Product: Definitive Pro

Our experience is that most multi-criteria decisions can be made with 4-7 criteria, however there is no limit. Here are two things to keep in mind: 1) Only include criteria that are differentiators in the decision; 2) The number of pairwise comparisons to prioritize the criteria increases as the number of criteria increases. 3 criteria require 3 pairwise comparisons; 4 criteria require 6 pairwise comparisons; 5 criteria require 10 pairwise comparisons; 6 criteria require 15 pairwise comparisons; 7 criteria require 21 pairwise comparisons.

No, there is no limit. You can add as many alternatives as you desire.

No. Whether to make your decision based on your own judgment or the judgment of all participants is completely up to you. Even if you want to make the decision based solely on your own judgments, it may be beneficial to invite others to participate. Their perspectives may inform you of something important that you may not be considering. In addition, comparing the results based on your judgments versus the judgments of all participants may help you gain confidence in your decision.

AHP is based on mathematics and psychology. It simplifies the process of weighing the decision criteria by comparing two criteria at a time (i.e., pairwise comparisons) to determine which is more important with respect to the decision goal – and by how much. Without AHP, decision-makers are left to simply guess their relative importance. The benefits of using AHP include:

• Balancing multiple quantitative and qualitative factors
• Ensuring a comprehensive assessment of each alternative
• Promoting cost vs. benefit analyses
• Providing better decision justification
• Enabling quick reprioritization in response to changing business condition