Skip to main content

Cart

CAPMExam PrepPMP

How to Create a Pareto Chart as a Project Manager

By January 13, 2023No Comments

Pareto charts are an extremely valuable tool used to help support the measure phase of project management processes. This methodology was created back in the 19 century and directly aligns with lean six Sigma practices. A Pareto analysis consists of ranking opportunities in order to decide the cadence they should fall in. In this article, we will explore 10 steps for creating the perfect Pareto charts.

What Is The Purpose of a Pareto Chart?

Pareto charts show bars that resemble the frequency or impact of problems. The bars are typically arranged in order of importance from left to right. Tall bars signify greater importance, while short bars resemble less vital activities. These bar charts are used to help those on the project team decipher what is the most important to least important.

Understanding The 80:20 Rule

Pareto charts are also used to resemble high priorities as well as big opportunities. These bar charts use the 80:20 principle. This means that 80% of a result is created from 20% of causes. These bullet points will help you better understand this concept:

  • 80% of the profit comes from 20% of the franchises.
  • 80% of the franchises contribute to 20% of the profit.
  • 80% of employee complaints come from 20% of these issues.
  • 80% of the cleanup time is spent on 20% of the total surface area.

The 80:20 rule helps project managers identify what part of the project will result in bigger gains. By creating a Pareto chart, project managers are helping their teams make more informed decisions. This is because project members will be able to identify the most important aspects of a project that require ultimate focus.

Not only that, but Pareto charts are easy to read, so that team members who are less data-savvy can still understand what is being communicated. Pareto charts help you to easily see the frequency of an event as well as how much of an impact this event will have on the final outcome of a project.

Why Should I Use This Practice?

For economists on the team, Pareto charts have many benefits. These include but are not limited to:

  • Having the ability to view a project in smaller, bite-size pieces
  • Easily identifying significant activities, so that project team members know where to focus their efforts
  • For teams with a limited amount of resources, they will be able to better allocate what is available to them

With the help of this chart, team members will be able to improve their efforts and determine the importance of individual data.

Factors a Pareto Chart Can Help With

  • What are the largest problems that our business is facing?
  • What 20% of problems are causing 80% of the solutions?
  • What should we focus on in order to improve our current metrics?

Plotting a Pareto Chart

When working to create your Peratoo chart, you will want to organize the data by defect type, count counts of defects, and cumulative percentage. In the Pareto chart above, you can see that the data is ready to be organized. The graph will help to show you which 20% of the defects are causing 80% of the problems.

How to construct a Pareto Chart?

The following steps will walk you through how to best construct a Pareto chart:

Step 1

First and foremost, you will want to define the graph’s classification. You must obtain this information by creating check sheets and log sheets for your team.

Step 2

The next step is to create a time interval to help you analyze the data. This interval needs to be an accurate representation of how long it would take to perform the typical activity.

Step 3

Next, you will want to define the number of total occurrences. This can consist of cost, defect count, and other categories that will help you arrive at the grand total.

Step 4

Now, it is time to solve for the percentage of each category. You will do this by dividing the category total by the grand total. Then, you will multiply this number by 100.

Step 5

Next, it is time to rank order each of your categories.

Step 6

In this step, you will solve for the cumulative percentage. In order to solve for this number, you will add the percentage for each category to that of any previous category.

Step 7

Now, it’s time to construct a chart that is scaled from zero to the grand total. You will want to label your chart appropriately, depending on your specific project.

Step 8

In this step, you will label the horizontal access with all of your category names. Remember, this will be specific to your individual project.

Step 9

Next, we will draw in bars to label each category. You will want to be sure that the height of the bar is aligned with the left vertical axis.

Step 10

The final step is to connect a line to highlight the total percentage from each column on your chart. This percentage line will be made to reflect the right vertical axis.

We hope this article helped you create a Pareto chart to easily see which 20% of project activities create 80% of the problems in your project. This chart will be of great use to you as a project manager, as well as to your project team. Key stakeholders can also view this chart so that they feel informed throughout the process.

