Analytical Hierarchy Process Because people choose these three elements: importance, preference and likelihood to evaluate all the possible alternatives to a decision which sometimes is not consistent with every decision situation, the concept of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was developed by Dr. Thomas Saaty. Dr. Saaty described the AHP as a decision making approach based on the "innate human ability to make sound judgments about small problems" AHP transforms complex decision problems into simple decisions for both individuals and groups that employees the use of it to make decision. It is accommodative of intuition, compromise, and consensus structure without narrow-mindedness. The main purpose of this paper is to discuss what the AHP is and some other aspects of it. What is AHP? Saaty suggested AHP as a process that requires structuring the decision problem to demonstrate key elements and relationships that elicits judgments reflecting feelings or emotions, and whose judgments can be represented by meaningful numbers having ratio properties. In the AHP approach, complex decisions are organized and assessed against all possible alternatives using a hierarchy of multifaceted objectives allowing for a better, easier, and more efficient identification of selection criteria. How AHP works AHP is used to first decompose the decision problem into a hierarchy of easily comprehended sub-problems, each of which can be analyzed independently. The elements of the hierarchy can relate to any aspect of the decision problem tangible or intangible, estimated or carefully measured, well or poorly understood. Once that hierarchy is established, the decision maker systematically examines the various elements, comparing them to each other in pairs. In making the comparisons, the decision maker can use his/her judgments about the elements’ relative meaning and importance, or they can use well refined data about the elements. AHP converts the judgments to numerical values that are processed, evaluated and compared over the entire range of the decision problem. A numerical weight or priority vector is derived for each element of the hierarchy, allowing diverse and often incommensurable elements to be compared to one another in a rational and consistent way. This capability distinguishes AHP from other decision making techniques. At the end of the process, numerical priorities are derived for each of the decision alternatives. It is then a simple matter to pick the best alternative, or to rank them in order of relative preference.
These data affect the consumer decision-making process through alternative evaluation, the consumer compares the different choices to best meet their individuals need. The consumer decides the criteria for judging the alternative products or services by evaluative criteria. Consumers use tangible and intangible criteria, and when evaluating alternatives, determine qualities that are important and evaluate the alternatives.
These processes support the commander's intent in order to generate a solution to a problem that will accomplish the mission whit in the require time. The army decision making process and the rapid decision-making and synchronization process are design to solve different types of problems; well defined problems in which all required information is available, medium defined problems in which some information is available, and ill defined problem also known as
The first step in using the technique is to diagram the sequence of decisions and chance events that the decision maker faces.”
Identification of the problem-Herein lies the crucial first step in the Army’s Problem Solving Process. Initially a leader must determine the totality of the given situation, determine where the problem originated, and determine the “Who, What, When, Where and Why” answers to the source of the problem. Gathering of information-This step in the process is the most fluid. Understanding the problem at the user level is critical; therefore, defining the problem in this process is mandatory to ensure that everyone involved understands every facet of the problem statement. Development of criteria-While defining criteria to solve a problem, Army officers form two subsets; a screening set and an evaluation set. The screening set of criteria are parameters set by the leadership attempting to solve a problem to ensure the result of the decision made is a manageable success. The evaluation criteria consists of five validating elements. The elements of the evaluation criteria are; a short title; well defined; and the criteria must be of a standard unit of measure. Additionally, the problem solver must establish a benchmark that allows, the problem solver, to
By comparing the system to similar components and elements, it helps to establish the best fit for that particular size and population.
In order to address the above components, five decision making steps have to be put in place, these are; being attentive, being intelligent, being reasonable, being responsible, and being reflective. The first step, being attentive, involves evaluating the whole situation and coming up with the data and information about the problem at hand. In so doing the following questions are viewed; what facts to bear in mind, what direction to take so as to get the expected solution, and what is the main issue to work on. In the second step, being intelligent, the information is clearly studied to determine whether the collected data is revealing the correct details concerning the problem. Determine the stakeholde...
The consumer decision process consists of these six steps. First, problem recognition: Awareness of an unmet need. Second, information search: Search for alternatives that will meet your needs. Third, alternative evaluation: Evaluate the alternatives. Forth, purchase decision: Decide on the best alternative for you based on your criteria. Fifth, post-purchase behavior: Determine if you are satisfied with your choice. Sixth, disposal of product: Determine if you will keep it, upgrade it, or get rid of
Elements of a theory of problem solving.
One thing to remember when using any decision-making tool is to keep the end in mind. In other words when working through a process, visualizing the end result is Helpful. We must also remember that in every decision-making process there are a multitude of tools to help us along the way. No tool is really better then another, in fact most are made to compliment each other not as a soul solution to the process at hand.
Decision making process in place – reflecting the first three principle and giving due weight to the stake holders
Evaluate solutions on the basis of quality, acceptability, and standards: solutions should be judged on two major criteria: how good they are, and how acceptable they will be to those who have to implement them.
The next step is to choose the criteria that we are going to take into consideration. In my opinion, the most important criteria are the following (their order does not indicate their importance):
The following is a decision-making model that I have used to arrive at a decision.
Effective decision making involves the ability to identify consistently and select the best choice among multiple options. This is true both personally and professionally. For the decision making process one may use a decision making model. A decision making mo...
In this picture, David Easton tried to give an understanding how the decision is made. The process start from the input which input is coming from environment, and through demands and support, the input get into the political system. In the political system, the input is preparing to