Practical and Adaptable Applications of Goal Programming: A Literature Review

Abstract

Goal programming (GP) is an important optimization technique for handling multiple, and often conflicting, objectives in decision making. This paper undertakes an extensive literature review to synthesize key findings on the diverse real-world applications of GP across domains, its implementation challenges, and emerging directions. The introduction sets the context and objectives of the review. This is followed by an in-depth review of literature analyzing GP applications in areas as varied as agriculture, healthcare, education, energy management, supply chain planning, and macroeconomic policy modeling. The materials and methods provide an overview of the systematic literature review methodology. Key results are presented in terms of major application areas of GP. The discussion highlights the versatility and practical utility of GP, while also identifying limitations. The conclusion outlines promising avenues for enhancing GP modeling approaches to strengthen multi-criteria decision support.