Proceedings of ESCAPE 36ISSN: 2818-4734
Volume: 5 (2026)
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LAPSE:2026.0273v1
Published Article
LAPSE:2026.0273v1
Enhancing Interpretability of Stochastic Programming Solutions: A Multiparametric Approach
June 12, 2026
Abstract
Stochastic programming (SP) is a powerful framework for decision-making under uncertainty, but its practical adoption in industry is often hindered by the difficulty in understanding the causal relationships that drive optimal solutions. In the two-stage SP, strategic first-stage decisions are coupled with operational second-stage recourse decisions. When the number of scenarios under consideration is large, understanding the direct link between the uncertainty realization and optimal recourse strategy becomes computationally and cognitively demanding. Common approaches to improve interpretability include trained classification trees or scenario reduction, replacing the large scenario set with a representative subset. This is often achieved through post-hoc clustering (e.g., k-means) based on uncertainty realizations or optimal recourse decisions. While useful, these methods only provide a statistical approximation of the solution space and may fail to reveal the underlying structural properties of the recourse problem that drive optimal first-stage decisions. This work introduces a novel, deterministic approach to explainability using multiparametric programming (mp) within a Benders decomposition framework. We reformulate the recourse subproblem as a multiparametric linear program, generating an explicit map of Critical Regions (CRs), which are polyhedral partitions of the uncertainty space. This allows us to cluster scenarios analytically rather than statistically. We demonstrate this methodology on a supply chain planning under demand uncertainty. Our results show that 100 stochastic scenarios map to exactly six critical region clusters. This mapping allows us to explain optimal capacity planning decisions as a precise trade-off between specific operational modes, providing a fully transparent interpretation of the stochastic solution.
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Suggested Citation
Brahmbhatt P, Avraamidou S. Enhancing Interpretability of Stochastic Programming Solutions: A Multiparametric Approach. Systems and Control Transactions 5:567-573 (2026) https://doi.org/10.69997/sct.104459
Author Affiliations
Brahmbhatt P: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA [ORCID]
Avraamidou S: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA [ORCID]
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Journal Name
Systems and Control Transactions
Volume
5
First Page
567
Last Page
573
Year
2026
Publication Date
2026-06-12
Version Comments
Original Submission
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PII: 0567-0573-308-SCT-5-2026, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2026.0273v1
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https://doi.org/10.69997/sct.104459
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Jun 12, 2026
 
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References Cited
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