MCDMDecision-makingRankingMath steps

Intuitionistic Fuzzy TOPSIS

OriginatorAtanassov, K. T.Year1986Sources1Related methods10

IF-TOPSIS (Intuitionistic Fuzzy TOPSIS) is a ranking multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method introduced by Atanassov, K. T. in 1986. It turns a decision matrix of alternatives scored on multiple criteria into a structured, reproducible result.

Key highlights

  • Follows a transparent, reproducible computational procedure that can be audited step by step.
  • Handles multiple criteria of differing scales and units within a single decision matrix.

Intuition

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How it works

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When to use it

IF-TOPSIS extends crisp TOPSIS to settings where each rating is an Intuitionistic Fuzzy Number (μ, ν) representing membership/non-membership. The algorithm aggregates expert ratings and weights via IFWA (Steps 2–3), weights the matrix with Atanassov's ⊗ operator (Step 4), extracts IF positive/negative ideal solutions per criterion direction (Step 5), then ranks alternatives by their crisp closeness coefficient C* ∈ [0,1] (Steps 6–7). Higher C* = better. NO defuzzification step is involved; the ranking emerges directly from IF-distance separations.

Strengths & limitations

Strengths
  • Follows a transparent, reproducible computational procedure that can be audited step by step.
  • Handles multiple criteria of differing scales and units within a single decision matrix.
Limitations
  • May exhibit rank reversal when alternatives are added to or removed from the set.
  • Assumes full compensation — a strong score on one criterion can offset a weak score on another.

Common pitfalls

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Sources

  1. 1.
    Atanassov, K. T. (1986). Intuitionistic fuzzy sets. Fuzzy Sets and Systems

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ScholarGate. (2026, June 2). IF-TOPSIS. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/decision-making/if-topsis

Intuitionistic Fuzzy TOPSIS | ScholarGate