Creative Decisions Foundation Events
Competition Format
This competition is for teams of 2 or 3 students. If you did not sign up as a team member, you can still register, and we will help you join a team by the competition day. The competition lasts 3 days, from March 24 to March 26. You do not need any prior knowledge of the AHP/ANP methods.
First Day
In the morning of the first day, you will receive intensive training in AHP and ANP methods, while the afternoon will be split between hands-on practice with the decision-making software tools to be used the next day. Also on the first day, you will get to know the representative(s) of the business partner company. The company representative(s) will introduce the aims and strategic objectives of the company and describe some of the issues they are facing or faced in the past. The teams will then begin discussing the decision problems of the company and deciding on the approach they will take. Completing the first and second day’s training will lead to a University of Pittsburgh Decision Making for Leaders certification.
Second Day
On the second day of the competition, the teams will have training in the morning, and then they will assembly and work on structuring their ideas. They will define the decision-making problem they will solve, describe the framework, identify the decision factors, and model the problem using the appropriate decision-making methods and software tools. In the afternoon, the teams will focus on finalizing their case and setting up their presentation for the next day.
Third Day
On the third day, all teams will participate in a preliminary round, where they will present their case analysis and recommendations. Teams will be allotted 15 minutes to present. Following each presentation, the judges will conduct a question and answer (Q&A) session for a maximum of 10 minutes. Once the Q&A has concluded, the judges may offer some feedback.
After all the preliminary round presentations, the top 3 to 5 finalist teams will compete in the final round later that afternoon. Like the first round, teams will present strictly within the 15-minute timeline and be provided a 10-minute Q&A with the judges. The final presentations are open to public viewing; non-finalist teams are encouraged to watch the final round of the competition. There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winning teams that will be recognized Sunday at an award ceremony.
The CDF Organizations
The International Symposium on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (ISAHP) is a biennial conference on multi-criteria decision analysis. It brings together researchers, teachers, students and users of AHP/ANP to share their research and experiences in decision making.
IJAHP is a scholarly journal that publishes papers about research and applications of the AHP and ANP
See our complete collection of books on decision making with the AHP and the ANP, the multiple criteria decision making theories created by Thomas L. Saaty. If you have to make complex decisions, by yourself or with others, read his original works.
The SuperDecisions is the only free educational software that implements the ANP and was developed by the team of the creator of the method, Thomas Saaty.