Using the Full Consistency Method (FUCOM) for Multi-Criteria Decision-Making

Introduction

The Full Consistency Method (FUCOM) is a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) method developed to determine the optimal weights of criteria, ensuring that the deviation from full consistency is minimized. This vignette provides a step-by-step guide on how to use the fucom package to apply the FUCOM method and interpret the results.

Example: Applying the FUCOM Method

Below is an example demonstrating how to apply the FUCOM method using the fucom package to calculate optimized weights for a set of criteria.

First, define the criteria to be evaluated, along with their respective ranks and priorities. In this example, we are evaluating eight criteria with the following priority values: criteria_rank <- c (“Criterion 1”, “Criterion 2”, “Criterion 3”, “Criterion 4”, “Criterion 5”, “Criterion 6”, “Criterion 7”, “Criterion 8”) criteria_priority <- c (1, 1, 1, 2, 4, 4, 4, 4)

library(fucom)

criteria_rank <- c("Criterion 1", "Criterion 2", "Criterion 3", 
                   "Criterion 4", "Criterion 5", "Criterion 6", 
                   "Criterion 7", "Criterion 8")

criteria_priority <- c(1, 1, 1, 2, 4, 4, 4, 4)

results <- fucom_method(criteria_rank, criteria_priority)

# Display the results
results$weights  # Optimized weights
#> [1] 0.22222222 0.22222223 0.22222222 0.11111111 0.05555555 0.05555556 0.05555556
#> [8] 0.05555556
results$Phi      # Comparative priority (Phi) values
#> [1] 1 1 2 2 1 1 1
results$w        # Mathematical transitivity condition (w)
#> [1] 1 2 4 2 1 1
results$DFC      # Minimum deviation from full consistency (DFC)
#> [1] 7.855056e-08

Interpret the Results

The output includes:

Weights: Optimized weights for each criterion, where the sum equals 1.
Phi Values: Comparative priority values between the criteria.
Transitivity Condition (w): Ensures the consistency of the comparative priorities.
DFC: The deviation from full consistency, which should be minimized.

Conclusion

This vignette demonstrated how to use the fucom package to apply the FUCOM method in multi-criteria decision-making. By optimizing the weights of criteria based on their priorities, the method ensures consistency in the decision-making process.

For more detailed information on the FUCOM method, you can refer to the original paper: https://doi.org/10.3390/sym10090393.