Understanding the information in this article is an essential part of project management and a vital part of the PMP exam. Improve your project management skills or prepare for the PMP Certification exam by taking a quality online PMP exam prep course.

Read Our Reviews

Brain Sensei is rated 4.65 out of 5.0 stars based on 109 review(s).

---

BrainSensei has been the best approach to PMP exam training I could ask for. The experience is immersive, customizable, adaptive and really makes learning fun! Reading the story of how the founders came up with an approach to studying for this beast of an exam that wasn't so focused in the minutiae of PMI jargon, I totally get the idea behind the approach. Wish I would've discovered this earlier on in my journey.

- Nash

---

Quick responses and very pleasant customer service folks overall!

- Hannah De La Rosa

---

The facilitator-led online course with all of the additional resources helped me pass my test in two months.

- Jessica Pedrick

---

The system was very helpful and I did pass the PMP test. Just one suggestion: I wish that we could select by areas of Domain to perform the tests. Thanks a lot.

- Alessandra

---

Fast, accurate and helpful support as always!

- Diana McCulloch

---

Happy with the product.

- Kira

---

I went to the source store in Dufferin Mall to switch my internet and was very pleased with. How respectful helpful the gentleman was in the store.

- Maggie

---

Overall course and practice exams are very helpful. Could use more time on Agile throughout the material

- Brad

---

Awesome! Mixed methodologies (Agile and waterfall) is the right to thing for project Managers

- George Otiki

---

I expected more interactive material. But the practice tests are invaluable with 1500 questions!!

- Patricia R Lee

---

Great simulator.

- Rafael

---

Great Course, the year long access and customer service is top notch. I would recommend Brain Sensei to anyone looking to prepare for their PMP exam.

- Cary Schiff

---

It was actually really great. Made some very dry materials much easier to absorb. Passed the PMP exam with flying colors on my first attempt.

- Tim

---

This course had good reviews online from previous clients so I decided to try this one. Relevant course materials and great timed practice tests allowed me to ace the actual certification exam on my first attempt. I highly recommend this course.

- PL

---

This is a great tool to support the PMBOK Guide. Quizzes, presentations, and videos help break down the massive amount of information that comes with the PMBOK, truly helping you prepare for the actual exam. Great way to get your 35 hours classroom credit!

- Penney

---

I think the course is good. I wouldn't mind a few more videos and audible in the trainings. I do a lot do reading. I bought the PMBOK book on the side and sometimes have trouble connect the class to the PMBOK book. I do enjoy your format. I am learning. Personally I need buckle down and spend more time on it.

- Anthony

---

Brain Sensei helped me to prepare for and pass the PMP exam on the first try. I used many exam simulators and this one was by far the most similar to the exam. Im so happy I found Brain Sensei and chose to prepare with them!

- Alex Jane

---

I am a refugee from Ukraine. I applied to Brain Sensei with a request to provide me with a scholarship so that I could prove my skills and abilities for Europe where I am now due to the invasion of my country. The Brain Sensei team promptly responded to my request and provided the opportunity to study in their PMP course. I am very grateful to the Brain Sensei team and am happy to start learning! Thank you very much!

- Tetiana

---

Easy to navigate the platform

- Michael

---

I really enjoyed the Brain Sensei self learning course as well as the virtual course with the instructor. I was able to pass the PMP with above target ratings for every section. I am so pleased with how easy and efficient the courses were to navigate, and how simply the PMI approach was placed into every day situations. I would highly recommend this course to everyone wanting to either freshen up on their Project skills or to master the PMP.

- Thais Greca

---

Very prepared for the PMP!

- Brenda

---

Hi Folks, good course there. More info/exercises on EV and formulas would be really helpful. Thank you very much.

