Constructing a Pareto chart. Comparisons are easier if you order the bars in a bar graph by height. A bar graph ordered from tallest to shortest bar is sometimes called a Pareto chart, after the Italian economist who recommended this procedure. Pareto charts are often used in quality studies to isolate the "vital few" categories on which we should focus our attention. Here is an example.
Painting new auto bodies is a multistep process. There is an "electrocoat" that resists corrosion, a primer, a color coat, and a gloss coat. A quality study for one paint shop produced this breakdown of the main problem type for the quality of the paint jobs that did not meet the manufacturer's standards:
Make a Pareto chart. Which stage of the painting process should we look at first?