Comparison of real variants with theoretical ideals

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As soon as an important factor shows non-ideal values this factor endangers reaching the threshold of the target criterion. Goal-adverse values in less important factors are tolerated to a larger extend compared to important factors.
One key assumption of the FACTORFINDER-Model: Whenever several factors show inhibiting values, the values representing the relevance of these factors add up to a total that determines the success of this variant. The influence of non-ideal values remains hidden as long as all non-ideal factors together are not important enough to let that alternative fail. By that, it seems as if non-ideal values in certain factors can be compensated by ideal values in other factors - at least to a certain level. The superficial impression is, compensation of adverse impacts fails as soon more than tolerable factors turn non-ideal. Thus subcritical non-ideal factors would not lead to failure of that alternative by themselves. But in conjunction with other - viewed from an isolated perspective - subcritical non-ideal factors lead to failure of the alternative. That justifies to classify the relationship between all factors as non-compensable. If there are enough non-ideal factors, an alternative must fail no matter how good all the other factors are.
The deviation is the sum of the importance values of all factors showing non-ideal values. The deviation is an attribute of each example. Acceptable variants have a deviation of less than 1 by definition. Variants with solely ideal values have a deviation of zero. The deviation is derived from the linear addition of the importance values of all factors with non-ideal values.
The deviation is accessible to those who know the ideal values of each factor and the relevance of each factor. For all others, the deviation is subject of theoretical discourse. The exact value of the deviation is hidden, although its knowledge is the unreachable goal of the analysis.

Suppliers assume the preferences of prospective clients. The real preferences and consequently the relevance of single product dimensions are revealed in the act of purchase. Before this action, each client analyses the importance of each product dimension. Clients have to decide whether a specific product or a service fullfills demand sufficiently. An offer that deviates from an ideal in important dimensions fails.

Moreover, not only humans can decide on the deviation. The living and the non-living nature can "decide" on the deviation: e.g. a bridge withstands loads and pressures until it breaks. Or an organism compensates adverse influences until it develops an illness.