Pareto Analysis | CWX Workflow Tools
CWX_WORKFLOW_TOOLS// MOD 01 · PARETO ← OPS CONSOLE

Ops Console / Module 01 / Pareto

Pareto Analysis

Fix the vital few, not the trivial many.

Most of your loss comes from a handful of causes. Tally how often, or how expensively, each one happens and this chart ranks them with a running cumulative line, so you can see exactly where 80% of the damage stops. Everything to the left of that line is your whole project.

Time10–20 min
FormatInteractive calculator
SavesPDF · JSON record
← Root Cause module Next: Fishbone →

What it is

A ranked bar chart of causes by how often or how expensively they happen, with a cumulative line that exposes the vital few driving most of the loss.

When to use it

When many causes compete for attention and you need to prove which to fix first. Run a 5 Whys on each of the vital few it surfaces.

How to run it

Pick a problem and a period, tally each cause, then fix the handful left of the 80% line before touching anything else.

CauseCount
Enter at least two causes with counts to build your Pareto chart.
Saved

Worked example: a month of reprints

A shop tallies every reprint for one month: Color off 22, Registration 14, Wrong size 6, Scratches 5, Late proof 3, Other 4. The chart ranks them and the cumulative line shows Color off and Registration alone cause 67% of all reprints. Those two get a 5 Whys each and a countermeasure; the remaining four causes wait until the big two are under control. One focused project, not six scattered ones.