Specific Difficulties in Choice, Sorting, and Ranking Problematics

Summary

In the first section we discuss issues related to the choice of operational approach. Just as when choosing the problematic, the analyst may often hesitate among several possibilities. We propose that neither the choice of problematic nor the characteristics of A should systematically influence the choice of the operational approach. The influence will more likely come from the general environment surrounding the problem, the analyst’s relation with the other actors, how the analyst will fit in the decision process, and the analyst’s training.

We summarize general paths the analyst might take to overcome difficulties arising from: dependence among actions (e.g., exclusions, redundancies, complementarities, synergies) in Section 12.2; multiple scenarios in Section 12.3; conflicting value systems among actors in Section 12.4; hesitations on the roles that the various criteria play in directing a strategic decision in Section 12.5; and poorly defined actions with difficult to evaluate performance levels in Section 12.6. Although there could be other difficulties in practical applications, these common ones indicate the complexity of the problem. No decision aiding methodology can provide a recipe of steps. Its contribution will rather come from guiding the thought process by placing the various factors and relations in a systematic framework, thereby giving the decision maker and other actors improved insight into the problem at hand.