There is a large variety of evaluation process types. The alternatives for example are most of the time to be ranked, but there are cases where only a single alternative has to be accepted. The starting point of the introduction to MCDM must be the clarification of the fundamental concepts which are attributes, objectives, goals, criteria, strategies and alternatives . The subject of the following sections is essentially the discussion of the high relevance of these notions to software quality and process assessment. These terms are typically used however not defined in the otherwise meticulous standards.
Attributes are the descriptors of reality.
They can be identified and measured essentially independently from the decision maker's or user's requirements. Objectives consist of individual attributes or sets of attributes together with their directions of preference. They are clearly identifiable with the decision maker's or user's requirements. They are determined by the decision maker's or user's requirements. Criteria is a general term for the attributes, objectives, or goals which are judged relevant in a given decision situation by an individual or a group .