Consistency Improvement in the Analytic Hierarchy Process

Abstract

Consistency checking is one of the reasons for the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) leadership in publications on multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM). Consistency is a measure of the quality of data input in the AHP. The theory of AHP provides indicators for the consistency of data. When an indicator is out of the desired interval, the data must be reviewed. This article presents a method for improving the consistency of reviewing the data input in an AHP application. First, a conventional literature review is presented on the theme. Then, an innovative tool of artificial intelligence is shown to confirm the main result of the conventional review: this topic is still attracting interest from AHP and MCDM researchers. Finally, a simple technique for consistency improvement is presented and illustrated with a practical case of MCDM: supplier selection by a company.