Logical Decisions - Classweb

Defining Preferences
The alternative, goal, and measure definitions, along with the
measure levels, represent the "objective" data for the decision
(although we have made many subjective judgments in defining
the alternatives and measures).
The next step is to characterize your preferences concerning various
levels of the measures. This is a two-step process. First, you
define preferences concerning individual measures (to convert the
levels of the measures to common units). Then, you define
preferences over goals — that is, weights -- to combine the
measures' common units into an overall score.
Before you do this you need a place to store your preferences.
Defining a Preference Set
A preference set is where LDW stores the preference information
for a single person.
You can define a new preference set using the Edit::Add or
View::Select/Change Preference Sets option. But the skeleton
analysis created when you start LDW already includes a
preference set, so we'll just modify that.
You modify a preference set in its properties dialog box Here’s
how:
1. Select the View::Select/Change Preference Sets option.
2. Click the “Properties” button.
3. Change the name for the preference set to "Tutorial."
Next we will tell LDW which goals will have their own utility
function (or MUF for multi-measure utility function).
LDW uses utility functions to combine the utilities of a goal's
members into a utility (or overall score) for the goal. If you do not
define a MUF for a goal, its members will be included in the next
higher goal's MUF.
For the tutorial, we will define a MUF for both the "Best Truck"
and "Performance" goals:
4-10 Section 4 -- Introductory Tutorial