What is AHP?

Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a methodology introduced by Saaty in 1980 for multiple choice criteria problems where there is feedback and interdependence among decision attributes and alternatives. It is an approach to decision making that involves structuring multiple choice criteria into a hierarchy, assessing the relative importance of these criteria, comparing alternatives for each criterion, and determining an overall ranking of the alternatives, as defined by Decision Support System (DSS) resources . The concept of AHP was developed, amongst other theories, by Thomas Saaty, an American mathematician working at the University of Pittsburgh. By organizing and assessing alternatives against a hierarchy of multifaceted objectives, AHP provides a proven, effective means to deal with complex decision making. Indeed, AHP allows a better, easier, and more efficient identification of selection of alternatives by criteria. Thus, it reduces severely the decision cycle.

AHP as one of the more widely applied multi attribute decision making methods is a powerful technique in solving fuzzy and complex decision problems. More and more researchers are realizing that AHP is an important generic method and are applying it and totally it is one of the strongest models for decision making. It characterizes and tests the various ways to achieve a best way. The AHP is a multi criteria decision support method designed to select the best from a number of alternatives evaluated with respect to several criteria. It is taken by carrying out pairwise comparison judgments which are used to develop overall priorities for ranking the alternatives.

Some of benefits of AHP are listed in the following:

1. Easy to analyze the decision problems
2. Determining objective function clearly
3. Solving a problem without complicated mathematic calculating
4. Using of experts decisions
5. Breaks items for making a best decision easily (Decomposes a problem into the several levels).