Not every cause matters equally. The Pareto Analysis shows the few that drive most of your problem, so you know where to start. Watch the short video, then work with the toolkit PDF: it explains the method, shows a worked example and gives you a blank template to fill in.
Tool video
The short tool video will appear here.
Pareto Analysis in short
- Choose categories. Defect types, causes or locations, clearly defined and not overlapping.
- Count. Tally each category over a fixed period. Group small ones into “Other”.
- Sort and calculate. Sort from largest to smallest, then calculate each share and the running total.
- Draw bars and line. Bars for the counts, a line for the cumulative percentage.
- Find the Vital FewThe small handful of causes (per the Pareto Principle) responsible for most of a problem, as opposed to the "Trivial Many." Click term for full definition. The categories up to about 80 % are your focus for root-cause proof.
Key points
- Bars sorted from largest to smallest.
- The line shows the cumulative share.
- Up to about 80 %: the Vital Few.
- Consider a second Pareto by cost.