Pareipareittelymenetelmät

Pareipareittelymenetelmät, often translated as "pairwise comparison methods," refer to a group of techniques used to evaluate and rank items, options, or criteria by comparing them in pairs. This approach is commonly employed in decision-making processes, particularly when dealing with multiple alternatives or subjective evaluations. The core principle is to simplify complex choices by breaking them down into a series of binary comparisons, making it easier for individuals or groups to express preferences.

The process typically involves presenting decision-makers with two items at a time and asking them to choose which one is preferred or which one better satisfies a given criterion. This can be done directly, where the preference is explicitly stated, or indirectly, where the strength of preference is measured. For example, in a multi-criteria decision analysis, each criterion might be weighed against every other criterion to determine its relative importance. Similarly, when ranking different project proposals, each proposal might be compared against all others.

Various methods exist within the umbrella of pairwise comparison. Common examples include the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which uses a hierarchical structure and a matrix to quantify judgments, and simpler ranking methods where items are simply ordered based on a series of direct comparisons. The output of these methods is often a set of scores or a ranking order that reflects the collective or individual preferences. Pareipareittelymenetelmät aim to bring structure and objectivity to subjective decision-making and are widely used in fields such as business, engineering, and public policy.