Test business rules before enforcing them
Trial a new control quietly: it records who it would have stopped, without blocking anyone.
Live in partWhat does Guardrails do? Tighten controls with evidence of impact first, instead of discovering lockouts the day a rule goes live.
How it works
Rules answer 'is this allowed?', while approvals answer 'who signs off?'. Each rule can be on, off or in trial mode. Trial rules check everything but only log what they would have blocked, with the rule, document and person. Ready-made rules come switched off, such as blocking a project start without an accountable owner.
Existing rules are checked to behave exactly as before, and automatic tests fail if a rule on trial ever blocks anyone.
- Finance agents are tested on sets of known right answers run through their real calculations, from the collections reminder steps to lease present-value maths.
Step by step
- Write the rule, or start from a ready-made one. In Admin, open Guardrails. Describe the rule in plain words and an assistant drafts it for you to check, or start from a template, such as "a project cannot start without an accountable owner".
- Choose what it does. Block the save, require approval, warn only, or fill in a field automatically. Set its severity, the message people see, and what to do if a value cannot be read: refuse, or allow.
- Start in shadow. Shadow mode checks every record but only writes down what it would have stopped, with the rule, the document and the person. Nobody is blocked.
- Read what it would have done. Look at the shadow findings for a while. If it would have stopped the right things and nothing else, the rule is ready.
- Switch it to enforce. From then on it applies. Loosening a rule, switching it off or moving it back to shadow needs a written reason.
- Review the history. Every change to a rule is kept, and an earlier version can be put back.
Ask us to trial one of your approval limits in shadow mode.
What you see on screen
| Setting | Choices you will see |
|---|---|
| What it does | Block the save, Require approval, Warn only, Fill a field automatically. |
| Mode | Enforce, Shadow (record what it would refuse), or Off. |
| Severity | Error, Warning or Info. |
| If a value cannot be read | Refuse (fail closed) or Allow (fail open). |
| Message shown when it fires | The sentence your team sees. |
| Why are you changing it? | Required to switch a rule off, soften it or move it to shadow. Kept in the audit trail. |
Who uses it
- Finance controller or administrator: writes rules and watches the shadow findings.
- Owner: decides which limits matter, for example approvals above an amount.
- Auditors: read the history of who loosened what and why.
See how your own approval limits would behave before you switch them on.
Related
- Who signs off, in order: the approvals designer.
- Settings for all of this live in Admin.
- Agents with a person always in the loop: explainable agents with human sign-off.
- Controls that tighten from near misses: controls that learn from near misses.
Questions
What is Guardrails in Kinnow?
Trial a new control quietly: it records who it would have stopped, without blocking anyone.
What changes for the business?
Tighten controls with evidence of impact first, instead of discovering lockouts the day a rule goes live.
Is it available today?
It is live in part: the core is built and parts are completing with early customers.
How long should I leave a rule in shadow?
There is no fixed period. Leave it until the findings show it would have stopped the right records and nothing else, then switch it to enforce.
What is the difference between a rule and an approval?
A rule answers "is this allowed?". An approval answers "who signs off?". A rule can also ask for an approval when it fires.
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