FEUP MESG - Services Engineering and Management

Decision Support Systems Course

Objectives, Skills and Learning Outcomes

- understand the complexity and quantitative and qualitative aspects of decision making processes, using simple approaches for their structuring;
- be able to create spreadsheet models and develop tools for decision support;
- use general concepts and principles of Decision Theory and Multicriteria Analysis, to structure decision alternatives and criteria;
- be able to perform data analysis and modelling, as well as sensitivity and scenario analysis;
- use optimization, heuristic and simulation models and algorithms, to suppor the solution of decision problems;
- understand the problems associated with the design of Decision Support Systems e be able to contribute to their specification.

Program

1.
Organizations and decision processes. Decision levels, complexity and analysis paradigms.
The role of quantitative models and methods in decision making.
The use of spreadsheets.

2.
Structuring of decision processes. Influence diagrams.
Fundamental skills in spreadsheet modelling.
Organization of models in spreadsheets.

3.
Formulation of problems and optimization models: linear programming and extensions. Optimization methods and computational tools for optimizations.
Transportation and assignment problems.

4.
Network problems: floex, paths; trees - models and algorithms.
Combinatorial optimization problems: heuristic method for practical problems solution - design and implementation.
Integer programming models.

5.
Decision Theory and Multicriteria Analysis topics. Situations of risk and uncertainty.
Structuring of decision alternatives and criteria. Decision trees. Decision problems with multiple criteria. Sensitivity and "what-if" analysis.

6.
Simulation models: general structure and domain of application. Queues: brief introduction to theory, models and applications. Statistical and event-driven simulation. Simulation and decision support.

Visit the Decision Support Systems Course Site.