Multi-criteria decision analysis in project development: evidence from an urban air mobility context
Submitted: 2026-01-27
|Accepted: 2026-03-01
|Published: 2026-05-25
Copyright (c) 2026 Nathan de Freitas Oliveira Matos, Valério Antonio Pamplona Salomon, Claudemir Leif Tramarico
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Downloads
Keywords:
agile, analytic hierarchy process (AHP), decision making
Supporting agencies:
The authors express their thanks to the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for the financial support under grant 303248/2025-4.
Abstract:
This paper investigates the applicability of agile methodology in the urban air mobility (UAM) ecosystem, characterized by Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) vehicles for urban freight logistics and cargo transport, focusing on challenges and opportunities in project management. The research applies the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to compare agile and traditional project management methodologies, assessing multiple decision criteria relevant to UAM development. Findings show that agile is considerably more suitable than the traditional approach. The criterion “achievement of results” had the greatest impact. Agile outperformed traditional methods across most criteria, including adaptability and flexibility, efficiency in resource and personnel use, among others. The analysis is restricted to a comparative evaluation within a specific methodological framework, which may limit generalizability to other contexts in UAM. The results demonstrate the robustness of agile practices in delivering flexibility and responsiveness for UAM development, guiding managers toward adaptive approaches in logistics-driven UAM ecosystems, highlighting the responsiveness view as a relevant theoretical lens for adaptive project management in logistics-driven UAM. This research contributes by applying multi-criteria decision-making techniques to evaluate project management methodologies, providing empirical evidence that agile practices are more effective than traditional methods in supporting the development of urban logistics and supply chain solutions.
References:
Ahlbrecht, A., Zaeske, W., & Durak, U. (2022). Model-based STPA: towards agile safety-guided design with formalization.Proceedings of IEEE International Symposium on Systems Engineering (ISSE), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1109/ISSE54508.2022.10005396
Ahmed, S. S., Fountas, G., Lurkin, V., Anastasopoulos, P. C., Zhang, Y., Bierlaire, M., & Mannering, F. (2024). The state of urban air mobility research: An assessment of challenges and opportunities. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 26(2), 1375–1394. https://doi.org/10.1109/TITS.2024.3511453
Altun, A.T., Xu, Y., Inalhan, G., & Hardt, M.W. (2023). Analyzing fragility of the advanced air mobility system and exploring antifragile networks. Proceedings of IEEE/AIAA Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC), 1–8.https://doi.org/10.1109/DASC58513.2023.10311258
ANAC (2023). Advanced air mobility. Panorama e perspectiva, ANAC Publication, 1–35. Retrieved 3 October 2025, from https://www.gov.br/anac/pt-br/centrais-de-conteudo/publicacoes/publicacoes-arquivos/aam-panorama-2023.pdf
Anantatmula, V.S., & Rad, P.F. (2018). Role of organizational project management maturity factors on project success. Engineering Management Journal, 30(3), 165–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/10429247.2018.1458208
Anderson, D.J. (2010). Kanban: Successful evolutionary change for your technology business, Blue Hole Press. Retrieved 4 October 2025, from https://personalpages.bradley.edu/~young/CS690S117old/Kanban.pdf
Aungkulanon, P., Atthirawong, W., & Luangpaiboon, P. (2023). Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process for strategic decision making in electric vehicle adoption. Sustainability, 15(8), 7003. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15087003
