Understanding the Analytic Hierarchy Process

One of the best-known methods of multi-criteria decision-making is the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). This method provides a convenient and versatile framework for modeling multi-criteria decision problems, evaluating alternatives, and deriving final priorities. Rather than imposing a "correct" decision, AHP allows the user to create a ranking of alternatives, then choose the one which is the best (or among the best). At the core of AHP is a pairwise comparisons (PC) method. This is an old technique known in various forms since at least the Middle Ages. AHP uses and develops the PC method.

The aim of Understanding the Analytic Hierarchy Process is to provide the reader with a critical guide to AHP. In this book, the AHP method is considered primarily as a mathematical technique supporting the decision-making process.

• Collects the ideas underpinning the AHP method and discusses them together with many improvements and extensions present in the literature. As a result, the reader will receive a much more complete picture of the method.
• Aimed at theorists and advanced practitioners from a wide range of scientific fields, including the social, management, and technical sciences.
• Highlights the intuitive assumptions underlying the mathematical methods that make up AHP and the pairwise comparisons method.
• Provides software code for readers who wish to practice AHP analysis using the Wolfram Language.

Konrad Kulakowski is an Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Applied Computer Science, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatics, Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering at the AGH University of Science and Technology (AGH UST). He received his Ph.D. and Habilitation in computer science from AGH UST. His research interests are focused on multiple-criteria decision-making methods, including AHP, and their applications, theory and practice of the pairwise comparison method, parallel programming, and algorithms. He serves as a reviewer of many international journals in operational research and computer science. He has organized several special sessions in International Conferences on Computer Science and Operational Research. He has also served as a member of program committees at numerous international IT and OR conferences and meetings.