Application of Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making in R&D Project Manager Selection

Project managers perform better and lead projects to a successful end if their characteristics match with the requirements of the position. Manager of a research project should not only have a solid scientific background, but also possess attributes of a leader. Incompetent research and development (R&D) managers can cause grievances, complaints, employee turnover, and organizational disruptions. The process of selecting the best project manager among several candidates involves comparing both tangible and intangible attributes. Such a complex problem involves satisfying several objectives simultaneously. Hence the most suitable methods are multi-criteria decision making techniques. In this article, a fuzzy linguistic problem is addressed using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to identify the most suitable manager to lead an R&D project. A selection committee of five experts is formed to choose the best applicant on the basis of eight criteria. In the final analysis, leadership is found to be the most important criterion followed by scientific accomplishments.