80-20 RULE

Rule of thumb stipulating 80% of the results can be attributed to 20% of factors of agents or causes. In business, the rule is applied in order to help managers determine problems and find out which operating factors are most significant and must receive the most attention according to efficient resource usage. Romanian-born American engineer and management consultant Dr. Joseph Juran designed the 80-20 rule. Also called law of the vital few, Pareto principle, and principle of factor sparsity.