Decision Support System Design Project: Priority$-$Based Resource Allocation

Overview

In this project, you will develop a prototype for a Decision Support System $($DSS$)$ that helps

administrators make informed decisions by prioritizing entities based on weighted criteria. This

system will be applicable to a specific problem domain, such as resource allocation in schools,

hospitals, or retail stock management.

Objective

The aim is to design and implement a DSS prototype that processes data to rank items or choices

according to their importance or urgency, aiding decision$-$makers in focusing on priority areas.

Team Composition and Project Scope Requirements

This is a team$-$based project. Students are required to form teams of up to three $(3)$ members.

Teams of four $(4)$ or five $(5)$ members are permitted only if the scope and size of the project are

appropriately expanded to justify the larger team size.

Project Scenario: Efficient Allocation of Educational Resources

Problem Context: A school district needs to distribute educational resources such as funding, staff,

and materials among its schools to maximize educational outcomes.

Your Task: Develop a DSS that prioritizes schools based on various criteria like current performance

levels, resource deficits, and student demographics to suggest an optimal allocation strategy.

Project Phases$/$Deliverables

$$ Problem Selection: Choose a specific domain and problem for your DSS application.

$$ Data Collection and Handling: Gather data relevant to the problem, which could be real or

simulated.

$$ Development of Decision Logic: Create a scoring system that weights different factors

according to their importance in decision$-$making.

$$ Prototype Development: Implement the decision logic in a simple software tool using

Python or another accessible programming environment.

$$ Testing and Refinement: Test the prototype to ensure it operates as intended and refine

based on feedback or observed issues.

$$ Presentation and Evaluation: Present the DSS to peers and instructor, demonstrating its

functionality and explaining the decision$-$making process.

$2$ of $4$

Tools:

You may use any of the free tools available for decision support system $($DSS$)$ applications. Here are

some commonly used ones:

$-$ Microsoft Excel

$-$ Google Sheets

$-$ Python with Libraries