**DANP-Evaluation of AHP-DSS**

Wolfgang Ossadnik, Ralf H. Kaspar and Benjamin Föcke

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/67130

#### **Abstract**

The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the analytic network process (ANP) are important multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods for solving strategic decision problems. In the field of the research and teaching projects of a university's Management Science Department, the use of adequate decision support systems (DSS) enables an appropriate application and acceptance of these methods. By reason of the great variety of AHP-DSS, the aim of this paper is the selection of AHP-supporting software. Owing to the interdependencies of the software quality criteria, these influences can be evaluated appropriately by the ANP. As for the various requirements of the different department members, the ANP procedure is linked with the DEMATEL approach. Within such a combined framework (DANP), the alternate software products and their quality selection criteria are transparently analysed and evaluated from a multi-personal point of view. The described procedure is an object of reference to solve such structuring and evaluation problems by support of parallel and/or distributed computing architecture.

**Keywords:** analytic hierarchy process (AHP), analytic network process (ANP), DEMATEL, DSS evaluation, parallel and distributed computing

#### **1. Introduction**

In the field of academic teaching and research, the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods gain ongoing increasing importance. In many lectures, seminaries, exercises, tutorials, papers, etc., these methods are presented, and decision support systems (DSS) are applied. The same applies to academic research and paper production. Within this context, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the analytic network process (ANP) are regarded as important MCDM methods to solve strategic decision problems. Additionally, the impact of these two methods in the literature is continuously growing. Thereby, working with these

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methods and embedding them into the systematic environment of an adequate DSS becomes undeniable for students and academic staff.

Despite the comparatively less sophisticated mathematical computation of the more popular AHP, it is necessary to secure an efficient application of this method by a suitable DSS. By this, a correct implementation of this method is brought forward and the acceptance of academic staff and students can be boosted. On this background, the paper presents five substantially varying AHP-DSS, evaluated by five members of a Management Science Department of a medium-sized university. These persons have different profiles in academic teaching and research experiences, requirements and preferences. Based on standard criteria of ISO/IEC 25010 to evaluate the quality of software products, modified criteria were customized to the specificity of AHP software products and the demands of a Management Science Department. To cope with (inter-)dependencies of the evaluation criteria, the ANP is used as evaluation method and supported by DEMATEL to reconsider the wide range of requirements of the different department members. As a contribution to the field of ANP application, the DANP procedure is transparently shown. Furthermore, the implications of more network complexity and of an enhancing number of experts with diverging software quality requirements regarding a demand for parallel and/or distributed computing architectures are subsequently focused.

The remainder of the chapter is organized as follows: Section 2 provides a critical overview of AHP's and ANP's conceptual foundations in the field of discrete strategic decision problems. Furthermore, the necessity of using DSS is pointed out. Section 3 is devoted to the research framework and the evaluation of AHP-DSS with DANP followed by considerations on a possible support by parallel and distributed computing (Section 4). The chapter ends with a summary of the main results of the study as well as with concluding remarks and future prospects (Section 5).
