Step 7: Discuss Results, Re-Score, Discuss Again, Decide
At this point, the board members are able to compare their scores. If one site is preferred by everyone, the decision is made! However, if no single site rises to the top, the board has several possibilities for next steps:
•If one site is rated lowest or second lowest by all board members, then it is considered a "dominated alternative" and can be dropped from the list. This makes the choice somewhat simpler.
•Even if no site can be designated a dominated alternative, the board can review the scores and discuss the weights and scores. Alternatives with close scores are good candidates for discussion. Board members can compare and discuss their interest weights, and experiment by assigning higher or lower weights to different sub-interests. This experimentation may yield some insights and lead to agreement.
•The alternative ratings -- how well each alternative does in satisfying a particular interest -- can be discussed with planners and other experts. Some ratings might be better expressed as a range of numbers rather than a single number (e.g. 3-5 instead of a 4). Board members can conduct sensitivity analyses on these ratings to see how that affects their scores.
•Discussion, experimentation and more discussion may result in a particular site rising to the top.
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