Free tool
Pareto chart maker
A Pareto chart ranks causes from largest to smallest and adds a cumulative percentage line, so you can see the few that make up most of the problem. Paste your categories and counts below to draw one, with the 80% line marked.
Share of a categoryequalsCategory count divided by Total of all counts × 100
Cumulative %equalsSum of the shares from the largest category down to this one
6 categories read. Name, then count, separated by a comma, tab or space. Copy two columns straight from a spreadsheet.
Axis label, such as Defects or Minutes
The usual 80/20 line
Pre-filled with the worked example. Your data stays in your browser.
The vital few
3 of 6
Wrong label, Scratches, Dented can make up 80% of the total.
Total
200
Defects
Largest category
39%
Wrong label
| Category | Defects | Share | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrong label | 78 | 39% | 39% |
| Scratches | 52 | 26% | 65% |
| Dented can | 30 | 15% | 80% |
| Loose cap | 18 | 9% | 89% |
| Short fill | 12 | 6% | 95% |
| Other | 10 | 5% | 100% |
Next step
Want to keep problem solving in one place?
Bring this result to a 45-minute demo and we will show where it fits in LeanSuite's Quality Improvement.
How to use it
Four steps from a tally to a chart
1. Count one thing over one period. Defects by type, minutes of downtime by reason, complaints by cause. A defect check sheet gives you the tally.
2. Paste one line per category. The name, then the count, separated by a comma, tab or space. Two columns copied from a spreadsheet work as they are. A category typed twice is added together.
3. Read the line. The dark bars are the vital few, the categories up to the cut-off. Start the root cause analysis there.
4. Draw it again after the fix. If the work worked, the first bar gets shorter. Download the PNG for a slide or an A3 report, or the SVG to edit in a design tool.
Worked example
Illustrative numbers, not a benchmarkOne week of defect counts on a filling line: 200 defects in six categories.
- 1Sort from largest to smallest: wrong label 78, scratches 52, dented can 30, loose cap 18, short fill 12, other 10.
- 2Running totals: 78, 130, 160, 178, 190, 200.
- 3Cumulative %: 78 ÷ 200 = 39%, 130 ÷ 200 = 65%, 160 ÷ 200 = 80%, then 89%, 95% and 100%.
- 4The third category takes the total to 80%, so the vital few are the first three.
Embed this tool
Teaching this, or writing about it? Paste this code into your site, course page or intranet and the tool works right there. It is free, with no sign-up.
<iframe src="https://www.theleansuite.com/tools/pareto-chart-maker/embed" title="Pareto chart maker by LeanSuite" width="100%" height="2300" style="border:0;max-width:1000px" loading="lazy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>
<p style="font:13px/1.4 sans-serif"><a href="https://www.theleansuite.com/tools/pareto-chart-maker">Pareto chart maker</a> by LeanSuite</p>How LeanSuite helps
LeanSuite's AI Root Cause Analysis helps teams work through the cause of the problem the chart points at, and its Quality Improvement tools follow each corrective action through to closure.
See Quality ImprovementRead more
- Free template: Pareto chart template
- Free template: Defect check sheet
- Pareto analysis in the lean glossary
- Pareto Analysis in Manufacturing: Applying the 80/20 Rule to Problem Solving
- Seven basic quality tools in the lean glossary
- Pareto Analysis in Manufacturing: Applying the 80/20 Rule to Problem Solving
- Problem-solving methods: which one to use and when
- Histogram maker for measured data
- Pareto chart guide: how to build one, read it and act on the top bar
- How to reduce scrap and rework, starting from a Pareto of defects
- Fishbone diagram maker: analyse the top bar's causes
FAQ
Pareto chart maker: common questions
A Pareto chart is a bar chart with the categories sorted from largest to smallest and a line showing the running total as a percentage. It shows which few categories account for most of a problem, so a team can start with the ones that matter most. It is one of the seven basic quality tools.
Put the categories in one column and the counts in the next, select both, and choose Insert, then a Pareto chart under the statistic charts. Excel 2016 and later sort the bars and add the cumulative line for you. Older versions need a sorted table, a cumulative percentage column and a combined bar and line chart. This tool does the sorting and the cumulative column from pasted text.
It marks the point where the running total reaches 80% of the whole. The categories up to that point are the vital few. It comes from the 80/20 rule of thumb, which says a small share of causes produces most of the effect. It is a rule of thumb, not a law: in your data the split may be 60/20 or 90/30, and the chart shows what it really is.
Either, and they can give different answers. Counting occurrences ranks the problems that happen most often. Counting cost, minutes of downtime or scrap value ranks the ones that hurt most. A rare defect on an expensive part can be small by count and large by cost. If the two rankings differ, draw both and decide which one the team is trying to reduce.
Then the data has no vital few, and the cumulative line climbs in a straight diagonal. Look at the categories you used: they may be too broad or too fine, or mix causes that should be separate. Try splitting the data by machine, shift or product with a stratified count, and draw one chart for each. If it is still flat, the problem is spread widely and needs a system fix.
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