Implementation Of Multi-Objective Decision Analysis And Value Focused Thinking To Improve Decision Quality In Complex Project

Abstract

Multiple Objective Decision Analysis (MODA) and Value Focused Thinking (VFT) is well suited for projects with multiple stakeholders and objectives with considerations across different domains. In the Produced Water Management program for marginal fields, there was a disconnect between corporate campaigns, local regulations, and partner expectations. This made high-quality decision-making became more complex and challenging. The project team initially evaluated only tried-and-true, facility-focused alternatives. However, the decision-makers identified significant gaps in 3 Decision Quality aspects: creative, feasible alternatives; clarity in values and trade-offs; logically correct analysis.
The implementation steps for MODA-VFT are identifying values/objectives hierarchy, identifying value measures/decision criteria, generating alternatives from objectives, evaluating alternatives based on value measures, incorporating decision maker’s preference through value function and weighting, and evaluating the overall alignment values.
The project team has managed to close the decision quality gaps by generating and evaluating more creative alternatives based on decision makers’ values and enabling decision-makers to see the connection of the recommended alternatives to the values and prioritize trade-offs. The project team also had clear and logically structured reasoning to justify the preferred alternative.

Keywords: Alternative evaluation, environmental strategy, multiple objective decision making, objective hierarchy, value function.