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Prologue

SV(fc)is a Comparative Analysis System designed to assist users via a Graphic Language of Scoring Vectors,
to distinguish the strengths and weaknesses of Alternatives being considered in a Comparative Review.
Comparative Visual Assessments Inc. has developed, "A Graphic Shorthand Tool" that will enable users to visually review Scoring Vectors that convey the details of a comparative analysis to whatever level is needed to be comfortable with the facts. This paper is NOT a short summary. Rather, this is a presentation targeted toward those users who are computer literate and eager to be fully briefed on Comparison tools using the latest computer technology and software.

Once briefed, they will then discover how simple this graphic tool really is.
It is not unlike what Navy Pilots did with their navigation plotting boards on their laps in their cockpits. Yet, if you were to have asked them then, if they were familiar with vector analysis, most of them would have laughed and shaken their heads. And yet, in the height of great distress, with changes to be made to their navigation, they could make that plotting board smoke, as they changed course and planned for a different interception of a carrier rendezvous or a new target.

SV(fc) was built to provide users with a similar tool, whether they be in their office, home, boat or plane, by using their laptops or cellphone/computers to review the details of major comparisons and become familiar enough with the facts to concur or to challenge the proposed decisions. And later, if need be, to be able to defend those decisions as audits from the same computer files.

In most comparative analyses the Alternatives to be compared are matched against a set of Criteria which are organized in a hierarchical "Tree" structure of priority levels. The Members' performances are scored or measured for each Criteria. Each Criteria, in turn, is assessed based pm its level of importance and assigned a "weight of Importance". Those scores and weights are then processed for each Criteria in the hierarchical "Tree" to produce a weighted average score for each Member being compared.

The core of the SV(fc) graphics tool is a VectorString consisting of some number of vectors which represent the criteria performance of a Member at some specific junction of the hierarchical "Tree". The following diagram consists of two Vectorstrings.

The bottom string consists of vectors representing the criteria scores for a specific Member before each Criteria is weighted for importance.

The top Vectorstring consists of the corresponding Criteria vector scores after they have been weighted and processed for the Members's score. Its horizontal length has increased because the Criteria Vector scores were in harmony with the weights of importance and therefore obtained an overall positive numerical dividend.


The next Diagram shows the same VectorStrings with their unweighted and weighted Criteria scores displayed. The dotted gray lines show the path from one unweighted vector to its weighted counterpart with that criteria vector's assigned weight value displayed midway between. The unweighted score for this particular Member was 5.215 and after the weighting process it expanded to 5.835.

Both VectorStrings have been sorted left to right by their Criteria Vectors' assigned weights from least important to most important.
1. The Vectors with identical colors, in the two VectorStrings, represent the same Criteria.
2. The three vectors on the left of the weighted VectorString are pointing downward indicating that their importance is below average.
3. The fourth purple vector is pointing slightly above horizontal level indicating that its importance is slightly above average importance and the right four vectors are pointing upward indicating their criteria's above average importance.
4. The unimportant vectors have decreased in size because of their decreased weighted scores.
5. The purple vector, slightly above average importance, has increased proportionately as have the important vectors.
6. The extent to which a vector increases or decreases in size is directly proportional to how far its assigned weight is above or below the Norm average of all the Criteria weights in the Group.
The next diagram shows the VectorStrings of four Alternatives and how they performed against four Criteria. i.e. a "Member by Criteria" Matrix.

They are sorted vertically by Member scores.
1. The 4th Place Member with its first red vector has the best score against the first Criteria a.
2. The 1st and 3rd place Members with their blue second vectors tie as winners to the second Criteria b.
3. The 2nd Member with its third red vector has the best score for the third Criteria c.
4. The 1st Member with its fourth red vector has the best score for the fourth Criteria d.
5. And the 1st Member has the best score of the Group because its VectorString has the longest horizontal length.

This basic set of guidelines represent the core of what is needed for a user to read the SV(fc) graphic language.

And just as musicians have their musical scores,
now do computer users have their VectorStrings.



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