View source for Decision-making software

{{Short description|Type of software that helps make decisions}}
'''Decision-making software''' ('''DM software''') is [[software]] for computer applications that help individuals and organisations make choices and take decisions, typically by ranking, prioritizing or choosing from a number of options.
An early example of DM software was described in 1973.<ref name="Dyer">Dyer, JS (1973), "A time-sharing computer program for the solution of the multiple criteria problem", ''Management Science'', 19: 1379-83.</ref><ref name="Walleniusetal">Wallenius, J, Dyer, JS, Fishburn, PC, Steuer, RE, Zionts, S and Deb, K (1992), "Multiple criteria decision making, multiattribute utility theory: The next ten years", ''Management Science'', 38: 645-54.</ref> Before the advent of the [[World Wide Web]], most DM software was spreadsheet-based,<ref name="Walleniusetal" /> with the first web-based DM software appearing in the mid-1990s.<ref name="Koksalanetal">Koksalan, M, Wallenius, J, and Zionts, S, ''Multiple Criteria Decision Making: From Early History to the 21st Century'', World Scientific Publishing: Singapore, 2011.</ref> Nowadays, many DM software products (mostly web-based) are available<ref name="Weistrofferetal">Weistroffer, HR, and Li, Y, "Multiple criteria decision analysis software", Ch 29 in: Greco, S, Ehrgott, M and Figueira, J, eds, ''Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis: State of the Art Surveys Series'', Springer: New York, 2016.</ref><ref name="orms">Oleson, S (2016), [https://www.informs.org/ORMS-Today/OR-MS-Today-Software-Surveys/Decision-Analysis-Software-Survey "Decision analysis software survey"], ''OR/MS Today'' 43(5).</ref><ref name="ormsamoyal">Amoyal, J (2018), [https://pubsonline.informs.org/do/10.1287/orms.2018.05.13/full/ "Decision analysis software survey"], ''OR/MS Today'' 45(5).</ref><ref name="Ishizaka">{{Cite book | doi = 10.1002/9781118644898| title = Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis| year = 2013| last1 = Ishizaka | first1 = A. | last2 = Nemery | first2 = P. | isbn = 9781118644898}}</ref> – e.g. see the comparison table below.
Most DM software focuses on ranking, prioritizing or choosing from among alternatives characterized on multiple criteria or attributes.<ref name="Weistrofferetal" /> Thus most DM software is based on [[decision analysis]], usually [[multi-criteria decision-making]], and so is often referred to as "decision analysis"<ref name="orms" /><ref name="ormsamoyal" /> or "multi-criteria decision-making"<ref name="Weistrofferetal" /> software – commonly shortened to "decision-making software". Some [[decision support systems]] include a DM software component.
==Purpose==
DM software can assist decision-makers "at various stages of the decision-making process, including problem exploration and formulation, identification of decision alternatives and solution constraints, structuring of preferences, and tradeoff judgements."<ref name="Weistrofferetal" />
The purpose of DM software is to support the analysis involved at these various stages of the decision-making process, not to replace it. DM software "should be used to support the process, not as the driving or dominating force."<ref name="BeltonandStewart">Belton, V, and Stewart, TJ, ''Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis: An Integrated Approach'', Kluwer: Boston, 2002.</ref>
DM software frees users "from the technical implementation details [of the decision-making method employed], allowing them to focus on the fundamental value judgements".<ref name="BeltonandStewart" /> Nonetheless, DM software should not be employed blindly. "Before using a software, it is necessary to have a sound knowledge of the adopted methodology and of the decision problem at hand."<ref name="Figueiraetal">Figueira, J, Greco, S and Ehrgott, M, "Introduction", Ch 1 in: Figueira, J, Greco, S and Ehrgott, M, eds, ''Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis: State of the Art Surveys Series'', Springer: New York, 2005.</ref>
==Methods and features==
===Decision-making methods===
As mentioned earlier, most DM software is based on [[multi-criteria decision making]] (MCDM). MCDM involves evaluating and combining alternatives' characteristics on two or more criteria or attributes in order to rank, prioritize or choose from among the alternatives.<ref name="Walleniusetal2008">Wallenius, J, Dyer, JS, Fishburn, PC, Steuer, RE, Zionts, S and Deb, K (2008), "Multiple criteria decision making, multiattribute utility theory: Recent accomplishments and what lies ahead", ''Management Science'' 54: 1336-49.</ref>
There is currently a great deal of interest in quantitative methods for decision making. Many decision analysts argue for multi-attribute [[decision analysis]] as the gold standard to which other methods should be compared, based on its rigorous axiomatic basis. Some other MCDM methods<ref name="BeltonandStewart" /> include:
* [[Aggregated Indices Randomization Method]] (AIRM)
* [[Analytic Hierarchy Process]] (AHP)
* [[Analytic network process]] (ANP, an extension of AHP)
* [[Decision EXpert|DEX (Decision EXpert)]]
* [[ELECTRE|Elimination and Choice Expressing Reality]] (ELECTRE)
* [[Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique (MACBETH)]]
* [[Multi-attribute global inference of quality]] (MAGIQ)
* [[Potentially All Pairwise RanKings of all possible Alternatives]] (PAPRIKA)
* [[Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation]] (PROMETHEE)
* [[Evidential reasoning approach]] for MCDM under hybrid uncertainty
There are significant differences between these methods<ref name="BeltonandStewart" /><ref name="Walleniusetal2008" /> and, accordingly, the DM software implementing them. Such differences include:
:# The extent to which the decision problem is broken into a [[hierarchy]] of sub-problems;
:# Whether or not [[pairwise comparisons]] of alternatives and/or criteria are used to elicit decision-makers' preferences;
:# The use of [[interval scale]] or [[ratio scale]] measurements of decision-makers' preferences;
:# The number of criteria included;
:# The number of alternatives evaluated, ranging from a few (finite) to infinite;
:# The extent to which numerical scores are used to value and/or rank alternatives;
:# The extent to which incomplete rankings (relative to complete rankings) of alternatives are produced;
:# The extent to which uncertainty is modeled and analyzed.
