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Rule Hierarchy Cascade

Run the Rule Hierarchy Cascade MicroSim Fullscreen

Description

This interactive MicroSim visualizes how configuration rules flow down through organizational hierarchy levels, demonstrating the concept of rule inheritance and conflict resolution in hierarchical systems.

The Five Hierarchy Levels

From top (most general) to bottom (most specific):

  1. Enterprise (Dark Blue) - Organization-wide rules like brand colors, accessibility requirements, and legal mandates
  2. Business Unit (Medium Blue) - Division-specific rules for technology stacks and platform standards
  3. Department (Light Blue) - Subject-specific conventions and pedagogical approaches
  4. Project (Teal) - Project-level visual styles and chapter conventions
  5. Personal (Green) - Individual developer preferences and code styles

Key Concepts

  • MANDATORY Rules: Marked with a lock icon, these rules cannot be overridden at any lower level
  • Rule Override: When a lower level explicitly replaces a higher-level rule (shown with strikethrough)
  • Conflict Resolution: When rules conflict, the most specific (lowest) level wins
  • Inheritance: Rules automatically flow down unless explicitly overridden

Interactive Features

  • Hover over hierarchy levels to highlight them
  • Hover over rule chips to see detailed information
  • Click "Animate Cascade" to watch rules flow through the hierarchy
  • Legend panel explains the visual indicators

Learning Objectives

After exploring this MicroSim, learners will be able to:

  • Explain how rules cascade through organizational hierarchies
  • Identify when a rule can and cannot be overridden
  • Predict how conflicts between levels are resolved
  • Apply the "most specific wins" principle to resolve configuration conflicts

Use Cases

This pattern applies to many real-world scenarios:

  • CSS Cascading: How styles inherit and override in web development
  • Configuration Management: Enterprise to personal settings in software systems
  • Policy Hierarchies: How organizational policies flow down through departments
  • Permissions Systems: How access controls inherit through organizational levels

Embedding This MicroSim

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<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/automating-instructional-design/sims/rule-hierarchy-cascade/main.html" height="570px" scrolling="no"></iframe>

References

  • CSS Specificity and Cascade Rules
  • Configuration Management Best Practices
  • Hierarchical Policy Systems in Enterprise Architecture