Which diagram is best for prioritizing problems by significance and displaying them in descending order of frequency or impact?

• A. Pareto diagram
• B. Control chart
• C. Scatter diagram
• D. Process map

Answer: (A)

A Pareto diagram is best because it visually ranks problems from most to least significant and adds a cumulative line to show how much of the total impact is accounted for as you move down the list. This setup highlights the vital few issues that drive most of the problems, making it clear where to focus improvement efforts and how quickly you’ll reach a substantial portion of the overall impact by addressing the top issues. The other diagrams serve different purposes: a control chart monitors process stability over time; a scatter diagram explores relationships between two variables; a process map shows the sequence of steps in a process.