Multi-criteria Decision Making: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) helps decision makers (DMs) solve highly complex problems. Accordingly, MCDM has been widely used by DMs from various fields as an effective and reliable tool for solving various problems, such as in site and supplier selection, ranking and assessment. This work presents an in-depth survey of past and recent MCDM techniques cited in the literature. These techniques are mainly categorised into pairwise comparison, outranking and distance-based approaches. Some well-known MCDM methods include the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Analytical Network Process (ANP), Elimination et Choix Traduisant la Realité (ELECTRE), Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment of Evaluations (PROMETHEE), Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR). Each of these methods is unique and has been used in a vast field of interest to support DMs in solving complex problems. For a complete survey, discussions related to previous issues and challenges and the current implementation of MCDM are also presented.