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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. ASQ counts it among the seven basic quality tools, and the bars can show how often a problem happens or what it costs. This template has a printable tally, sort table and blank chart, a worked example and an Excel workbook. In the Excel you enter counts by day or shift and a cost per occurrence; it sorts the categories with Other last, works out the % and cumulative %, marks the vital few up to an 80% cut you can change, draws the chart by count and by cost (the order often changes), checks that Other is not hiding a big category, and compares a before and after period per 1,000 units made.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Header fields, a tally sheet with ten categories plus other and count and cost columns, a sort table with percentage, cumulative percentage and a vital few column, and a blank chart with an 80% line.Tally sheetSorted tableCumulative % and 80% cutOther handledCount and cost ParetoBefore and afterWorked example
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.
- When problems differ a lot in cost, to see whether the most frequent one is also the most expensive.
- After a fix, to compare the same categories before and after and see whether the top bar came down.
- 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, and the unit
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 before you start
Agree clear names and keep them for the whole period. Keep an Other row for rare, mixed problems.
- 3
Tally for a fixed period
Make a stroke each time it happens, in groups of five, or enter the counts per day or shift in the Excel. Add a cost (or minutes) per occurrence if you want the cost Pareto.
- 4
Sort and add up
List the categories from the largest total to the smallest, with Other last whatever its size. Work out each one's % of the total and the cumulative %.
- 5
Mark the vital few
Draw the 80% line. The vital few are the categories up to and including the first one whose cumulative % reaches it. 80% is a convention: the Excel lets you change the cut.
- 6
Check the cost view
Look at the cost Pareto next to the count Pareto. A rare but expensive problem can move to the top.
- 7
Fix, then count again
Start root cause work on the top bar. Afterwards count the same categories for the same length of time and compare per 1,000 units made.
Reading the chart
Four decisions the chart asks you to make
The chart sorts the data; these choices decide whether it points at the right problem.
| Decision | Rule | In the example |
|---|---|---|
| Where to cut | Categories up to and including the first that reaches 80% cumulative | By count: short shots, flash, sink marks (82.7%) |
| What to do with Other | Always last; split it if it is bigger than the largest category | Other is 4 of 110 (3.6%): fine |
| Count or cost | Draw both when problems differ in cost | By cost: wrong color, short shots, scratches (81.7%) |
| Did the fix work | Same categories, same length of time, per 1,000 units | 4.58 to 2.17 defects per 1,000 units (−52.6%) |
Where to cut
- Rule
- Categories up to and including the first that reaches 80% cumulative
- In the example
- By count: short shots, flash, sink marks (82.7%)
What to do with Other
- Rule
- Always last; split it if it is bigger than the largest category
- In the example
- Other is 4 of 110 (3.6%): fine
Count or cost
- Rule
- Draw both when problems differ in cost
- In the example
- By cost: wrong color, short shots, scratches (81.7%)
Did the fix work
- Rule
- Same categories, same length of time, per 1,000 units
- In the example
- 4.58 to 2.17 defects per 1,000 units (−52.6%)
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example (illustrative): two weeks of defect counts from an injection molding cell, recorded at the end of each day shift, with an illustrative scrap or rework cost per defect. The Excel Example sheets give the same numbers.
The example, drawn as a Pareto chart
- Short shots: 46, 42% of the total, cumulative 42%.
- Flash: 31, 28% of the total, cumulative 70%.
- Sink marks: 14, 13% of the total, cumulative 83%.
- Scratches: 9, 8% of the total, cumulative 91%.
- Wrong color: 6, 5% of the total, cumulative 96%.
- Other: 4, 4% of the total, cumulative 100%.
Pareto chart of 110 defects: short shots 46, flash 31, sink marks 14, scratches 9, wrong color 6, other 4. Cumulative 42, 70, 83, 91, 96 and 100 percent.
- 110 defects: short shots 46, flash 31, sink marks 14, scratches 9, wrong color 6 and other 4. Short shots are 41.8% of the total and short shots and flash together are 70.0%.
- The first three categories reach 82.7% on the cumulative line, so they are the vital few at an 80% cut.
- By cost ($143.20 in all) the order changes: wrong color 6 × $7.50 = $45.00 (31.4%), short shots 46 × $0.90 = $41.40, scratches 9 × $3.40 = $30.60. Those three reach 81.7%.
