MCDMDecision-makingOutrankingMath steps

Superiority and Inferiority Ranking

OriginatorXu, X.Year2001Sources1Related methods8

SIR (Superiority and Inferiority Ranking) is a outranking multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method introduced by Xu, X. in 2001. 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

Apply the F.steps in order; the final score determines the descending ranking.

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
  • Results depend on the chosen normalisation, weights, and parameter settings.

Sources

  1. 1.
    Xu, X. (2001). The SIR method: A superiority and inferiority ranking method for multiple criteria decision making. European Journal of Operational Research

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Cite this page

ScholarGate. (2026, June 2). SIR. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/decision-making/sir