ERP business rules
Your company has its own rules. Your ERP should be able to apply them.
AVIA ERP turns your approval thresholds, mandatory controls and quality requirements into rules the system checks on its own, with a clear message when it refuses an action.
Example rule
- If
- the amount of a purchase exceeds a tier
- Then
- approval at the required level is demanded
- The refusal says
- the amount, the threshold and the expected level
Short answer
A business rule, in an ERP, is a condition the system checks on its own when a document is entered or validated: if a threshold is crossed, an action is required or refused. It replaces the verbal instruction or the side spreadsheet with a control applied to everyone, the same way, with a message that explains the refusal. In AVIA ERP, the consultant picks a rule type, sets its thresholds and scope, simulates it on the last 90 days of real documents, then activates it.
Four “If… then…” examples
A rule can warn first, then block: observe before hardening. Each example names the module involved and says whether it is a rule enforced by the engine or a guided approach.
Rule enforced by the engine
- If
- The amount of a purchase order exceeds a tier set by the company.
- Then
- Firming is refused until an approval at the required level is given. The message states the amount, the threshold and the expected level.
Module involved : Purchasing — “Approval by amount” rule
Stock alert
- If
- An item’s stock falls below its minimum stock or its reorder point.
- Then
- The item appears in the stock alerts, ranked critical or to watch, with direct access to create the purchase request.
Module involved : Inventory and Purchasing — stock alerts
Rule enforced by the engine
- If
- A nonconformity of the chosen severity (major or critical by default) is closed without a corrective action.
- Then
- Closure is refused until a corrective action is attached — and, if the company chooses, until it is verified.
Module involved : Quality — “Nonconformity without corrective action” rule
Guided approach, started by the user
- If
- Series changeovers waste time on a workstation.
- Then
- A SMED study is opened on that workstation: each operation is classed internal or external, with its current duration, its improved duration and a target changeover time.
Module involved : Lean — SMED study
How it works
From the ERP foundation to continuous improvement: a chain where each link builds on the previous one.
- Industrial ERP : One foundation: production, inventory, purchasing, sales and quality share the same data.
- Business rules : Thresholds, scopes and severity set by the consultant, simulated over 90 days before activation.
- Workflows & automation : Approval steps, approvers, deadlines and escalation, triggered server-side.
- Operational data : Each sensitive change keeps the old value, the new one, the author and the date; twelve risk signals read this data.
- AI : The copilot explains a refusal in plain language and guides step by step; it never writes without confirmation.
- Continuous improvement : The Lean modules (SMED, 5S audit, improvement plan) turn what you observe into tracked actions.
Going further
A business rule is useful when it serves a method. Three guides to move from rule to improvement, and three sectors where rules weigh most.
Method guides
Production
Lean or Six Sigma: is your problem lead time or variation?
10 min read
Production
SMED: what your changeovers really cost you
9 min read
Standards
ERP and ISO 9001: facing your quality audit without dreading traceability
8 min read
Sectors
- AutomotiveIATF 16949 normative pack: blocking lot traceability from receiving, operator qualified per workstation.
- Medical devicesISO 13485 pack: lot and serial traceability on every item, nonconformities verified before closure, calibrated instruments.
- MachiningTight receiving tolerance, lot and serial traceability through to the delivered part, end date required on the manufacturing order.
Full documentation: catalogue of the sixteen rule types, packs by trade, commissioning
Frequently asked questions
What is a business rule in an ERP?
It is a condition the system checks automatically when a document is entered or validated: an amount above a threshold, a missing mandatory field, a closed accounting period. If the condition is not met, the ERP refuses the action or flags it.
Does a business rule require custom development?
No. Each rule type is tested code shipped with the product: the consultant picks a type and sets thresholds and a scope (tenant, supplier, item or customer depending on the type). A behaviour missing from the type catalogue does, however, require a product change.
Can a rule be tested before it is activated?
Yes. The rule is replayed on the real documents of the last 90 days without changing anything: you see how many would have been evaluated and how many would have been blocked. A rule can also start in “warn” mode before moving to “block”, and it is disabled, never deleted.
What does the user see when a rule refuses an action?
A readable message giving the reason in figures: the threshold exceeded, the missing field, the period concerned. The copilot can explain the latest refusal in plain language and guide the user step by step; it writes nothing without a confirmation click.
What is the difference between a business rule and an approval workflow?
A rule is a condition checked on entry or at firming. An approval workflow is a sequence of steps whose approvers are designated (by role, by user, by department head or line manager), with deadlines and escalation. The two combine: the “workflow required” rule type refuses firming a document until its workflow is approved.
Let’s look at your rules on one of your processes. Forty-five minutes, one real process, a written summary.
Book an industrial diagnostic