Prioritization of Stakeholder and Customer Requirements in the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Sector: A Hybrid Delphi-Kano-AHP Approach (Case Study: Iran)

Abstract

Increased attention to cleaner fuels has heightened the policy significance of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in road transportation; however, declining adoption rates and the presence of operational constraints indicate that stakeholder and customer requirements have not been sufficiently prioritized. This study proposes an integrated framework for identifying and prioritizing key requirements in the CNG sector. In the first step, an initial list of requirements is refined using the Delphi method and expert consensus. In the second step, the Kano model is employed to categorize the refined requirements into three categories—basic, performance, and excitement—based on their impact on user satisfaction. In the third step, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is utilized to extract priority weights for the Kano categories and selected requirements. Results indicate that basic requirements receive the highest priority weights, followed by excitement and performance requirements; this finding underscores the critical role of foundational service and accessibility factors in CNG policy and operations. The proposed framework provides practical guidance for policymakers and CNG operators to allocate resources toward the most impactful requirements, thereby enhancing user satisfaction and adoption outcomes.