DUSkriteriene

DUSkriteriene, or the DUS criteria, is a framework used in evaluating proposals, projects, or policies in several Norwegian-speaking administrative and academic contexts. The framework centers on three evaluation dimensions designated by the letters D, U and S. While exact formulations vary by sector, a common interpretation is that D stands for Desirability or Demand, U for Utility or Usability, and S for Sustainability or Safety.

In practice, Desirability assesses alignment with stakeholder needs, strategic goals, and expected impact. Utility evaluates practical usefulness, efficiency, and user value. Sustainability considers long-term viability, environmental and social effects, and risk and compliance aspects.

Applications include screening and prioritizing initiatives, guiding funding decisions, and informing implementation plans. Evaluators may score or rank proposals along each dimension, possibly applying weights and combining results into an overall assessment.

Origins and usage differ across institutions, but the term is frequently encountered in municipal and regional planning, research funding processes, and organizational project evaluations in Nordic contexts. Benefits of the framework include clarity and focus on user needs and long-term considerations; criticisms address potential oversimplification, subjective interpretations of the criteria, and uneven application across evaluators.

The DUS criteria are often used alongside other decision tools to ensure that proposed actions meet multiple objectives without neglecting feasibility and risk. See also: decision criteria, project evaluation, sustainability assessment.