Decide whether to write rules in Word or Excel

Microsoft Excel should be used to capture the rule if:

In addition only rules of the following type should be written in Excel:

Otherwise, all rules should be written in Microsoft Word.

Is the rule logic appropriate to convert to a decision table? 

The rule logic is appropriate to convert into a decision table if the rule logic is not more than one level deep. If the rule logic is more than one level deep it can still be converted to a decision table providing:

  1. intermediate logic is not required in the decision report* and
  2. the rule is relatively simple to translate into a decision table while having confidence that all combinations of attribute values are captured in the decision table.

*Excel decision reports just show the values and the outcome, without detailed reasoning.

Example A (multiple conclusions set from the same logic)

the person must be sent an approval letter if

the person is eligible

 

the person must be sent an information pack if

the person is eligible

Example B (multiple conclusions set from different values of one attribute)

the pet is a dog if

the pet's species = "dog"

 

the pet is a cat if

the pet's species = "cat"