Efficient interpretive ranking process incorporating implicit and transitive dominance relationships

Interpretive ranking process (IRP) is a multi-criteria decision making method based on paired comparison in an interpretive manner. Due to paired comparisons, the number of interpretations to be made for n ranking variables are $$n(n-1)/2$$n(n-1)/2 to establish dominance with respect to each reference variable or criterion. IRP is a knowledge intensive method and thus a large number of comparisons poses a limitation on the number of rankling as well as reference variables to be considered in the design of the decision problem. This paper is intended to make the process of comparison more efficient so that this limitation on number of variables can be relaxed to handle comparatively large size problems as well. The number of interpretive comparisons can be drastically reduced by considering both implicit and transitive dominance relationships. It provides a critical review of IRP steps and suggests improvements to make it more efficient. It then illustrates the modified IRP method on a couple of already published examples (including an example on post-disaster management) and summarizes the reduction in interpretive comparisons that indirectly gives a measure of increase in its efficiency.