The Advantages of Working with a Customer’s S1000D BREX

Negotiating the S1000D project business rules and implementing a customer’s BREX into an existing production process creates a foundation of understanding between you and your customer at a level much more detailed and rich than any Statement of Work (SOW) can achieve.

This blog reviews the benefits of implementing a customer’s BREX in three major categories:

1. The BREX as Common Ground
2. Your Customer’s Concerns
3. A Path Forward

I.  The BREX as Common Ground

• As a common source of reference, the BREX acts as the glue that binds a multi-company project together at the technical level.
• When the customer provides the BREX, communication is enhanced because the customer has defined what is expected in the product delivery.
• Ownership of the BREX becomes a shared responsibility. This has the effect of creating a vested interest in BREX maintenance by all parties.  That interest pays off with an increased recognition of the business rules as the project touchstone with the customer.

II.  Your Customer’s Concerns

• At the production level, the BREX defines the customer’s expectations for a project. When issues are raised about a BREX rule, the intent of the customer can often be derived from related rules.
• The BREX is not only a collection of business rules, it’s the enactment of business rules. In this sense, a customer’s BREX can open an alternate view of S1000D theory and markup that can be very useful in improving your own processes.

III. A Path Forward

• Once an active BREX from a customer is assimilated into the production process, future projects for the customer will take less time to complete.
• As a known reference, the customer’s BREX gives you the tools you need to provide the customer with what they want without going through a lengthy business rule negotiation.
• The process of implementing a customer’s BREX creates working relationships between project principals. The BREX creates a common technical language that facilitates the partnership.

Last month I was Guest Speaker for a webinar titled:
“The benefits and challenges of working with a customer’s BREX delivery”