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First of all, it is necessary to point out that this is not a mathematical book, albeit
obviously the subject of decision-making rests a good deal on this discipline, since
it is almost impossible to take decisions without the help of some indicators,
ratios, weights, procedures, algorithms, etc. which are in essence mathematical
concepts. However, bien entendu, it is the Decision Maker (DM) who takes a
decision, not a mathematical model, no matter how elaborate or sophisticated it
could be. Once this is clarified, perhaps the reader asks what the purpose of this
book is then. It aims at giving the DM the information he/she needs to collect the
necessary data; to analyze that intelligence and facts, to process them, and to extract
valid conclusions.
However, because usually the decision-making process is a complex task, with
large amounts of information, it is extremely difficult or even impossible to
take a rational decision, due to the number of intervening variables, their interrelationships,
potential solutions that might exist, diverse objectives envisioned for
a project, etc.; therefore some help is called for, and some strategy is required
to organize, classify, and evaluate this information. The strategy includes methods to
analyze the results and to get help from them. This book aims precisely at developing
such strategy.
Help comes in the form of computerized models or methodologies which not only
take the burden off normally tedious calculations (which also offer the opportunity
for many mistakes), but, which is more important, are designed to obtain coherent
responses based on a rational analysis, on the grounds of a series of principles and
algorithms particular to each method. The DM may or may not accept the result
yielded by such models, whatever they might be and whatsoever the reasons, but
they offer an outcome which could be analyzed by the DM, adding or deleting
concepts, alternatives, criteria, etc., and from this point of view this book tries to be
a guide or road map. |