- Vasil

---

I passed my test on the first try! Excellent learning tool. There were some questions that I found to be confusing or contradictory with the answers, so I sent those to the Brain Sensei team. They always responded quickly, even on the weekend! Some adjustments are being made because of my feedback. I appreciate their care and that they take the time to support during the studying period.

- Pamla Kendrick

---

Perfect program for me. I did it at my own pace, and passed the exam with flying colors.

- Mary Garnett

---

I'm very satisfied with the Brain Sensei PMP Exam Preparation Course. All 8 Modules are very well structured and detailed. This course is best for those who would like to learn at their own pace. Of course, lots of studying is needed (PMBOOK and other agile-related books and material). The customer service team is exceptional, very supportive. I had an immediate response to whatever I needed.

- PS

---

This is a great course!!!!

- Darrius Cooley

---

Great training tool! I learned a lot and realized how much training I needed to learn. Now to take my exam!

- Michelle

---

Engaging, self-pacing course that contains accurate content. Prepared me well for the PMP exam which I passed on my first attempt. This course is best for those who would like to learn at their own pace. For example, I completed it over the span of 2 and a half months.

- Matthew

---

The course was thorough and the practice exams enhanced my learning. However, I am having a hard time receiving my PDU credit for taking the course.

- Deidra

---

The story approach was good but I feel like I wasn't ready for some of the questions on the site.

- Barbara

---

very good but needs to be more updated

- Mohmed kheir

---

I loved the PMP prep course and the level of learning from this. I am hoping this learning to be translated in PMP certification as well :) Another thing to mention is the very responsive support and quickest issue resolution. I had an issue with subscription expiry and they resolved it very swiftly. Thanks!

- Kamal

---

phenomenal training opportunity that provides a variety of learning styles for all.

- Anastasia

---

Great way to prepare for the PMP Exam!

- Matthew

---

Excellent test prep for the exam, though some more practice tests on agile would be beneficial

- eric

---

It is often hard to figure out what the right answer was on a quiz or practice exam. Frequently, the correct answer is buried in a lot of text about what options are wrong.

- James

---

The content was spot on and I am much more confident in understanding the processes and how everything works together now. (The) course is great; however, the customer service team is Exceptional! Very responsive and thorough, and at all times; and when I had some technical difficulties (or questions) they stuck with me through resolution. Highly recommended program and company.

- Daniel R

---

Great customer support. Wish more Agile modules were available.

- John

---

helpful focus, detailed testing.

- Derek

---

Very thorough training. By taking this course and reviewing some free online study materials, I was able to hit above target in every category.

- Jeremy

---

Thanks for all the support.

- Mohansingh

---

Good Value.

- brian

---

Need to do project planning

- Absolom

---

I wish to take this course

- Ndonue Divine Genjang

---

I wish to take this course

- Ndonue Divine Genjang

---

Sir please my marit scholarship payment

- Aman

---

Super

- Madhan

---

Yes

- Shahid Prince

---

Joine us

- Shahid Prince

---

Passed on the first try!

- Tanya

---

Good courses, lots of text and reading. Not as many videos or interactive pieces that I was expecting. And some misspelled words.

- Bevin

---

It was great!

- Heide

---

The Course documents should remain open for longer than 6 months, given that PMI gives you 365 days to prepare for exam. Also, the option to extend visibility for the course documents, costs almost a 5th of the course, but opens up the docs for just 30 more days. Propose to extend this to 90 days at the very least.

- Vasily

---

I'm very satisfied with the Brain Sensei PMP Exam Preparation Course. All 8 Modules are very well structured and detailed. I believe that practice exams included in the course helped me a lot with the preparation for my PMP Exam. I appreciate Brain Sensei for their amazing course and for the awesome service. They responded to all my requests immediately. Thanks. Highly recommended.

- Helen Borimsky

---

The format of the prep-course is great overall and a great alternative to reading the PMBOK. Barring a few minor glitches here and there, the flow of information ensures that concepts are well understood not only from the point of examination but to the point of application in day to day professional activities. Explanations provided in the answers of prep exams (apart from the 1st one) are also a key to understanding the thought process to be applied. With the focus being on Agile approaches from 2021, the information in the course seemed adequate to cover the concepts. All the Best to all aspirants.

