Pareto principle

the vital few and the useful many

The observation that a small number of causes produce most of the effect, often roughly 80 % of the problems from 20 % of the causes. In quality work it is used to pick the defects to work on first.

Calculate it

Pareto Chart: Sorted bars, cumulative line and the vital few behind 80 % of the problems.

Related terms

• Ishikawa diagram: fishbone or cause and effect diagram