Multiple Objective Decision Analysis



IDI offers a one, two or three-day course in multiple objective decision analysis (MODA) entitled Making Logical Decisions. The course provides an introduction to Multi-Attribute Utility (MAU) analysis for problems of choice among alternatives. The practical, hands-on format introduces students to MODA using the software package Logical Decisions for Windows. The one-day course provides an introduction to the basic concepts and techniques of MODA. MAU theory is explained, including the use of criteria evaluation hierarchies, developing alternatives, developing performance scales, and assessing utility functions and swing weights.

The two-day course allows the students to examine a wider variety of MODA approaches and assessment techniques. The students are introduced to the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and its controversial axioms.  Students are shown techniques for assessing utility functions, including the lottery method and the split-range method. Various techniques for assessing criteria weights are demonstrated, including SMART, SMARTER, pairwise comparisons, and balance beam. The three-day course builds on the theories and demonstrations provided in the shorter courses and allows each student to practice building an MODA model using Logical Decisions for Windows software.