The literature points out that project outputs need to be aligned with project goals. However, it does not demonstrate how this alignment can be utilized to enhance project decision making. Drawing ...on system theory, this paper shows how to evaluate and utilize project goal-outputs relationships - while integrating risk related to the future values of goals - to support decisions made by executives in large and complex projects. To do so, a novel analytical approach that combines the stratified approach and quality function deployment (QFD) is developed and introduced to the literature. The stratified approach is a tool from operations research, which is used to integrate risk related to the future values of goals, and QFD is a quality management tool which is used to translate one set of elements (goals) to another (outputs).
Although Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods have been applied in numerous case studies, many companies still avoid employing these methods in making their decisions and prefer to decide ...intuitively. There are studies claiming that MCDM methods provide better rankings for companies than intuitive approaches. This study argues that this claim may have low validity from a company's perspective. For this purpose, it focuses on one of the MCDM methods referred to as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and shows that AHP is very likely to provide a ranking of options that would not be acceptable by a rational person. The main reason that many companies do not rely on current MCDM methods can be due to the fact that managers intuitively notice ranking errors. Future studies should end the promotion of outdated approaches, pay closer attention to the deficiencies of the current MCDM processes, and develop more useful methods.
•Development of a new MCDM method, named Stratified Best – Worst Method (SBWM).•Addressing sustainable waste disposal technology selection using SBWM.•Consideration of uncertainty and doubts in ...decision-making environment.•The proposed decision-making framework is used for a case study in Iran.•Comparative analysis for the proposed model.
Waste disposal technology selection is a key problem in the field of municipal solid waste (MSW). This decision may have long-term impacts on environmental development and economic growth. The literature suggests using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods to address this problem. MCDM techniques commonly require decision makers to assign weightings of importance to the decision criteria based on which, the available technologies are ranked. However, this technology selection problem is concerned with selecting a technology to be used for a relatively long period of time. It is important to take into consideration any uncertainty the decision maker may have with regard to the weightings of the criteria in the future. To take this uncertainty into consideration, this study suggests utilizing a recently developed MCDM technique, namely the stratified MCDM. This technique is designed to help decision makers structure the uncertain future through the consideration of a set of states, which are placed in different strata. The paper shows how the stratified MCDM technique in combination with the best-worst method (labelled stratified BWM) can be employed to compute the ranking of the available technologies. This research is expected to stimulate future applications of the stratified BWM to facilitate long-term decision making.
•A customer oriented solution to the supplier selection problem is structured.•The previous Saaty's supermatrix is extended using Markov chain.•The method is designed independent of the initial ...customer needs.
The overall objective of this paper is to introduce a customer oriented supplier selection method. Although the supplier selection problem has previously been investigated, an effective solution to consider the dynamics of Customer Needs (CNs) in finding the best supplier has not yet been proposed. Such a method takes into account customer needs as a determinant factor in finding the best supplier and considers possible changes in the priorities of customer needs as time passes. In this study a method integrating the analytic network process (ANP), quality function deployment (QFD), and a Markov chain is used to address the supplier selection problem. This proposed method utilizes a Markov chain to trace the changing-priorities of customer needs and find a pattern for them. The ANP–QFD method then connects this pattern to product requirements (PRs) and PRs to supplier qualifications. This combination develops a customer based supplier selection method. The best supplier is selected based on the changing-priorities of customer needs. Although the customer needs priorities keep changing, one supplier is selected as the best one. This study introduces an innovative customer based approach to select the best supplier that is independent of initial CNs.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an effective approach to support and guide production improvement processes utilising online product reviews.Design/methodology/approachThis paper ...combines two methods: (1) natural language processing (NLP) to support advanced text mining to increase the accuracy of information extracted from product reviews and (2) quality function deployment (QFD) to utilise the extracted information to guide the product improvement process.FindingsThe paper proposes an approach to automate the process of obtaining voice of the customer (VOC) by performing text mining on available online product reviews while considering key factors such as the time of review and review usefulness. The paper enhances quality management processes in organisations and advances the literature on customer-oriented product improvement processes.Originality/valueOnline product reviews are a valuable source of information for companies to capture the true VOC. VOC is then commonly used by companies as the main input for QFD to enhance quality management and product improvement. However, this process requires considerable time, during which VOC may change, which may negatively impact the output of QFD. This paper addresses this challenge by providing an improved approach.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use game theory and ambiguity theory to show how “economically rational” vendors will behave in a procurement process that runs over more than one period. In ...light of that behavior, we have proposed “economically rational” counter-strategies on the part of purchasers.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a perception–expectation framework, a unique game-based approach is designed. The authors have proposed “economically rational” counter-strategies on the part of purchasers, which are premised on the theory of rational agency.
