Free template
Pareto chart template
A Pareto chart is a bar chart of problem categories sorted from the largest to the smallest, with a line for the cumulative percentage, so you can see which few categories make up most of the total. It is one of the seven basic quality tools and usually the first step in deciding which problem to work on. The printable version has a tally sheet for counting ten categories plus other, a table to sort them and work out each one's percentage and the running total, and a blank chart with a cumulative % scale to draw on. In the Excel version you enter the counts by day or shift, and it sorts the categories, works out the percentages and draws the chart.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
When to use it
When to use a Pareto chart
- To choose which defect, downtime reason or complaint to work on first.
- At the start of a root cause analysis or an A3, to show with data why this problem was picked.
- After a fix, to compare the chart before and after and see whether the top bar came down.
- To break a big bar down further, for example short shots by machine or by shift.
- Not with only a handful of events: count long enough that the order of the bars is stable.
How to fill it in
- 1
Decide what to count
Pick one thing, such as defects, stops over five minutes or complaints, and the unit: occurrences, minutes or cost. Write it and the period on the sheet.
- 2
Set the categories
Agree the categories before you start and write clear names. Keep an other row for the rare ones.
- 3
Tally for a fixed period
Make a stroke on the tally sheet each time it happens, in groups of five, or enter the counts per day or shift in the Excel version.
- 4
Sort and add up
List the categories from the largest total to the smallest, with other last. Work out each one's percentage of the total and the cumulative percentage.
- 5
Draw the chart
Draw a bar for each category in rank order against the left axis, then plot the cumulative % against the right axis and join the points. The Excel version draws it for you.
- 6
Pick where to start
Look at the first few bars, usually where the cumulative line is steepest. Start a root cause analysis on the top one.
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: two weeks of defect counts from an injection molding cell, recorded on the tally sheet at the end of each shift.
- 110 defects in six categories: short shots 46, flash 31, sink marks 14, scratches 9, wrong color 6 and other 4.
- Sorted, short shots are 42% of the total, and short shots and flash together are 70%.
- The first three categories reach 83% on the cumulative line.
The team starts a root cause analysis on short shots, then flash. Scratches and wrong color can wait: together they are 14% of the count.
Common mistakes
Changing the categories halfway
Renaming or splitting categories during the count makes the totals meaningless. Fix them first.
Too short a period
A few days of data can put a one-off at the top. Count long enough that the order settles.
A big other bar
If other is bigger than your largest category, it is hiding something. Split it up.
Counting when cost matters more
The most frequent defect is not always the most expensive. Draw a second chart by cost or minutes when the difference matters.
Stopping at the chart
A Pareto chart shows where to look, not why it happens. Follow the top bar with a 5 Whys or a fishbone diagram.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
LeanSuite's QA Matrix puts a dollar cost and a priority on each defect, and a live Pareto chart shows which defects cost the most, so engineering knows what to fix first.
In the lean glossary
FAQ
Pareto chart template: common questions
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