A multi-profile sorting procedure in the public administration

Procedures of project investigation and evaluation are very frequent in the public administration. These decision situations imply a clear definition of the projects, which can be admitted to the selection, and a transparent action of evaluation, selection and communication of the results. In relation to a specific procedure, which is set up every year in the Piedmont Region, in Italy, a multicriteria (MC) sorting procedure was adopted in the context of decision aiding. Interesting results induced a stable relationship between client and analyst and stimulated a generalization of the procedure, the implementation of a software package and the development of a decision support system, which is now in progress. The main characteristics of an MC sorting procedure are analyzed in the paper, in general terms and more specifically in relation to this decision context. The problem situation and its evolution in a decision-aid process are described, in relation to the MC model development and evolution. The method which is the core of this MC procedure and a proposal of development and generalization of the method assignment rules are then presented with the application results and some validation procedures, which were adopted in the different phases of the work.