How does the Decision Analysis Matrix structure its rows and columns?

• A. List solutions as columns and factors as rows
• B. Randomly select a solution
• C. List solutions as rows and factors as columns; score each; weight; sum scores
• D. Only compare two options

Answer: (C)

This item is about how a Decision Analysis Matrix is organized. The standard setup places each solution in its own row and each decision factor in its own column. You then score how well each solution meets every factor, apply weights to reflect how important each factor is, and sum the weighted scores to produce an overall score for each solution. This layout makes the comparison across many options clear and quantitative: you can see, at a glance, how each option performs on every criterion and how the criteria add up to overall value.

Having solutions as rows keeps the evaluation aligned so every option is assessed against the same set of factors, and having factors as columns ensures scores are comparable across options. Weighting gives more influence to the factors that matter most, so the final ranking reflects priorities rather than treating every factor equally. Compared to other approaches, this structure supports evaluating multiple alternatives in a consistent, objective way rather than random selection or limiting the analysis to just two options.