Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis as a Supporting Tool for Decision-Making in Construction Projects

Abstract

The construction industry faces significant environmental and financial challenges, driven by high greenhouse gas emissions, intensive energy consumption, and rising resource costs. This thesis explores the role of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in managing project complexity and improving decision-making processes. MCDA integrates multiple criteria and stakeholder perspectives, facilitating structured and rational decision-making crucial for the dynamic construction environment. The research employs both qualitative and quantitative methods, including 8 interviews and questionnaires with key stakeholders, with the purpose to develop an MCDA prototype using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) methods. The findings demonstrate that MCDA aids project teams in structuring, analysing, and deciding on complex issues, leading to informed decisions aligned with project goals. Specifically, MCDA facilitates clear prioritization of sustainability targets, as evidenced by the consistent recommendation for timber cladding. It also showed how utilizing MCDA as a tool minimizes stakeholder conflicts through transparency and traceability of decisions, enhances the ability to address unforeseen challenges, and supports robust planning for future uncertainties. Consequently, MCDA leads to a streamlined decision-making process, improved stakeholder consensus, and effective handling of complex construction project dynamics. The case study shows that clear project goals and effective stakeholder management lead to consistent decision recommendations. MCDA in this sense improves decision-making quality but can also be a demanding tool in terms of time and cognitive efforts for participants. This suggests a need to explore other MCDA methods for varying scenarios to better understand the effectiveness of MCDA.