Group decision support and multiple criteria optimization

The paper proposes a structured group decision aid based on multiple criteria optimization. The procedure is designed to solve optimization problems which involve conflicting objectives and multiple decision-makers with different priorities. Most of the empirical findings regarding the performance of multi criteria techniques involve a single decision-maker. The focus in these algorithms is on determining a compromise solution to a multicriteria problem which best coincides with the preference structure of a decision-maker. The approach taken is to imbed the task of finding a compromise solution in a more general and flexible framework. The underlying concept in this framework is the analytic hierarchy process and the Tchebycheff algorithm is used to solve the multiple criteria problem. The objectives and the alternative solutions to the multiple criteria problem are evaluated through the analytic hierarchy process