What does EVPI stand for in decision analysis?

• A. Expected Value of Practical Information
• B. Estimated Value of Profit Improvement
• C. Expected Value of Perfect Information
• D. Evaluated Value of Potential Investments

Answer: (C)

EVPI measures how much value you would gain if you could know the outcome of all uncertainties perfectly before making a decision. In a decision model, you compare the best expected payoff you can achieve with your current information to the best payoff you could achieve if you knew the actual state of nature in advance and then chose the optimal action for that state. The difference between these two values is the Expected Value of Perfect Information. This concept helps you decide whether pursuing additional information is worth the cost. The name directly reflects the idea: it’s the value of having perfect information. The other phrases don’t capture this formal notion of information value in decision analysis.