Exploring Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) practice – with an emphasis on problem structuring and model building

Abstract

The importance of problem structuring for Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) has long been acknowledged and there is a growing literature offering advice and describing practice across a range of application areas. At the same time, increasing interest in behavioural aspects of OR has highlighted the potential motivational and cognitive biases that can influence the structuring of multicriteria problems and the analyses that follow. This seminar will present an overview of a research project, conducted over the past 3 years with colleagues in Finland and Switzerland, to better understand and learn from reported practice in problem structuring for MCDA, in particular the extent and benefits of use of a range of problem structuring approaches (from OR and more widely).

The first part of this research was based on a literature review of papers published between 2000 and 2015 describing the combined use of a PSM and MCDA and the second part draws on a meta-analysis of over 60 published case studies describing the use of MCDA in practice in environmental and energy analyses. The third component of the research builds on the authors’ experiences to propose and a framework and associated methods to support the building of concise objectives hierarchies for MCDA.

About the speaker

Professor Valerie Belton, University of Strathclyde (UK), gained degrees in mathematics and operational research (OR) from Durham and Lancaster Universities respectively. She then took up a post with the Civil Aviation Authority, before completing a Doctorate at Cambridge. Prior to joining Strathclyde in 1988 she held a lectureship in the OR Department at the University of Kent. Val's principal focus of research interest is Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). This research, which has focused on the theoretically and practically well founded use of MCDA methodologies, has been primarily practice-led. Integration, across MCDA methods and of MCDA with other management science methods and methodologies, is an important theme and underpins her book Multicriteria Decision Analysis: an Integrated Approach (2002), co-authored with Theo Stewart.

Val has been very active in the national and international OR communities throughout her career. In 1980 she was the first woman to be elected to the Council of the UK OR Society and since then has served in many roles, including President of EURO (The European Federation of OR Societies) from 2009-10, President of the UK OR Society (2004-2006) and President of the International Society for MCDM from 2000- 2004. She also held Faculty (Vice Dean) and University (Associate Deputy Principal) academic roles in relation to learning & teaching. Her recent research interests lie in “mixing methods in OR practice”, the value of reflection for learning and the effectiveness of visual interactive methods.