1. An apparatus comprising: an analytic network process (ANP) storage memory that stores an ANP model with feedback connections in place among nodes within the ANP model and with at least preliminary input of data stored in the ANP model; and a processor in communication with the ANP storage memory, the processor being configured to facilitate performing a rank influence analysis on the ANP model, wherein the rank influence analysis determines one or more nodes among the nodes in the ANP model in which a smallest upward or downward change in importance will change a rank among the nodes in the ANP model, so as to determine which one or more nodes have the most influence on the rank among the nodes in the ANP model.