRMS), is not determined by the initial implementation but by how easily it can evolve over time. If Rule Authors cannot quickly add new Business Policies, modify existing rules, test and certify those changes, and get those changes into production then the solution is not delivering on the promise of Business Rules

Training

Our approach to training focuses on the practical aspects of building and using Decision Solutions based on IBM’s Operational Decision Manager. In addition to covering the core features and functionality of the Product, we discuss and demonstrate:

  • Implementation patterns
  • Advanced features and capabilities
  • Design & Change methodologies
  • Tips & Tricks

For ODM Developers, the focus is on building Decision Solutions that are extensible and designed around:

  • Business Policy (rule) patterns
  • Change Management & Governance requirements
  • End-user testing and certification
  • Rule Author preferences.

For Rule Authors, the focus is on mastering the skills they will need to perform the core tasks for which they will be responsible for:

  • Writing rules from Business Policies
  • Changing rules to meet new requirements
  • Testing and Simulating the changes
  • Working with ODM Developers

Development

Regardless of whether we are in a support role as one developer on a team or responsible for all aspects of developing a Decision Solution, from requirements refinement through performance testing, we will strive to ensure you get the solution you “need”. We will do this even if doing so means challenging you, the client, on your requirements and expectations.

To ensure we deliver an “optimal” solution that exceeds expectations, our methodology treats the following as “level 1” requirements and not as an afterthought:

  • Change Management & Governance
  • Rule Author testing & certification
  • Rule Author Training and Knowledge Transfer

When we work with your developers we will drive toward building a single cohesive team whether we are in a leadership role or not. Additionally, we will informally teach and mentor any and all ODM Developers that are identified as taking over ownership and support of the solution after we roll off the project.

Business Rules is all we do and are therefor advocates not only for using BRMSs, when appropriate, but leaders in driving Best Practices and Training.

Change Management

Change Management and “right-sized” Governance is crucial in ensuring long term success and longevity of your Decision Solutions. We have developed, and can make available, multiple Change Management Methodologies for use within your organization.

Even though each methodology is complete and ready to be used as-is, they are intended to be modified to better align with your organizations unique requirements and culture. It is also common to have variations between individual Decision Solutions rather than an organization wide standard.

Best Practices

Rather than “Best Practices”, we prefer to think in terms of “Optimal Practices” since, as in most things, one size rarely fits all. As with our Change Management Methodologies, we have documented an extensive collection of Best Practices that is nearly ready to be used as-is.

At a minimum it needs to take into account any unique aspects of your existing Decision Solutions in order for it to be considered complete. Additionally, it will need to be adjusted to align with your company culture and standards.