===Software features===
In the process of helping decision-makers to rank, prioritize or choose from among alternatives, DM software products often include a variety of features and tools;<ref name="Koksalanetal" /><ref name="Weistrofferetal" /> common examples include:
*[[Pairwise comparison (psychology)|Pairwise comparison]]
*[[Sensitivity analysis]]
*Group evaluation (teamwork)
*Web-based implementation
===Comparison of decision-making software===
DM software includes the following notable examples.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Software !! Supported [[MCDA]] Methods !! Pairwise Comparison !! Sensitivity Analysis !! Group Evaluation !! Web-based
|-
| [[1000minds]] || [[Potentially all pairwise rankings of all possible alternatives|PAPRIKA]] || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} ||<ref name="Weistrofferetal" /><ref name="orms" /><ref name="ormsamoyal" />
|-
| [[Ahoona]] || [[Weighted sum model|WSM]], [[Utility]]  || {{No}} || {{No}}|| {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} ||<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://create.usc.edu/sites/default/files/publications//dmsocialnetworkswithcover.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-08-02 |archive-date=2015-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526121007/http://create.usc.edu/sites/default/files/publications//dmsocialnetworkswithcover.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| [[MetaTeam|Altova MetaTeam]] || [[Weighted sum model|WSM]] || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Citation needed|date=January 2013}}
|-
| [[Analytica (software)|Analytica]] || MAUT, SMART|| {{No}} || {{Yes}}|| {{No}} || {{Yes}} ||<ref name="Weistrofferetal" /><ref name="orms" />
|-
| [[Criterium DecisionPlus]] || [[Analytic Hierarchy Process|AHP]], SMART || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} ||<ref name="Weistrofferetal" />
|-
| [[D-Sight]] || [[Preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation|PROMETHEE]], UTILITY || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} ||<ref name="Weistrofferetal" /><ref name="orms" />
|-
| [[DecideIT]] || MAUT || {{Yes}}|| {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} ||<ref name="Weistrofferetal" /><ref name="orms" />
|-
| [[Decision Lens]] || [[Analytic Hierarchy Process|AHP]], [[Analytic network process|ANP]] || {{Yes}} ||  {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Citation needed|date=January 2013}}
|-
| [[Expert Choice]] || [[Analytic Hierarchy Process|AHP]] || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} ||<ref name="Weistrofferetal" /><ref name="orms" />
|-
| [[Hiview3]] || SMART || {{No}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} ||<ref name="Weistrofferetal" /><ref name="orms" />
|-
| [[Intelligent Decision System]] || [[Evidential Reasoning Approach]], [[Bayesian Inference]], [[Dempster–Shafer theory]], Utility || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || Available on request ||<ref name="orms" />
|-
| [[Logical Decisions]] || [[Analytic Hierarchy Process|AHP]] || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} ||<ref name="Weistrofferetal" /><ref name="orms" /><ref name="ormsamoyal" />
|-
| [[Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique (MACBETH)|M-MACBETH]] || [[Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique (MACBETH)|MACBETH]] || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} ||<ref name="Weistrofferetal" />
|-
| [[PriEsT]] || [[Analytic Hierarchy Process|AHP]] || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} ||<ref name="priest">Siraj, S., Mikhailov, L. and Keane, J. A. (2013), [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/itor.12054/abstract "PriEsT: an interactive decision support tool to estimate priorities from pairwise comparison judgments"]. International Transactions in Operational Research. doi: 10.1111/itor.12054</ref>
|-
| [[Super Decisions]] || [[Analytic Hierarchy Process|AHP]], [[Analytic Network Process]] || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}} ||<ref name="Creative Decisions Foundation">[http://www.creativedecisions.org "www.creativedecisions.org"]</ref>
|}
A good summary of the capabilities of various software packages is available in the [https://pubsonline.informs.org/magazine/orms-today/2020-decision-analysis-software-survey Decision Analysis Software Survey] conducted by the [[Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences|Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)]]. The software packages listed in the survey range from free to commercial or enterprise-level packages.
==See also==
* [[Collaborative decision-making software]]
* [[List of concept- and mind-mapping software]]
* [[Project management software]]
* [[Strategic planning software]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Decision-making software| ]]
[[Category:Business software]]