A Pareto chart is a fundamental tool used in Project Quality Management. It is a type of bar chart that visually represents the frequency of defects or causes of problems in descending order of occurrence. Based on the Pareto principle (the 80/20 rule), it helps project teams identify the "vital few" causes that are responsible for the majority of issues. By prioritizing these significant few, teams can focus their corrective actions and improvement efforts more effectively, which is a core objective of quality control and quality assurance processes.

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th ed.). Newtown Square

PA: Project Management Institute. p. 305. In the "Control Quality" process

the Pareto chart is listed as a key data analysis technique used to "identify the vital few sources that are responsible for causing most of a problem’s effects."

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (7th ed.). Newtown Square

PA: Project Management Institute. p. 158. The section on "Data and Analysis" describes the Pareto chart as a method used to display the causes of problems in a hierarchical format to help prioritize actions.

3. Heagney

J. (2016). Fundamentals of Project Management (5th ed.). AMACOM. p. 151. This text explicitly categorizes the Pareto chart as one of the "seven basic tools of quality" and explains its use for prioritizing problems within the quality management domain.