Multi-Criteria Decision-Making in Software Systems
Summary
Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) in software systems encompasses a suite of formal methodologies designed to support the selection, design and management of software artefacts when multiple, often conflicting, criteria must be balanced. Such criteria typically include performance, cost, reliability, maintainability, scalability and user satisfaction. Early-phase decisions—such as choosing a programming language ecosystem or selecting reusable components—benefit from structured frameworks that decompose these decisions into hierarchies or networks of criteria and alternatives. Recent advances have seen the integration of fuzzy logic, grey systems theory and machine-learning techniques to handle uncertainty, incomplete information and evolving stakeholder preferences. Hybrid approaches that combine analytic methods with optimisation algorithms or neural networks are extending the applicability of MCDM to real-time software configuration and adaptive system tuning. By providing transparent weight allocation, ranking mechanisms and sensitivity analysis, these methods enhance reproducibility and stakeholder engagement, ultimately contributing to more robust, cost-effective and sustainable software solutions across domains ranging from enterprise applications to educational platforms and embedded systems.
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Multi-Criteria Decision-Making in Software Systems publication trend
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Technical terms
Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP): A structured technique for organising and analysing complex decisions by breaking them into a hierarchy of criteria and alternatives and deriving ratio scales from pairwise comparisons.
Analytic Network Process (ANP): A generalisation of AHP that allows for interdependence among decision elements by modelling criteria and alternatives as networks with feedback loops.
Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS): A ranking method that selects alternatives based on their geometric distance to an ideal best and an ideal worst solution in a multi-criteria space.
Grey Systems Theory: An approach for analysing systems with uncertain, incomplete or linguistic data by representing information as grey numbers and leveraging grey relational analysis.
Decision Support System (DSS): A computer-based system that assists stakeholders in making informed decisions by integrating data, analytical models and user interfaces tailored to a specific domain.
References
- A decision model for programming language ecosystem selection: Seven industry case studies. Information and Software Technology (2021).
- Software Component Selection Based on Quality Criteria Using the Analytic Network Process. Abstract and Applied Analysis (2014).
- E-Learning Platform Assessment and Selection Using Two-Stage Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach with Grey Theory: A Case Study in Vietnam. Mathematics (2021).
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