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Introduction
As regulations evolve, customer expectations shift and competition intensifies, insurers need tools that enable quick adaptation without sacrificing accuracy or compliance. One such tool is the business rules engine.
Discover how a business rules engine can transform insurance product configuration and help you uncover new opportunities for your organization.
In a recent episode of the Higson Rules Engine Podcast, Maciej Wir-Konas, Project Manager at Decerto and leader of one of Poland’s largest insurance agent portal systems, shared practical insights into how a rules engine makes it easy for business users to manage insurance product configuration. His experience bridges the gap between software development teams and business users, offering a unique view into the technology’s role in modern insurance product configuration.
From Agent Portals to Core Insurance Operations
Maciej’s main project is an agent portal used not only by insurance agents but also by underwriters, sales teams and back-office staff. In such a large-scale system, both transparency and performance are critical.
The rules engine plays a dual role:
- Technical perspective – it acts as an application domain configurator, centralizing technical parameters, managing service availability and even scheduling technical tasks dynamically.
- Business perspective – it functions as a product, tariff and coverage configurator, enabling advanced data validation, risk-based premium calculations, and advanced data capture through customizable forms and workflows without coding.
Why Centralizing Business Rules Matters
Before implementing Higson, many configurations were stored in large, scattered Excel files. Business analysts were often responsible for maintaining these files, which created bottlenecks: only a handful of “Excel experts” knew how to maintain them, which slowed down changes and introduced operational risks if key staff were unavailable.
With a business rules engine, all product logic, underwriting rules and parameter dictionaries are versioned, centrally stored and easily accessible to business users. The rules engine allows users to efficiently build and update product logic, so updating general terms and conditions, adjusting tariffs or complying with new regulations can be done quickly, with full history tracking and no IT deployments.
The Drivers for Adopting a Rules Engine
According to Maciej, two main reasons pushed the move towards a centralized rules engine:
- Lack of flexibility in a fast-changing market – insurers needed tools that could quickly adapt to new conditions to stay competitive.
- Scattered configurations – the scope of product rules and versions was broad and dispersed across multiple files and systems, making consistent updates nearly impossible.
Impact on Time-to-Market
If the rules engine were removed, customizing insurance processes and launching new products would slow dramatically. Instead of being able to deploy product updates in hours, insurers would face turnaround times of weeks or even months. Without quick adjustments, products risk falling behind competitors. For agents, the inability to generate tailored offers based on the latest market data would erode their competitive edge.
Beyond Insurance Products: Claims and Fraud Detection
While much of the discussion focused on insurance product configuration, Maciej noted that rules engines also excel in areas like credit comparison tools and anti-fraud models.
In claims processing, a rules engine can handle large volumes of claims data, efficiently aggregating information from multiple domains to assess fraud risk. The system supports rigorous testing of fraud detection models, ensuring accuracy and reliability. By having all relevant logic in one place, insurers can automate detection, score risk levels and trigger appropriate actions – from further investigation to automatic approval.
Key Features That Make the Difference
Maciej highlights two standout features:
- Versioning – the ability to manage multiple product or policy versions simultaneously, enabling rapid adaptation while maintaining full history.
- High performance – executing complex decision logic in real time, processing thousands of transactions per second at scale.
The platform is built for high performance and is ready for rapid deployment.
A dedicated team provides ongoing support to ensure smooth operation and quick resolution of any issues.
Regulatory Compliance in Insurance Product Configuration
Regulatory compliance is a cornerstone of successful insurance product configuration. Insurers operate in a landscape where laws and regulations are constantly evolving, and the ability to adapt quickly is essential. A modern insurance product configurator empowers users to define, manage, and update business rules and underwriting rules directly within the platform. This ensures that every new insurance product, product variant, or update is automatically checked against the latest regulatory requirements.
By embedding regulatory compliance into the product configuration process, insurers can confidently launch new insurance products without the risk of overlooking critical legal obligations. The configurator enables users to maintain and manage compliance rules centrally, reducing manual effort and minimizing the risk of non-compliance. This not only protects the business from potential penalties but also builds trust with customers and regulators. Ultimately, integrating regulatory compliance into the insurance product lifecycle ensures that insurers can respond to market changes swiftly while maintaining the highest standards of governance and risk management.
Transparency and Auditability
Transparency and auditability are vital for insurers seeking to maintain control and clarity over their insurance products. An advanced product configurator provides business users and product managers with a structured environment to define, create, and manage product versions and variants. Every change to pricing rules, product components, or business logic is tracked, ensuring that the entire process is visible and understandable to all stakeholders.
This level of transparency reduces the likelihood of errors or misinterpretations, as business teams can easily review the history of changes and updates. Auditability features allow insurers to maintain comprehensive records of all modifications, deployments, and rule adjustments, supporting both internal governance and external regulatory requirements. By ensuring that every step in the product configuration process is documented and accessible, insurers can demonstrate compliance, streamline audits, and foster a culture of accountability within their teams.
Integration and Connectivity
In today’s digital insurance landscape, integration and connectivity are essential for maximizing the value of a product configurator. A flexible insurance product configurator is designed to seamlessly connect with existing policy administration systems, rating engines, and other business-critical applications. This integration enables business users to leverage data from multiple sources, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of product creation and pricing processes.
With robust APIs and SDKs, insurers can securely integrate the configurator with front-end applications and digital channels, supporting the development of customized user experiences for both internal teams and customers. This connectivity allows insurers to make the most of their existing resources and infrastructure, reducing operational costs and accelerating the launch of new insurance products. By enabling smooth data flow and process automation across systems, the product configurator supports a truly digital, agile, and responsive insurance business.
When to Consider a Business Rules Engine
If every small business change requires IT intervention and a full deployment cycle, it’s time to consider a business rules engine. By empowering business teams to manage and configure logic themselves, insurers gain agility, reduce costs and accelerate innovation.
A comprehensive product builder enables insurers to quickly create and manage product variants tailored to specific market segments, allowing for rapid adaptation and targeted offerings. Such solutions empower business teams to innovate and respond to market needs efficiently.
Conclusion
The conversation with Maciej Wir-Konas illustrates that a rules engine is more than a technical tool – it is a strategic enabler for insurers. From insurance product configuration to fraud detection, the ability to centralize, version and automate decision logic directly translates into competitive advantage.
In an industry where staying still means falling behind, the business rules engine ensures insurers can move fast, adapt confidently and lead rather than follow.