A Multi-criteria Approach to Collaborative Product-Service Systems Design

Abstract

The design of innovative systems involves a complex decision making process spanning over different criteria and stakeholders. The complexity of the design process is heightened at its early stages by data scarcity, involving high uncertainty and vagueness. Product-Service Systems (PSS), which are bundles of products and services designed to fit complex customer needs, are an example of those innovative systems. PSS design can be thus approached as a multi-criteria and multi-stakeholder decision process. The aim of this research is to provide a consistent framework for decision aiding in the early stages of collaborative PSS design. The framework was built within a collaborative project involving a French company, interested in innovative solutions for managing their safety clothing system. At the methodological level, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used.