- Two weeks after the root cause work on short shots and flash: 51 defects (short shots 9, flash 12, sink marks 13), with 23,500 units made against 24,000 before.
The team started on short shots, the only category in both vital fews, then flash. Defects fell from 4.58 to 2.17 per 1,000 units made (−52.6%), and sink marks became the biggest bar, so the next Pareto starts there.
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. In the example, wrong color is 5th by count and 1st by cost.
Treating 80/20 as a law
Your split might be 70/30 or 90/10. It is a rule of thumb (Juran later wrote that even the name was a mistake): look at where your own data bunches up.
Comparing before and after without volume
Fewer defects in a quieter fortnight is not an improvement. Divide by units made.
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.
See it in a 45-minute demoIn the lean glossary
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FAQ
Pareto chart template: common questions
A bar chart of problem categories sorted from the largest to the smallest, with a line showing the cumulative percentage. It shows which few categories make up most of the total, so a team knows where to start. ASQ lists it among the seven basic quality tools.
The observation that a small share of causes often accounts for most of the effect. Joseph Juran named it after the economist Vilfredo Pareto, who had studied income distribution, and coined the vital few and the trivial many (later useful many). Juran wrote in 1975 that attaching Pareto's name was a mistake. The split is rarely exactly 80/20.
Draw a line at 80% on the cumulative scale. The vital few are the categories up to and including the first one whose cumulative % reaches it. In the example, short shots, flash and sink marks reach 82.7%.
Either, and often both. ASQ notes the bars can show frequency or cost. A count chart shows what happens most often; a cost chart can put a rare but expensive problem first, as wrong color moves from 5th to 1st in the example.
Rare, mixed problems that are not worth a bar of their own. Put Other last whatever its size. If it grows bigger than your largest category, split it into categories of its own; the Excel checks this for you.
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- Scrum meeting agenda templateTimed agendas for the five scrum meetings, a sprint planning sheet, a retrospective sheet, and an Excel sprint backlog with a burndown.
- Toyota Production System (TPS) house templateThe TPS house for one plant or value stream: roof, two pillars and foundation, with what you do today, the evidence, a status and the next step for each element.
- EPEI and batch size calculatorHow often each part can come round on a shared machine (EPEI) and how big each batch must be, from demand, cycle times and changeovers, now and after SMED.
- People, process, technology (PPT) assessmentCheck one change before go-live: 18 people, process and technology statements scored 1 to 4 by the people who will use it, the lowest element and the actions.
- Process capacity sheet templateEach machine in a part's routing with manual, auto and tool change time, its capacity per shift, and the step that limits the cell against demand.
- Team charter templateA one-page charter for a standing team: purpose, scope, roles, the KPIs it owns, which decisions it makes itself, norms and cadence.
- Chaku-chaku line plannerPlan a load-load cell: time each machine, load and walk, check that every machine is ready when the operator comes back, compare the cell cycle with takt and size the crew.
- Standard operating procedure (SOP) templateA full SOP in the hierarchical step format, from purpose and scope to the steps, records, revision history and approvals, with review checks and an SOP register.
- Safety pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the incident pyramid to safety standards on one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Autonomous maintenance 90-day model area planAM steps 0 to 3 on one model machine in 13 weeks, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves for months 4 to 12.
- Professional maintenance (PM) 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from breakdown analysis to a running PM calendar on one model machine, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Environment and energy pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from waste and energy maps to area standards on one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Focused improvement 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the loss Pareto to standardized fixes on one model line, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Logistics and customer service pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the current-state map to pull on one model value stream, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- People development pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the skills matrix to trained cover on critical tasks in one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Early equipment management 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from lessons on current machines to a tracked start-up on one model equipment project, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Cost deployment pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the loss map to costed, ranked projects in one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Moving from Excel to one system checklistA 34-point checklist and a file inventory for moving trackers from spreadsheets to one system: keep, move, connect or retire, clean, pilot, run both, retire.
- Cost per unit worksheet (manufacturing cost per good unit)One product's cost per good unit by materials, labor, machine and overhead, the gap to target, and which cost lever is worth most a year.
- Digital manufacturing readiness assessmentScore 24 statements on process, technology and people from 0 to 4, check the balance between them and rank the gaps by what matters in your plant.
