What each technique actually computes, when to reach for it, and where it bites.
Ranking method
The best alternative is the one closest to the ideal solution and farthest from the worst one.
Ranking method
Finds the compromise solution: high overall utility without any unacceptable weakness.
Ranking method
Compares alternatives pairwise with preference functions, so small differences don't get over-rewarded.
Ranking method
Outranking with veto power and the honesty to declare two alternatives incomparable.
Ranking method
A robustness trick: blend the weighted-sum and weighted-product models into one score.
Ranking method
Evaluates benefit and cost criteria separately, then rewards high benefits and low costs proportionally.
Ranking method
Scores alternatives by how far above or below the average solution they sit.
Weighting method
Turns pairwise 'which matters more, and by how much?' judgments into defensible criteria weights.
Weighting method
Objective weights straight from the data: criteria that vary more and correlate less carry more weight.
Ranking method
TOPSIS when your numbers are estimates, not measurements every value carries an uncertainty band.
Weighting method
AHP judgments as fuzzy bands: 'about 3 times more important' instead of exactly 3.