Beck, K.K., Beedle, M., van Bennekum, A., Cockburn, A., Cunningham, W., Fowler, M., Grenning, J., Highsmith, J., Hunt, A., Jeffries, R., Kern, J., Marick, B., Martin, R.C., Mellor, S., Schwaber, K., Sutherland, J., & Thomas, D. (2001).Manifesto for agile software development, Online resource. Retrieved 4 October 2025, from https://agilemanifesto.org/
Beiderbeck, D., Frevel, N., von der Gracht, H.A., Schmidt, S.L., & Schweitzer, V.M. (2021). Preparing, conducting, and analyzing Delphi surveys: Cross-disciplinary practices, new directions, and advancements. MethodsX, 8, 101401.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2021.101401
Bergantino, A.S., Fusco, G., & Intini, M. (2025). Innovating the last mile: Consumer acceptance and economic drivers of drone deliveries in urban logistics. Research in Transportation Business & Management, 63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2025.101510
Çakır, E., & Tolga, Ç. (2024). New multi criteria decision making methodology EFEE under uncertainty on Paris city micromobility. Proceedings of International Conference on Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems, Cham: Springer Nature,82–90. https://doi.org/10.1007/978–3–031–70018–7_10
Cruz, C.A. (2021). Mobilidade aérea urbana e os desafios para o controle do espaço aéreo brasileiro, Online resource. Retrieved 4 October 2025, from https://repositorio.esg.br/handle/123456789/1463
Di Vito, V., Dziugiel, B., Melo, S., Ten Thije, J.T., Duca, G., Liberacki, A., & Witkowska-Konieczny, A. (2025). Integrating urban air mobility into smart cities: a proposal for relevant use cases in the next decades. Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, 97(1), 2–12. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-03–2024–0081
Espinha, R.G. (2024). Scrum: O guia definitivo da metodologia ágil, Online resource. Retrieved 4 October 2025, from https://artia.com/scrum/
Falatoonitoosi, E., Ahmed, S. and Sorooshian, S. (2014). Expanded DEMATEL for determining cause and effect group in bidirectional relations. The Scientific World Journal, 2014(1), 103846. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/103846
Gabus, A. & Fontela, E. (1973). Perceptions of the world problematique: Communication procedure, communicating with those bearing collective responsibility (DEMATEL Report No. 1), Battelle Geneva Research Centre, Geneva.
González-Cruz, T.F., Botella-Carrubi, D., & Martínez-Fuentes, C.M. (2020). The effect of firm complexity and founding team size on agile internal communication in startups. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 16(3),1101–1121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365–019–00633–1
Goyal, R., Reiche, C., Fernando, C., Serrao, J., Kimmel, S., Cohen, A., & Shaheen, S. (2018). Urban air mobility (UAM) market study (No. HQ-E-DAA-TN65181), NASA Technical Report. Retrieved 3 October 2025, from https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20190001472
Hairul, P.A. (2018). What matters in project team management?. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 17(2).https://doi.org/10.17512/pjms.2018.17.2.18
Hales, D., Lee Lam, J.S., & Chang, Y.T. (2016). The balanced theory of port competitiveness. Transportation Journal,55(2), 168–189.https://doi.org/10.5325/transportationj.55.2.0168
Hamza, M., Niaz, R., Ali H Nafisah, I., Di Persio, L., Basheer, A. M., & Almazah, M. M. A. (2025). Integration of the analytic hierarchy process and Monte Carlo feature selection for a spatiotemporal weighting scheme in meteorological drought monitoring. Geocarto International, 40(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2025.2474614
Herath, S., & Chong, S. (2021). Key components and critical success factors for project management success: a literature review. Operations and Supply Chain Management International Journal, 14(4), 431–443. https://doi.org/10.31387/oscm0470314
Idogawa, J., Bizarrias, F.S., & Câmara, R. (2023). Critical success factors for change management in business process management. Business Process Management Journal, 29(7), 2009–2033. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-11–2022–0625
Ishizaka, A. and Nemery, P. (2013). Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis: Methods and Software, Wiley, Chichester, UK.https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118644898
