DecisionMentor: Frequently Asked Questions
Why DecisionMentor?
To move from Good to Great! You may be making good decisions, but DecisionMentor helps to become “Great Decision Maker”.
“Good is the enemy of great. We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great governments, principally because we have good governments. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great, precisely because the vast majority become quite good — and that is their main problem.”
~ James Collins, the best-selling author of his book “Good to great”
What is DecisionMentor?
DecisionMentor is mobile App to help in personal Decision Making. It can also be used as Decision Support and Decision Analysis tool. DecisionMentor helps individuals to choose among available options or alternatives. DecisionMentor is useful to Clarify Your Confusion while choosing. DecisionMentor is helpful to come out of dilemma.
Who can make use of DecisionMentor Mobile App?
DecisionMentor is designed for individual use. Individuals of any profession and education level can use DecisionMentor. Anyone using multiple Apps in a Smartphone can learn and use DecisionMentor in short period of time.
What is a Decision?
“Decision” is a conclusion reached after necessary judgements.
What is Mentor?
Dictionary meaning of “Mentor” is “an experienced and trusted adviser”.
How DecisionMentor can be described?
DecisionMentor as trusted virtual adviser which guides individuals to get insights of decision problem helping to make decision based on users’ inputs.
Who are the target users of DecisionMentor?
Any individuals in need of help in making critical personal decision are target user of DecisionMentor. Further, DecisionMentor is targeted to individuals not having any one around to help to make decision or the decision is very private, cannot be shared with anyone.
Do I need anything special to use DecisionMentor?
You just need to install the App in your mobile phone.
What kind of Decision problem / Decision situation, DecisionMentor is used?
Critical individual decisions, where value judgment has to made, multiple criteria needed to consider and when only one criterion is not governing the decision.
Example: buying a property, Which home to buy? Centrally located, costing higher with good neighbourhood or little far away, less costing and with likeminded neighbourhood.
The home buying decision problems have three criteria, Location, Cost and Neighbourhood; and the options may be Home 1; Home 2
Home 1: Centrally located, Costing higher; Good neighbourhood
Home 2: Far location, Less cost; Fair neighbourhood
Which home to buy, is the kind of decision problem DecisionMentor helps one to process the decision problem with inputs of importance to criteria.
Any preparation needed before entering decision problem in DecisionMentor App?
Please identify Criteria and Choices of your decision problem. Keep the number of Criteria and Choices maximum to Five.
What are the Key Features of DecisionMentor?
DecisionMentor comes with following facility to process decision
- Capturing Decision objective or Decision Title
- Description on the decision problem (optional)
- List of Choices (Options of Alternatives)
- List of Criteria (Decision Factors)
- Criteria Comparison screen – compare two Criteria at a time
- Choice Comparison screen for each “Criteria”
- Compare Options with each Criteria looking at the Decision objective. For example: Most appropriate Home to buy !
- One can see “Inconsistency” in percentage (%) of making comparison between Criteria and Options
What is the Maximum number of Choices and Criteria DecisionMentor Mobile App can take?
In current version of DecisionMentor mobile App takes Maximum 5 Criteria and 5 Choices in a Decision Problem.
How many decisions I can process in DecisionMentor?
One can process unlimited number of decisions in DecisionMentor.
What DecisionMentor does?
DecisionMentor simplifies to Prioritize Options considering priority of Criteria of concern and Options priority with respect to each Criteria.
In other words:
DecisionMentor helps to visualize decision with prioritized criteria and options in accordance to users (decision makers) judgement or inputs. Ultimately, helping user to make self informed decision.
What happens to privacy of my Decisions while using DecisionMentor?
No information is stored in the cloud. All the decision information will be stored in the users’ mobile phone. The app developer and the app website do not store any decision information in its website.
How a Mobile App can help to make Decisions?
Simplifying the process of considering multiple criteria with all options, and generation priority of options based on own judgement is the help one can get from using DecisionMentor.
What are the Steps to Use DecisionMentor?
DecisionMentor is used in the following steps
- Write your Decision objective / problem or Decision Title
- Provide description on the decision problem (optional)
- Give list of Choices (Options of Alternatives)
- Give list of Criteria (Decision Factors)
- Go to Criteria comparison screen – compare two Criteria at a time, complete comparison
- Go to Choice comparison screen for comparing each “Choice” with each “Criteria”
- Note: Compare Options with each Criteria looking at the Decision objective (eg. Most appropriate Home to buy!
- You can see “Inconsistency” in percentage (%) of making comparisons in Criteria and Options for each Criteria (while in step 5 and 6)
- Try to maintain the “Inconsistency” of judgment within 10%
- Go to Decision Analysis results page to see outcome of your judgment for ranking of “Options”
- Visualize your decision! See how option ranking changes while changing importance of Criteria
- Based on the decision analysis result, decide as you wish! Get informed decisions!!
What is Inconsistency % ?
Inconsistency ratio, expressed in percentage (%) is accuracy measurement of Criteria or Choices preference comparisons (also known as pairwise comparisons). Inconsistency equal to 0% means your comparisons are exactly consistent. Inconsistency below or equal to 10% is ideally considered as valid comparisons. It is reasonable to have human judgement error initially; it is always possible to improve.
What is theory behind the DecisionMentor?
DecisionMentor is based on Multiple Criteria Decision Making / Analysis (MCDM / MCDA) theory called Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). AHP theory is which was originally developed by Prof. Thomas L. Saaty.
What is Decision Support System (DSS)? Is DecisionMentor is DSS?
As per Investopedia, “A decision support system (DSS) is a computerized program used to support determinations, judgments, and courses of action in an organization or a business”. Hence, DecisionMentor is DSS for Individuals operated in handheld computer called Smartphone or Mobile phone.
What is Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) / Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) ?
Multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) or multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is a sub-discipline of operations research that explicitly evaluates multiple conflicting criteria in the process of decision making.
What is Multiple Criteria Analysis (MCA)?
The process of MCDM or MCDA also commonly called multiple criteria analysis (MCA)
What is Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)?
Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is most commonly used MCDM / MCDA theory of decision making created by Prof. Thomas L. Saaty. Prof. Saaty held Chair of Distinguished University Professor at the Pitt Business School, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Is there any Rank Reversal Issue with DecisionMentor?
DecisionMentor clears all earlier judgement made in a decision problem, when Option or Criteria added or removed. One needs to repeat the comparison process. The rank reversal issue, if any has been nullified in the process of uses of the application.