Solving Multi-Criteria Allocation Problems : A Decision Support System Approach

MCADSS is a multi-criteria allocation decision support system forassisting in the task of partitioning a set of individuals into groups.Based upon multiple criteria, MCADSSacirc; s goal is to maximize the diversity ofmembers within groups, while minimizing the average differences betweengroups. (The project may be viewed from several perspectives: as a multi-criteriadecision making problem, as a quot;reversequot; clustering problem, or as apersonnel assignment problem). The system is currently being used toallocate MBA students into sections and study teams at INSEAD, a leadingEuropean business school. This paper describes the rationale for MCADSS,design criteria, system methodology, and application results. It alsosuggests how the approach outlined here might be used for furtherapplications