Decision-making software
Introduction '''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.Before the advent of the World Wide Web, most DM software was spreadsheet-based, with the first web-based DM software appearing in the mid-1990s. Nowadays, many DM software products (mostly web-based) are available – 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. Thus most DM software is based on decision analysis, usually multi-criteria decision-making, and so is often referred to as "decision analysis" or "multi-criteria decision-making" 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. "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. "DM software frees users "from the technical implementation details of the decision-making method employed, allowing them to focus on the fundamental value judgements". 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."
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.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 include:* Aggregated Indices Randomization Method (AIRM)* Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)* Analytic network process (ANP, an extension of AHP)* DEX (Decision EXpert)* 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 uncertaintyThere are significant differences between these methods 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; common examples include:*Pairwise comparison*Sensitivity analysis*Group evaluation (teamwork)*Web-based implementation===Comparison of decision-making software===DM software includes the following notable examples. Software  Supported MCDA Methods  Pairwise Comparison  Sensitivity Analysis  Group Evaluation  Web-based 1000minds  PAPRIKA          Ahoona  WSM, Utility          Altova MetaTeam  WSM           Analytica  MAUT, SMART        Criterium DecisionPlus  AHP, SMART          D-Sight  PROMETHEE, UTILITY          DecideIT  MAUT         Decision Lens  AHP, ANP            Expert Choice  AHP          Hiview3  SMART          Intelligent Decision System  Evidential Reasoning Approach, Bayesian Inference, Dempster–Shafer theory, Utility        Available on request  Logical Decisions  AHP          M-MACBETH  MACBETH          PriEsT  AHP          Super Decisions  AHP, Analytic Network Process         A good summary of the capabilities of various software packages is available in the  Decision Analysis Software Survey conducted by the 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