Jaiswal, A., & Bhunia, S. (2024). D2DC: Mid-air drone-to-drone charging to enhance flight endurance. Proceedings of International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS), June 2024, 893–898, IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICUAS60882.2024.10556931
Javdani Gandomani, T., Zulzalil, H., & Bahsoon, R. (2025). Empowering software startups with agile methods and practices: A design science research, Software: Practice and Experience, 55(2), 220–242. https://doi.org/10.1002/spe.3371
Jitpaiboon, T., Smith, S.M., & Gu, Q. (2019). Critical success factors affecting project performance: An analysis of tools, practices, and managerial support. Project Management Journal, 50(3), 271–287.https://doi.org/10.1177/8756972819833545
Karkadakattil, A. (2025). AI-based predictive laser beam control for UAV interception in directed energy weapon systems using velocity-based trajectory prediction. Acceleron Aerospace Journal, 5(2), 1331–1349. https://doi.org/10.61359/11.2106–2545
Khan, S.A., Amin, C., & Fikri, T.D. (2018). Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods Application in Supply Chain Management: A Systematic Literature Review, in Salomon, V. (Ed.), Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods Application in Supply Chain Management, InTech Open, London, UK, pp. 3–31. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.74067
Losana, P., Castro, J.W., Ferre, X., Villalba-Mora, E., & Acuña, S.T. (2021). A systematic mapping study on integration proposals of the personas technique in agile methodologies. Sensors, 21(18), 6298. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21186298
Lukinskiy, V., Lukinskiy, V., & Bazhina, D. (2025). Refining the analytic hierarchy process: A statistical and methodological exploration of expert judgments. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 125, 526–536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2025.04.022
Mercan, T., Yavas, V., Can, D., & Mercan, Y. (2025). Vertiport location selection criteria for urban air mobility. Journal of Air Transport Management, 124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2025.102760
Muñoz-Medina, B., Ordoñez, J., Romana, M.G., & de Albornoz, V.A.C. (2025). Achieving sustainable urban mobility with a modified VIKOR method to improve the selection of a park and ride system. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 31(2), 153–170.https://doi.org/10.3846/jcem.2025.23300
Nguyen, P.T., Pham, C.P., Phan, P.T., Vu, N.B., Duong, M.T.H., & Nguyen, Q.L.H.T.T. (2021). Exploring critical risk factors of office building projects. Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8(2), 309–315. https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2021.vol8.no2.0309
Nguyen, K. D., Hogge, D., Riris, J., Sarojini, D., & Denby, B. (2026). Autonomous battery units as an enabling technology for urban air mobility. AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, 1713. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026–1713
Objective Solutions (2020). Waterfall: Advantages and disadvantages, Objective Insights. Retrieved 4 October 2025, fromhttps://www.objective.com.br/insights/waterfall-vantagens-desvantagens/
Okoli, C., & Pawlowski, S.D. (2004). The Delphi method as a research tool: an example, design considerations and applications”. Information & Management, 42(1), 15–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2003.11.002
Oliva, F.L., & Kotabe, M. (2019). Barriers, practices, methods and knowledge management tools in startups. Journal of Knowledge Management, 23(9), 1838–1856. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-06–2018–0361
Pak, H., Asmer, L., Kokus, P., Schuchardt, B. I., End, A., Meller, F., & Wendt, K. (2025). Can urban air mobility become reality? Opportunities and challenges of UAM as innovative mode of transport and DLR contribution to ongoing research. CEAS Aeronautical Journal, 16(3), 665–695. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13272–024–00733-x
PMBOK Guide (2013). A Set of Knowledge on Project Management, 5th Edition, Project Management Institute, USA.