- Manufacturing KPI dashboard templateWeekly plant numbers in, 14 KPIs out: OEE and its parts, first pass yield, scrap, on-time delivery, recordable rate, cost and absence, each against a target.
- RCM worksheet (failure mode and task selection)Failure modes classed as hidden, safety, operational or non-operational, then a task chosen for each: condition-based, discard, failure-finding, redesign or run to failure.
- Training matrix template with expiry datesPeople by required trainings with expiry dates, OK, due, expired and missing flags, compliance by person and area, cover per training and a renewal list.
- Downtime reason codes template26 starter codes mapped to the six big losses, a log with drop-downs, a Pareto by code and by loss, and a code card for the line.
- Kaizen event preparation checklistEverything that has to be ready before a kaizen event and done after it: 44 items with owners and due dates from 6 weeks before day 1 to 30 days after, five go or no-go gates and a day-by-day agenda.
- Critical spare parts list and stocking levelsAssets ranked by consequence, each part classed and given a stocking policy, and min and max worked out from usage and lead time, with the downtime each stock-out would cost.
- Tier 2 meeting agenda and escalation sheetA 15-minute tier 2 agenda in ten timed blocks, fixed roles and rules, escalation triggers with time limits, and a log that ages every escalation and sends the answer back down.
- Forklift operator training and evaluation recordPer-operator training and evaluation record, a register with three-year due dates and refresher triggers, and a weighted practical evaluation scoresheet.
- REBA worksheet (Rapid Entire Body Assessment)Score up to six postures with REBA: body-part drop-downs, Tables A, B and C as lookups, final score and action level, and a before and after comparison.
- ISO 45001 internal audit checklist44 audit questions for the plant floor in 16 safety topics, each with its ISO 45001:2018 clause, the evidence to look for and the sample to take, plus 12 worker interview prompts, a findings log and a summary by clause.
- Plan for every part (PFEP) templateOne row per part: supplier, pack, container, usage, lead time and locations, with ABC classes, market and line kanban counts and a lineside space check.
- Changeover matrix templateA from-to matrix of changeover minutes with the clean each transition needs (allergen, colour, format), and a weekly planner that totals the order and suggests a shorter one.
- Overhead crane inspection checklist: frequent and periodic34 crane checks tied to OSHA 1910.179: an operator's pre-shift card, frequent and periodic inspections with signed records, a deficiency and tag-out log, and a register of next due dates.
- Maintenance job plan templateOne job planned on one sheet: steps and craft hours, parts checked against stock, tools, lockout and permits, documents, a ready check for the schedule, and technician feedback.
- Video time study filming checklistA pre-shoot checklist and shot log for filming a time study on video: camera, light, people, settings, power and review.
- Reorder point and safety stock sheet (many parts)Safety stock, reorder point, order quantity and an order list for up to 500 parts, worked out from each part's own demand and lead time history.
- OSHA compliance calendar (general industry)37 recurring federal OSHA duties with the paragraph, interval, owner, next due date and an overdue flag, plus a 12-month view and counts by owner.
- TRIR and DART rate trackerMonthly hours, OSHA 300 case counts and near misses in; rolling 12-month TRIR and DART rate, a case budget against your target and a trend chart out.
- Energy use and EnPI trackerMonthly electricity, gas and fuel in one unit, a 12-month regression baseline, expected against actual energy for each month, an EnPI ratio, the running saving and the tests that say whether the model can be trusted.
- FIFO lane sizing sheetThe maximum for a FIFO lane from the stop it must cover, in whole containers, with length, refill and wait checks for up to eight lanes.
- Machine guarding inspection sheetA machine register with due dates and a status per machine, 21 checks tied to OSHA 1910.212, .219 and .147, a guard opening check against Table O-10, and an action log.
- Condition monitoring route sheetA route of measuring points with baselines, alert and alarm limits, a check interval from the P-F interval, readings with rising and overdue flags, and an exceptions list worst first.
- Fire extinguisher inspection logOne row for every portable extinguisher: hydro test interval from OSHA Table L-1, annual and 6-year due dates, a 12-month check grid and open issues.
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A shift handover sheet, a red tag log, a changeover checklist for one machine: if your team uses it on the floor, ask.