- Debraj

---

رقص ترانه وشادب5

- محسن گلستانی

---

Studied BrainSensei for 11 days and passed. Succinct and highly informational chapters. The 4 practice exams are marginally more difficult then the PMP. Borderline impossible to fail the PMP if you pass this course.

- Sarmad(Sam)

---

Great course! They break down all concepts in a very clear and interactive way, that doesn't put you to sleep. Would recommend to anyone who is looking to pass the PMP exam with flying colors.

- Lusine Nazaryan

---

شكرا على البرنامج الجميل

- اشحنولي

---

اشحنولي

- اريد شدات بدون رصيد

---

Your course, quizzes at the end of most modules and practice exams truly challenged me. I definitely derived the value and knowledge I was looking for in preparation for taking the PMP Certification Test. In particular, I appreciated the explanations that popped-up in the tests after an answer was submitted - very educational and helpful to my learning/understanding the material and concepts better. Some areas that could be improved (and some of this is nit-picking) include: * Some of the grammar and overall sentence structures, particularly in the latest set of practice exams, needs to be cleaned-up. Some were missing 'of', 'for, or had an extra 'an' in the narrative - got confusing at times. * In the practice exams, I'd like to see shorter sentences rather than the flurry of 'and' and 'or' conjunctions that made reading the sentences go on forever (had to read them multiple times to truly understand their meaning). That said, I enjoyed the overall online course taking experience and thank you for accommodating my requested time extensions. Best regards, Scott Conn

- Scott Conn

---

Liked it. Need access for longer though.

- Jerome

---

What I like best about Brain Sensei is the interactive nature of the course. I think this material would be numbing if delivered as simple lectures with slides. This method is an improvement on that. On the other hand, an in-person course, while more expensive, would likely be even more useful if you have the funds and the time. I haven't taken the PMP exam yet, so I can't comment on how useful the practice tests are.

- James

---

Great

- Yennyfer

---

The Brain Sensei PMP program is a wonderful program that condenses the PMBOK into digestible and retainable bites leveraging the power of story telling. If you're looking for a program that will get you your credit hours but also help establish a foundation of PMI knowledge this is the program for you!

- Kenny Dalen

---

Passed first attempt

- Lee

---

Truly the best course in town if you wish to pass the PMP exam on the first try. I love the idea of playing the role of the samurai and practice your project management skill in her shoes. And not to forget, the generous amount of practice exam gave me just the right dose of confidence before taking the real one. Highly recommended

- Minh Vo

---

The course was great, though I found a lot of parts hard to comprehend. I feel a lot more prepared and better skilled to manage projects in my career. Thanks, Brain Sensei.

- Jill Finkelstein

---

The BrainSensei PMP preparation course provided me with all the material required to be ready for the exam. It is well structured, explains the concepts clearly, and most importantly, provides ample training questions through the four mock exams and assessment questions at the end of each module. I passed the exam with Above Target in all sections on the first attempt.

- Gael Riethmuller

---

Overall I really liked this learning course. It was very helpful and allowed me to be well prepared for the exam. The 2nd and 3rd practice exam are great to give you real example questions and help prepare you for what to expect. BrainSensei's customer service was the best. I had to delay taking my test due to COVID and they extended my membership for free. They went above and beyond my expectation which was great. Only changes I would recommend is to add 1 or 2 more practice exams like the 2nd and 3rd exam and get rid of the agile practice exam. This is not a real focus of the test and therefore is not really applicable in my opinion.

- Ronnie

---

BrainSensei developed a great learning method to prepare for the PMP certification exam. Their customer service is always very professional, fast, spot on and dedicated to your success. I recommend them.

