Pareto Principle

The Protocol: The Scope Hammer

Do not ask "Can we do this?". Ask "Should we do this?".

Step 0: Pre-Check (Should We?)

Before any scoring, verify the mindset shift:

• Is this about scope optimization (what to prioritize) or option selection (which one to choose)?
• If option selection → use decision-matrix instead.

Step 1: List & Rate

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

• Value (V): User rating 1-10 or ranked.
• Effort (E): Proxy: file count, complexity, dependencies.

[!IMPORTANT] The V/E formula is a tiebreaker, not the core insight. If you can identify the vital few without it, skip the formula.

Step 2: Add Confidence Modifiers

Rate confidence in each estimate (1-3):

Apply discount: Adjusted Score = (V/E) × (V_conf × E_conf) / 4

Low-confidence items get penalized automatically.

Step 3: The Cut (Iterative, Not One-Time)

Top 20% (High ROI): DO IT NOW. This is the "Vital Few". Middle 60%: DEFER. Do not touch until Top 20% is complete. Bottom 20% (Negative ROI): DELETE or archive.

[!WARNING] DEFER is not PERMANENT. Items in the middle 60% should be re-evaluated after each Top 20% item is completed. The backlog changes; so should the prioritization.

Step 4: Re-Cut Trigger

After completing each Top 20% item:

1. Recalculate ROI for remaining items (dependencies may have changed)
2. Ask: "Has context shifted? Any deferred items now have higher Value?"
3. Re-cut if necessary

Timeboxing

• Maximum list size before simplification: 20 items. Beyond this, use grouping.
• Scoring time budget: 5 minutes per item. If V or E cannot be estimated in that time, default to V=5, E=5 (score=1) and mark as uncertain.
• Re-cut frequency: After each Top 20% completion, or bi-weekly for long-running projects.

Defer/DELETE Safeguard

Before labeling an item DELETE, ask:

• "Will deleting this increase effort on remaining items?" (dependency)
• "Will this become more expensive to build later?" (technical debt)
• "Is this a 'trivially deferred' item that will become critical?" (scope creep pattern)

If yes to any → Move to DEFER instead.

Before labeling an item DEFER, ask:

• "Can this be completed in < 2 hours?" If yes, just do it now.
• "Is this a dependency blocker for Top 20% items?" If yes, elevate it.

Validation Steps

Before the final cut:

1. Confirm distribution: Does 80/20 actually hold in your domain? Validate with historical data if possible.
2. Check non-negotiables: Does any item violate a hard constraint (security, compliance)? Elevate regardless of ROI.
3. Saboteur check: inversion-thinking - How could this prioritization backfire?

Skill Integration

Self-Improvement Protocol

After applying Pareto, log to .learnings/CORRECTIONS.md only if outcome differed from prediction:

## [YYYY-MM-DD] {Brief Description}
**Action:** {what was prioritized / deferred / deleted}
**Outcome:** {did it work?}
**Lesson:** {one sentence}

Review Trigger: Monthly → check CORRECTIONS.md → promote validated patterns to LEARNINGS.md.

Defer Watch: If an item has been "DEFER" for > 3 months, explicitly ask user: "Is this still DEFER or should it be DELETE?"

Resources

• Detailed Research Notes
• Impact Matrix Reference