LeanScape Logo White

SIGN UP TODAY

80 20 Rule to Create Customer Value

Understanding the Pareto Principles | How do you use the 80/20 Pareto Rule?

Search

The Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is a concept that states that roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. This principle can be applied to a wide range of fields, from economics and business to personal productivity and time management. Understanding and applying the Pareto principle can help individuals and organizations focus their efforts on the most impactful areas, ultimately leading to greater efficiency and success. Let's take a closer look at the Pareto principle and how it can be used to optimize results.

The Pareto principle, commonly known as the 80/20 rule, clearly states that about 80% of the effects stem from 20% of the causes. This means that a handful of inputs or factors are accountable for the majority of outcomes.

What is the Pareto principle?


The Pareto principle is one of the simplest ways to improve your business results and your thinking. The Pareto Principle is extremely useful to help us determine which areas to focus our efforts and resources on in order to achieve maximum efficiency.

It simply states that 80% of your results, comes from 20% of your effort. Our 80% of your outcomes come from 20% of the inputs.

In other words, 80% of your sales, will come from 20% of your customers. Or 80% of your overall costs will come from 20% of what you buy. 80% of your time online will come from just 20% of the actions you take online. 80% of new customers will come from 20% of your advertising effort.

The goal of the Pareto approach in problem-solving is to find where we should be focusing our efforts.



Who invented the Pareto Principle?

The 80/20 Rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, is a rule of thumb that states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. This rule has been found to be true in many different areas of life, including business, economics, and engineering. The benefits of understanding and applying the 80/20 Rule are vast. In this article, we will discuss what the 80/20 Rule is, how it can help you identify the root cause of problems, and some examples where it has been successfully applied.

The 80/20 Rule is named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed in the early 1900s that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. He also found that 80% of the peas in his garden were produced by 20% of the pea plants. This principle has been found to be true in many other areas as well, including business and economics. In fact, it is often referred to as the “Pareto Principle.”

So what does this have to do with problem-solving? The key is understanding that a small number of causes can often produce a large number of effects. This is important because it means that we can focus our efforts on addressing the root cause of a problem, rather than spending time and energy on symptoms that will not lead to a lasting solution.

‘For many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes’ – Vilfredo Pareto


Some more examples:
When investing, its been shown that 80% of the returns come from 20% of the investments made. And, unfortunately, on the other side, 80% of the losses come from 20% of investments as well.

Download your Pareto Chart Excel

Free Excel Template. Please click to download our Excel-based Pareto Chart to get started.

Pareto Principle in relation to Time Management


One of the most precious resources we have is our time and many of us struggle with huge to-do lists and what feels like never-ending demands on our time – especially at work.

To understand how to improve our performance and what might be impacting our work performance, we need to understand how we are spending our time. One of the first options is to simply look at how we are spending our time and how well that links to our goals, objectives and what we are trying to achieve.

Here is an example of a front line sales manager who has a small team that they manage. Obviously, the goal of this sales manager is to engage with our existing and new clients and grow the business pipeline for the future.

Step 1 – Collect the data


So over a fairly standard week, we collected how many mins/hours the sales managers time was spending on critical tasks.

Activities Hours Mins
Internal Meetings 22 1320
Travel 12 720
Internal Emails 9 540
Client Facing Work 8 480
Team Development 6 360
New Business Pipeline 4 240
Client Facing Meetings 3.5 210
Other 2 120

 

This is the first stage of the Pareto analysis.

Step 2 – Calculate the percentages


The next stage is now to figure out that 80% rule, so we need to add another couple of column showing the individual activity % plus the overall accumulative %.

Activities Hours Mins % Accum %
Internal Meetings 22 1320 33% 33%
Travel 12 720 18% 51%
Internal Emails 9 540 14% 65%
Client Facing Work 8 480 12% 77%
Team Development 6 360 9% 86%
New Business Pipeline 4 240 6% 92%
Client Facing Meetings 3.5 210 5% 97%
Other 2 120 3% 100%


Step 3 – Graph the data


Pareto Example Time Management

Now that the data is graphed, you can quickly draw your eyes along the 80% line and identify which activities are taking up 80% of the effort. In this case, these are Internal Meetings, Travel, Internal Emails and Client Facing work. So if this team member is struggling with time management overall, then they need to focus on 3 core activities. They need to evaluate what internal meetings they must attend to allow for more customer-focused work to take place.

Travel needs to be reviewed and if possible (it might not be) reduced. Internal Emails are once again taking a large percentage of the time. So once again, reviewing what emails are received, why and how to reduce will be critical to release more time for client-facing work and building the business pipeline.

This example is very typical in many organisations. When we discuss lean and creating value, in this instance, the work which adds value is the client-facing work and the development of the business pipeline. We would also add client-facing meetings and even the Team development all add value. But meetings, internal emails and travel do not directly add value to our customers.

The Benefits of the Pareto Principle


The benefits of using the Pareto principle are that it can help identify the root cause of a problem and make better decisions. By breaking down problems into smaller parts, it can be easier to determine what is causing them. This can then lead to more effective solutions. Additionally, the Pareto principle can help prioritize tasks and identify areas where improvements can be made.

Our Newsletter

Reagan Pannell

Reagan Pannell

Reagan Pannell is a highly accomplished professional with 15 years of experience in building lean management programs for corporate companies. With his expertise in strategy execution, he has established himself as a trusted advisor for numerous organisations seeking to improve their operational efficiency.

Jump To Section

Yellow Belt Course

Green Belt Course

TAKE OUR QUIZ

WHICH COURSE is right for you?

Take our short quiz to find out which Lean Six Sigma Course is right for you. 

LEAN SIX SIGMA Online Courses

Ready to start your journey into the world of Lean with this free course?

FREE COURSE

Looking to get your first recognised Lean Six Sigma Certificate

only £29

A Lean focused continious improvement certification course

only £59

Propel your career forward, tackle complex problems and drive change

Only £167

The ultimate fast-track for future leadership

only £849

Become an expert in change management and complex problem-solving.

Only £1649

Ready to test your business improvement knowledge and level up?