- G. Buchs

---

I've sent several emails to BrainSensei (one of them not so nice, but the rest were okay) and the team has always been so polite in answering the questions. I'm a very straight-forward person and don't like the PMI-ism type questions because they seem like 'gotchas' or traps, and this is not how I manage my team. I took the Master of Project course (which was garbage) then failed the PMP exam. Throughout the PMP exam I felt so out of touch. Even with the first practice exam on BrainSensei I felt out of place, but I am not getting the hang of things. I hope to pass the exam on the second attempt! The brain sensei experience has been *miles* ahead of the Master of Project garbage. Brain Sensei should be proud of both their product and of their team! I love getting replies to my concerns so quickly. Nice work :) !!!

- Joseph Mather

---

This course was great. it laid a great foundation for the PMP exam.

- Marc Vazquez

---

very useful

- Dan

---

I was very pleased with the preparation provided for the PMP certification. I went through the materials twice and passed the exam on the first try. A couple of the questions need to be polished up, but very good training overall.

- Glen

---

Very easy to work with and quality product.

- Joan

---

The storyline provides excellent examples that provide context for understanding the core concepts and processes

- Ann

---

Good self paced learning tool

- Muneer

---

Outstanding job

- Jerome

---

This is by far the best way to prepare yourself for the PMP exam. The material is presented in a unique and engaging way that makes learning it easy and also fun! The company behind this course is also very professional and responsive. Keep up the great work!

- Amir Afifi

---

I have studied with other programs and I didn’t feel prepared. After a short time with Brain Sensei, I had the confidence to succeed on exam day, which I did on the first try after studying with Brain Sensei. It was worth every penny.

- Andrew Grady

---

Great program

- Ashley

---

Course is made for people who are already grounded in the material, not for someone that needs all the basics. Was budget friendly and OK content.

- Andrew

---

Brain Sensei is great tool to have in the study arsenal while preparing for the PMP exam.

- Derek

---

I really enjoyed the modules and content offered by Brain Sensei! I passed the PMP Exam on the first try and would recommend this course to anyone who is looking for a great PMP Exam Prep.

- Delfin Gallegos

---

Overall layout is good, but there are some quality issues. Progress isn't always saved across all devices and progress gets lost. Some small spelling mistakes. I loved the practical storyline...

- Riaan

---

Passed my PMP on first attempt using Brain Sensei Prep course.

- Mohammad Ali

---

Quick and helpful response. Thanks!!

- Laura

---

Absolutely Fantastic learning software. Highly recommend it! Very well thought out and creative. Really enjoyed my study time. Excellent mock tests and mock exams. So so helpful. Thank you Brain Sensei Team for being part of my PMP journey!

- Tracy

---

Need improvement in presenting more relevant real exam type questions. The practice exams are too simple and easy and do not prepare you for the real exam. Otherwise, good concept presenting material

- Amir

---

The prep materials provided plenty of content which prepared me well for the PMP exam. The questions were packed with information.

- Cameron

---

Teaches the PMP in a solid manner, some things you need to know as a potential consumer: -The Samurai backstory is extremely short, and didn’t really assist me with recall in any in-depth way. It only gave broad brush-strokes as to what each phase entailed. -MOST of what was on the test was covered in the lessons, however if I had zero real prior PM knowledge prior to the test, I would have failed. -The first practice test forces you, as the student to actually read into the PMBOK, which was a benefit in the long run as it assisted me with quickly referencing what I needed to find. -The course will likely cover wave tops and subjects, forcing me to self-study for a week before my test... not a bad deal all things considered. -Brain Sensei’s course has incorporated Agile into one of their practice tests, and this test IS mandatory. This may seem strange, and I didn’t get a satisfactory reason why I needed to take a purely Agile test when I only wanted to take the PMP, for anyone else in this scenario, this is the reason: In June, PMI is revamping the PMP test to include Agile as a significant portion of the PMP. Brain Sensei is just ahead of the curve trying to get students prepared... fret not. Their customer service is extremely responsive and does take care of their members. My program had a couple bugs, and the customer service fixed my problems within 24 hours. All in all... it was absolutely worth the money for me.

