Why is it important?
AHP helps capture both subjective and objective evaluation measures, providing a useful mechanism for checking the consistency of the evaluation measures and alternatives suggested by the team thus reducing bias in decision making.

Combined with meeting automation, organizations can minimize common pitfalls of team decision making process, such as lack of focus, planning, participation or ownership, which ultimately are costly distractions that can prevent teams from making the right choice. 

When to use it?
When making complex decisions involving multiple criteria.

How to use it?
The first step is for the team to decompose the goal into its constituent parts, progressing from the general to the specific. In its simplest form, this structure comprises a goal, criteria and alternative levels. Each set of alternatives would then be further divided into an appropriate level of detail, recognizing that the more criteria included, the less important each individual criterion may become.

Next, assign a relative weight to each one. Each criterion has a local (immediate) and global priority. The sum of all the criteria beneath a given parent criterion in each tier of the model must equal one. Its global priority shows its relative importance within the overall model.

Finally, after the criteria are weighted and the information is collected, put the information into the model. Scoring is on a relative basis, not an absolute basis, comparing one choice to another. Relative scores for each choice are computed within each leaf of the hierarchy. Scores are then synthesized through the model, yielding a composite score for each choice at every tier, as well as an overall score.

Available on the web:

• Analytical Hierarchy Process
• Supplier Selection Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)
• AHP - a lecture
• AHP - from U of Calgary