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name: pareto-principle description: Strategic Prioritization using the 80/20 Rule. Optimization of Scope. Use when planning tasks, managing feature creep, or maximizing ROI. license: MIT

The Pareto Principle (The Scope Hammer)

"80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes."

When to Use

• Planning Phase: When the task list is long (> 5 items).
• Feature Creep: When a project feels "unfocused" or "heavy".
• Refactoring: Identifying which module is causing 80% of the bugs.

The Protocol: The Scope Hammer

Do not ask "Can we do this?". Ask "Should we do this?". Follow these 3 steps.

1. List & Rate

List every proposed feature or task. Ask the User (or use Proxy Metrics):

• Customer Value (V): Ask user to rate 1-10 or rank items.
• Effort Cost (E): Proxy: "Number of files touched" or "Complexity of dependencies".

2. Calculate ROI

Score = $V / E$ (Value divided by Effort).

3. The Cut (80/20)

• Top 20% (High ROI): DO IT NOW. This is the "Vital Few".
• Middle 60%: DEFER. Do not touch until the Top 20% are perfect.
• Bottom 20% (Negative ROI): DELETE. This is the "Trivial Many".

Example