Structuring AHP-based maintenance policy selection

We aim to structure the maintenance policy selection process for ships, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Maintenance is an important contributor to reach the intended life-time of capital technical assets, and it is gaining increasing interest and relevance. A maintenance policy is a policy that dictates which parameter triggers a maintenance action and it appears that selecting the right maintenance policy is a difficult group decision. To investigate maintenance policy selection (MPS), we use an eight stage method to structure the multiple criteria decision making process, and build on previous research to propose a refined decision hierarchy, aiming for a structured abstraction of MPS to reveal the core of the MPS problem. After a preliminary MPS session, this decision hierarchy is applied at a multi-company MPS session, where a group of companies from the same maintenance chain is present. We conclude that the chosen methodology, using our previous results as a starting point, greatly improves the workability of the decision hierarchy. Also, it turns out that discussing the exact meanings of the criteria plays a crucial role in the group decision process