Multicriteria methods for resource planning: an experimental comparison

Multicriteria decision making (MCDM) methods are widely used for comparing alternatives when there are multiple objectives. For instance, utilities use them for resource bidding, externality quantification, facility siting, and resource planning. There are many alternative methods, differing in their ease of use, validity, results, and appropriateness to resource planning. Several MCDM methods are compared in an experiment involving the choice of resource portfolio for Seattle City Light. Planners and interest group representatives applied direct weight assessment, tradeoff weight assessment, additive value functions, and goal programming. Most of the participants concluded that MCDM methods could promote insight and confidence in decision making. However, the authors also confirmed the existence of method biases previously identified by psychologists. No single method emerged as best. Thus, application of two or more methods as consistency checks is recommended to guard against bias, and to stimulate insight