Choosing a quality improvement project using the analytic hierarchy process

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to address ways in which customer satisfaction could be improved. Design/methodology/approach – In this article it is shown how the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) can be of use in making a choice between a number of alternative quality improvement projects. A case study performed in a large information technology oriented company illustrates that the model can play an important role in reaching a consensus about the ranking of quality management projects. Findings – Results of the case study suggest that the AHP can strongly contribute to a more effective way of communicating and transforming knowledge between experts from different disciplines during quality improvement projects. Originality/value – Based on this case study, it can be concluded that by means of the AHP model a rather simple method of making a decision regarding pilot projects related to quality improvement is available to companies. One final advantage of the AHP approach as experienced in the case study relates to the possibility to explore inconsistent judgements.