Comparative analysis between anp and anp- dematel for six sigma project selection process in a healthcare provider

This paper presents an ANP technique applied to identify and priori- tize Six Sigma projects for healthcare providers whose results allow selecting the project that ensures the maximum financial benefits for the healthcare com- pany. First, the Six Sigma evaluation model is determined, then the criteria weights are established by ANP (Analytic Network Process) and finally, results from ANP and ANP- DEMATEL (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Labo- ratory) are compared. The results show a better decision making performance for ANP-DEMATEL. An empirical case from healthcare sector is presented, showing the effectiveness of the proposed technique

Modified analytic hierarchy process to incorporate uncertainty and managerial aspects

The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is a powerful multiple-criteria decision analysis technique for dealing with complex problems. Traditional AHP forces decision-makers to converge vague judgements to single numeric preferences in order to estimate the pairwise comparisons of all pairs of objectives and decision alternatives required in the AHP. The resultant rankings of alternatives cannot be tested for statistical significance and it lacks a systematic approach that addresses managerial/soft aspects. To overcome the above limitations, the present paper presents a modified analytic hierarchy process, which incorporates probabilistic distributions to include uncertainty in the judgements. The vector of priorities is calculated using Monte Carlo simulation. The final rankings are analysed for rank reversal using analysis of variance, and managerial aspects (stake holder analysis, soft system methods, etc.) are introduced systematically. The focus is on the actual methodology of the modified analytic hierarchy process, which is illustrated by a brief account of a case study