- Kevin

---

I am very impressed with this learning system. The content is laid out in a way that will make any learner understand all the process groups and ITTOs in order to understand Project management and be equipped to excel in the test. The learning system is engaging and fun at the same time. It's very different than other learning material which is composed mostly of videos. Some improvements are needed, but in my opinion Brain Sensei is great value for money

- said durra

---

At first, I was attracted to Brain Sensei training for their original learning program using a Samurai's story. And indeed it made the whole learning experience funnier - so easier. I felt like the Samurai. Then, I was amazed by The Brain Sensei Team's reactivity and help when I reached out through contact@brainsensei.com Their support was constantly reliable and efficient. I appreciated their professionalism and didn't feel on my own. At last, the course and the practice exams proved to be efficient since I passed the PMP exam - with 'Above Targe't in all Domains. So thank you so much Brain Sensei Team !! Charlene

- Charlene LU

---

Overall very good. Got stuck a few times trying to find resources which I should have downloaded the before starting the program. Customer service has been great.

- Jonathan Williams

---

SO far I am thoroughly enjoying the Brain Sensei PMP prep course. I have taken a Project management class as a part of my degree which I recently completed and project management has always interested me. I find the course to be educational and easy to follow. I am grateful that this course has been designed in such a way that is simple to understand all of the complexities in project management and that allows me to study at my own pace.

- Eric Browne

---

The content is good and easy to understand

- Glenn

---

This review is based on completing all course work through module 102. The story and interactive nature of the course are helpful for learning and relating the material. It would be nice to have the page numbers to the PMBOK guide where references are made to it. Other information that will be helpful, are the explanations to the practice questions at the end of each module. These are provided only after immediately answering the questions. Having these available in the score summary from the 'history' tab will be helpful to refresh why the answer is correct and other options are not.

- Rohan Punit

---

Overall I would rate this course an 8/10. I liked how there were exams towards the end of every module and I felt that it was very useful having it laid out in different scenarios. I rate it only an 8/10 as I had some glitch/software issues and lost my progress resulting in me having to re-do modules/exams multiple times. All in all, that was maybe useful in the end as it was a way for me study or 're-learn' the course material. Thank you!

- Nikki Cordy

---

Clear and precise explanations of how things work. I was never lost navigating the course.

- Gary Nicol

---

A smart approach to present the information which makes it fun and engaging while at the same time preparing for the PMP exam. Brain Sensei differentiates itself from other PMP exam preps in that it delivers the knowledge through the use of storytelling technique. I recommend this course because it will help you pass your PMP exam on the first try.

- Jamal

---

Loved the story telling and the practice exams. I felt very prepared when the actual exam came around.

- Josh

---

One of a kind training that was truly engaging!

- Claire

---

Excellent course for preparing for the PMP exam in a fun and engaging way! The practice questions resemble the actual questions on the exam making it a completely worthwhile experience.

- Rossetta

---

I passed the PMP exam after taking Brain Sensei's Online PMP Certification Exam Prep. The practice exam questions were so similar to the questions that appeared on the exam. On exam day, when I sat down to take the test and started running through the questions I felt so relieved! The practice exams are also timed so you get more comfortable with the exam experience and feel better prepared when you sit down to take the test. The other differentiator was the video content throughout the modules. The concepts are taught through a story of a young samurai defending her kingdom. This will probably be the only PMP prep course where you can learn all the knowledge areas and feudal Japan at the same time. I'd recommend this course not just because of the videos but because it helped me pass my exam on the first try.

- Jackie

---

Good course, but a few grammatical errors with how some questions were worded.

- Sonia

---

It was good!

- Sergei

---

Loved the unique approach and it still had all the info I'd expect from a full PMP exam prep course. Very responsive on questions too.

- Chris