Multi-criteria analysis: what it is and what it means

Multi-criteria analysis is the family of methods that compare alternatives on several criteria that cannot be reduced to a single unit of measure. It includes the weighted matrix, its simplest member, the decision tree, which follows choices in sequence, and cost-benefit analysis, which reduces every criterion to money. What they have in common is declared commensurability: criteria expressed on different scales become comparable thanks to a value trade-off made explicit, instead of thanks to a preference kept implicit. Every method in the family produces a reasoned ranking, not an automatic choice: responsibility for the decision stays with the person who makes it.

Distinctive: several criteria that cannot be reduced to a single unit of measure
Distinctive: declared commensurability
Essential: family of methods
Essential: value trade-off made explicit
Constant: a reasoned ranking

Glossary

Multi-criteria analysis

A family of methods that compare alternatives on several criteria that cannot be reduced to a single unit of measure; the weighted matrix is its simplest member.