[Sample B: Approval/Signature Sheet] - George Mason University

This type of analysis looks for points where two or more options are equated in
overall utility, the so called switchover points. These points are important because if the
results are ―remote from switchover points, the analyst can be confident of his
conclusions.‖ 123 If not, any small variation on the weights can change the ranking of the
alternatives.
The first graph (see fig. 40) shows the effects of varying the weight on the Force
Application objective. The line representing this objective‘s weight is next to a
switchover point between UAV and HLA, which means that small variations in weight
could change the ranking order between them. Since the utility value used to rank HLA is
based on the comparison with HLB, the sole interpretation of the graph is not enough
because the value of interest in this case is the marginal contribution provided by HLA.
There is also a switchover point between HLA and CGO and the same rationale applies.
In order to check if any change in the rank of the alternatives would really
happen, a table was built with variations of +/- 10% in the Force Application‘s weight.
The results show that, although the HLA‘s utility increases, the ranking of the
alternatives remains unchanged.
123 Ibid., 400.
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