Introduction
The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a popular decision making method used in both private and public sectors. It is based on the mathematics of pairwise comparison. AHP is a powerful tool for structure decision making problems into a hierarchical structure that produces a clear, consistent and objective picture of the decision problem. This article will discuss the essential components of AHP and describe how it can be used for decision making.
Basic Components of the AHP
The basic components of the AHP are hierarchical structure, multiple criteria and pairwise comparisons. The hierarchy provides an organized structure to arrange the decision problems in a logical manner. The multiple criteria provide the framework to identify and evaluate the critical items and objectives in the decision problem. Lastly, pairwise comparisons are used to examine the relative importance of criteria against each other and to rank alternatives.
Process of AHP
The process of AHP begins with the definition of objectives and criteria. These items can be identified by exploring the decision problem and discussing with decision makers and stakeholders. After the items are identified, they are then arranged in a hierarchical structure to clearly demonstrate the important relationships between them. Then, a set of pairwise comparison matrices are created and used to compare the relative importance of items in the hierarchy. The pairwise comparison matrices will provide a mathematical representation of the importance of each item relative to others in the hierarchy. Finally, these matrices are combined and the results are used to make decisions or rank alternatives in the decision problem.
Benefits of AHP
AHP offers many advantages to decision makers. This method is straightforward and easy to understand. It helps decision makers to systematically define and structure decision problems, identify criteria, make consistent comparisons and rank alternatives. This results in decisions that are more consistent and reliable. Moreover, AHP is a quantitative decision making process so it takes into account objective data and provides results that are both measurable and verifiable. It also offers flexibility as it can be used in both single-person and group decision-making contexts.
Conclusion
AHP is a popular decision making model used in both public and private sectors. It has many advantages which make it a powerful tool to structure, define, compare and rank decision problems. By employing AHP, decision makers are more likely to make more consistent and reliable decisions. This can ultimately lead to improved overall performance and productivity in organizations.