Findings
Ambiguity in the procurement process is a bane for procuring principals and a boon for suppliers – for the former, it is an issue to be managed, and for the latter it provides an opportunity to extract “insurance rents” from the principals. The authors show that, under certain conditions, the contracting principal can be exploited by a rational, rent-extracting vendor. In particular, they show that there is an incentive for a vendor to delay the resolution of ambiguities in the contract until late in the procurement process, when the insurance rents are at a maximum.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the current literature by highlighting an existing problem in the procurement process and describing it using decision theory under ambiguity in a game-like setting. Specifically, the authors use game theory in a unique way to deal with imperfect information coupled with ambiguity.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce a solution to the problem of changing priorities of customer needs (CNs) in quality function deployment (QFD). Customer preferences and priorities are ...not very stable and they may change before products are ready for the market. Therefore, finding CNs accurately is a key to reach a higher level of customer satisfaction through improving products.
Design/methodology/approachIn the proposed model, a Markov chain is employed to model the changing priorities of CNs. The Markov chain finds a pattern of future CNs, the main inputs of QFD. The QFD method is applied to translate CNs into product requirements (PRs). The analytic network process (ANP) is attached to QFD to ensure that all the relations among the elements, inner and outer, are taken into consideration during the translation process. Thus, CNs are received and adjusted by a Markov chain.
FindingsThe application of Markov chains for an ANP-QFD model develops an adequate method of finding a pattern of changing priorities of CNs. This pattern enables the ANP-QFD method to work independent of the initial CNs, and originates a Markovain ANP-QFD.
Originality/valueThis study originates a stochastic ANP-QFD model. There have been several papers employing various tools and techniques such as the ANP or analytic hierarchy process for QFD to find accurate relations between PRs and CNs. While there are a few papers applying Markov chains to predict the future of the relations of QFD, there is no study which traces the changes in priorities of the CNs during the improvement process. This is addressed by applying a Markovian ANP-QFD. The model is validated through a case study.
•This paper applies a recent concept, namely the concept of stratification.•The dynamicity of the decision environment when a decision is made is considered.•The method mimics the brain’s decision ...making process and has the potential for future applications in artificial intelligence.•The method will be useful to researchers who are applying different MCDM methods.
Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods generally require the decision maker to evaluate alternatives with respect to decision criteria and also to assign importance weightings to the criteria. Then, based on the assigned weightings, the best alternative can be selected. However, after a decision is made it often happens that the decision maker becomes doubtful whether the right weightings have been assigned to the criteria given that a variety of eventualities may occur in the near future. The main aim of this paper is to address this concern and improve the application of MCDM methods by addressing possible fluctuations in the criteria weightings. The recently proposed concept of stratification (CST) is used in conjunction with MCDM methods to stratify the decision environment. The method is then applied to a supplier selection problem. The stratified MCDM (SMCDM) approach is in its early stages only and requires further research to reach its maturity.
•A recently proposed concept has been investigated.•Three extensions to the concept are proposed.•Future directions for this new concept have been suggested.
The main purpose of this letter is to ...draw attention to a recent concept, namely Concept of Stratification (CST) developed by Zadeh 1. CST describes a system that transitions through a number of states in order to arrive at a desired state. CST is a problem-solving approach, which is easy while effective. Therefore, CST seems very likely to emerge in coming years as a major interest area in areas such as soft computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and big data. In this expository letter, the advantages and the main shortcoming of CST are reviewed. The concept is explained and areas that the concept is likely to be applied are discussed. Considering the generality of the original CST proposed by Zadeh, it is possible to consider different versions for CST to be applied in future studies. Hence, versions of CST including fuzzy CST, a 3DCST, and multiple systems and multiple CSTs are presented. This work is a first step in a vast range of applications of CST. Researchers, especially those applying soft computing tools such as fuzzy sets theory and granulation, are encouraged to examine the capability of CST in addressing significant real-world problems.
•An application of operations research in project management.•Developing a version of the stratified multi criteria decision making method.•Addressing a critical challenge in project management: time ...and cost estimations.
Time and cost estimations of project activities are challenging tasks for project managers and planners. As a result of the high level of risk and uncertainty present during the early stages of projects, the reliability of these estimations during project planning remains poor. This study argues that this reliability can be improved through using the ‘concept of stratification’. This concept considers a set of states and describes a system that receives inputs (associated with outputs), based on which the system transitions from one state to another. This provides a unique structure that is capable of considering uncertainty related to events that may occur during a project. This paper explains how the concept of stratification can be used to compute estimations of the time and cost of activities involved in a project. The method is illustrated with a construction project that has uncertain events. By determining specific activities’ estimated time and cost, the project's estimated time and cost can also be calculated. Thus, the proposed method increases the reliability of estimations of projects’ completion time and cost.
PDF
