Abstract

Group decision making can be improved through the use of prioritization tools to evaluate and compare options. The group selects alternatives to be considered, choose criteria for comparison and assigns weights to each criterion. Group discussion at each stage is essential to explore options and considerations and build consensus. The group decision is more reflective of collective judgment more than scores. The Pugh matrix is qualitative rather than quantitative, using pluses, minuses and S for “same.” It has been used to compare alternatives in computer network defense, level-of-care utilization systems in the healthcare industry, and criticality of nonconformance (NC) investigations, and can be broadly applied to any evaluation or decision-making challenge.