AbstractThe paper presents some of the difficulties in applying interactive, and interactive compromise, programming methods to real-life problems. These include the problem of dominated solutions when multiple optimal solutions exist to single objective function optimization, cycling, and the depiction of the analyst as a silent spectator in the decision making process. By taking as an example a recently proposed interactive compromise programming method, these difficulties are illustrated and necessary modifications are proposed to overcome these difficulties. These are further elucidated by a case study.