Sensitivity Analysis of Simple Additive Weighting Method (SAW): The Results of Change in the Weight of One Attribute on the Final Ranking of Alternatives

Abstract

Most of data in a multi-attribute decision making (MADM) problem are unstable and changeable, then sensitivity analysis after problem solving can effectively contribute to making accurate decisions. This paper provides a new method for sensitivity analysis of MADM problems so that by using it and changing the weights of attributes, one can determine changes in the final results of a decision making problem. This analysis applied for SAW technique, one of the most used multi-attribute decision making techniques, and the formulas are obtained.