Application of ANP in process models: An example of strategic partnering

Analytic network process (ANP) is a new tool for multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) but can also be applied in academic research to prioritize factors or criteria. It enhances the function of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to develop a complete model that can incorporate interdependent relationships between elements from different levels or within levels, which are assumed to be uncorrelated in AHP. Although ANP has recently been applied in the construction field, it cannot be applied easily to process models. This is because its concept does not consider the impacts of an element on another element occurring at different periods in a process, such as stages, phases, etc. This paper uses the strategic partnering model as an example to present a method that helps to form the super-matrix for process models. The procedure of ANP is also highlighted in this paper. Copyright © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.