Flexible And Interactive Tradeoff Elicitation For Multicriteria Sorting Problems

In this paper, we propose a new method for solving multiple criteria decision-making/aiding (MCDM/A) sorting problems in the context of multi-attribute value theory (MAVT), based on a flexible and interactive elicitation process. It uses partial information to require less information from the decision maker (DM), which is given in the form of preference statements. The proposed method keeps the axiomatic structure of the traditional tradeoff elicitation procedure, without requiring exact values of indifference to be set, which can be a difficult task for the DM to perform. The use of linear programming, combined with the decision rules, allows an alternative to be assigned into a class without the need to provide complete information. By being flexible and interactive, the proposed method allows the DM to monitor the range of possible classes for each alternative at any level of information available during the process, which can save time and effort. The applicability of the method is shown by solving a project management problem on sorting activities.