The Coiner of the Phrase: "80/20 Rule" Died

Joseph Juran, 103, Pioneer in Quality Control, Dies

It's funny how often I've said, or heard, the phrase "80/20" and only now realize that the Pareto Principle was coined popularized by Joseph M. Juran. Pareto, I've just learned, was a Classical Liberal Economist of the 19th C who made the observation that twenty percent of the population owned eighty percent of the property and this truism held across time and culture.

80% of a company's profits come from 20% of their customers

80% of their complaints come from 20% of their customers

80% of crimes come from 20% of the criminals

and

80% of users use only 20% of the features

20% of software bugs create 80% of the errors

The 80/20 rule may or may not be another "Golden Ratio" myth but it has certainly entered the lexicon.