Including uncertainties in multi-criteria decision-making: a superfluous task or a requirement?

Abstract

Objective: This paper aims to assess cases where it is necessary to include uncertainties in decision-making input data. Materials and Methods: Three case studies with different numbers of alternatives and different numbers and natures of criteria were evaluated. The CRIDE tool [39] was used to include uncertainties in the input data. Results and Discussion: The results obtained showed that for more difficult decision-making problems, the inclusion of variations in input data could change the final decision, while for less challenging problems, it is unnecessary to take uncertainties into account. Conclusions: These findings could be useful for decision-makers in obtaining more accurate results or in saving time and money related to input data acquisition.