Selection of Software: The Analytic Hierarchy Process

With increasingly complex logistics information technology and dynamic logistics operations in a global setting, today′s logistics managers confront an overwhelming number of decision alternatives. Perhaps the most effective way of evaluating such a large number of alternatives is to utilize advanced information technologies. These technologies encompass decision support systems (DSS), artificial intelligence (AI), expert systems (ES), electronic data interchange (EDI), and barcoding. Since the performance of these technologies is greatly influenced by their supporting software, their success often hinges on the selection of proper software packages. In selecting proper logistics software, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is proposed which can effectively deal with both qualitative and quantitative factors in multiple‐criteria decision environments.