multikriterie

Multikriterie, or multi-criteria decision making (MCDM), is a field of decision analysis focused on evaluating alternatives when multiple criteria matter. The goal is to support decisions in which trade-offs between conflicting objectives must be considered. Problems are typically structured by identifying the decision objective, listing relevant criteria, and specifying constraints and preferences. The outcome is usually a ranking or selection of alternatives rather than a single objective value.

Common approaches divide into weighting/aggregation methods and outranking methods. Scoring methods (such as AHP, TOPSIS, or simple weighted sums) assign scores to alternatives on each criterion, apply weights to reflect importance, and aggregate to an overall score. Outranking methods (such as ELECTRE or PROMETHEE) compare options pairwise and establish preference relations that lead to a final ranking. MCDA can incorporate qualitative and quantitative data and often requires normalization of criteria to a common scale.

Applications span engineering, business, public policy, environmental planning, healthcare, and sustainable development. It supports explicit consideration of trade-offs, stakeholder input, and transparency in decision processes. Despite strengths, multikriterie approaches face challenges including subjectivity in criteria weights, data quality, sensitivity to assumptions, and complexity with many criteria or alternatives. Good practice emphasizes problem framing, stakeholder involvement, sensitivity analysis, and documentation of the rationale behind weights and method choices.