Richey, R.G., Roath, A.S., Adams, F.G., & Wieland, A. (2022). A responsiveness view of logistics and supply chain management. Journal of Business Logistics, 43(1), 62–91. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbl.12290
Rinaldi, M., Primatesta, S., Bugaj, M., Rostáš, J., & Guglieri, G. (2023). Development of heuristic approaches for last-mile delivery TSP with a truck and multiple drones. Drones, 7(7), 407. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7070407
Royce, W.W. (1970). Managing the development of large software systems. Proceedings of IEEE WESCon, 26, 328–388. Saaty, T.L. (1990). How to make a decision: the analytic hierarchy process. European Journal of Operational Research, 48(1), 9–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/0377–2217(90)90057-I
Saaty, T.L., & Vargas, L.G. (2012). Models, Methods, Concepts & Applications of the Analytic Hierarchy Process, Springer,New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978–1–4614–3597–6
Sadrani, M., Adamidis, F., Garrow, L.A., & Antoniou, C. (2025). Challenges in urban air mobility implementation: A comparative analysis of barriers in Germany and the United States. Journal of Air Transport Management, 126,. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2025.102780
Sakr, A.M., Altaher, M.G.M., Solyman, M.E.A. and Attia, M.I.E. (2023). An integrated approach of travel demand modeling and decision-making tools for the assessment of transportation projects. Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A:Systems, 149(10).https://doi.org/10.1061/JTEPBS.TEENG-7895
Schoenherr, T., Tummala, V.R., & Harrison, T.P. (2008). Assessing supply chain risks with the analytic hierarchy process: Providing decision support for the offshoring decision by a US manufacturing company. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 14(2), 100–111.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2008.01.008
Serrador, P., & Pinto, J. K. (2015). Does agile work? - A quantitative analysis of agile project success. International Journal of Project Management, 33(5), 1040–1051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.01.006
Si, S.L., You, X.Y., Liu, H.C., & Zhang, P. (2018). DEMATEL technique: a systematic review of the state of the art literature on methodologies and applications. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 2018(1), 3696457.https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3696457
Souza, M.L.P. de, Souza, W.C. de, Freitas, J.S., Melo Filho, L.D.R., & Bagno, R.B. (2020). Agile roadmapping: amanagement tool for digital entrepreneurship. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 69(1), 94–108.https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2020.3027918
Tramarico, C., Petrillo, A., Andrade, H., & Salomon, V. (2025). Advancing circular supplier selection: Multi-criteria perspectives on risk and sustainability. Sustainability, 17(15), 6814. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156814
Uyaguari, F., Acuña, S.T., Castro, J.W., Dieste, O., & Juristo, N. (2025). Reliability of systematic literature reviews on testdriven development. Information and Software Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2025.107762
Viana Junior, A.A. and Cugnasca, P.S. (2021). Detecting cables and power lines in Small-UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) images through deep learning. Proceedings of IEEE/AIAA Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC),Oct. 2021, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1109/DASC52595.2021.9594405
Wang, C., Dai, M., Fang, Y., & Liu, C. (2022). Ideas and methods of lean and agile startup in the VUCA era. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 18(4), 1527–1544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365–022–00797–3
Wheeler, P., Esselman, J., & Organ, A. (2024). Lessons learned while planning for advanced air mobility. Journal of Airport Management, 18(2), 142–155. https://doi.org/10.69554/CYSF8675
Xu, R., Wei, S., Chen, Y., Chen, G., & Pham, K. (2022). Lightman: a lightweight microchained fabric for assurance-and resilience-oriented urban air mobility networks. Drones, 6(12), 421. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6120421
Yuan, Y., Lai, C. S., Chi, H. R., Wang, H., & Tsang, K. F. (2026). Power systems and eVTOL optimization with information exchange for green and safe urban air mobility. Sensors, 26(3), 888. https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030888
Zieher, S., Olcay, E., Kefferpütz, K., Salamat, B., Olzem, S., Elsbacher, G., & Meeß, H. (2024). Drones for automated parcel delivery: Use case identification and derivation of technical requirements, Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 28.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2024.101253
Zielske, M., Held, T., & Kourouklis, A. (2022). A framework on the use of agile methods in logistics startups. Logistics, 6(1),19.https://doi.org/10.3390/logistics6010019
Zhang, Y., Zheng, K., An, Y., & Bai, L. (2023). Service provider portfolio selection across the project life cycle considering synergy effect. Buildings, 13(10), 2550. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13102550
Zhu, T., Boyles, S.D., & Unnikrishnan, A. (2025). Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle traveling-salesman problem with drone. Transportation Research Record, 2679(3), 438–456. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241278351
