Perfect is the Enemy of Good: Applications of the Pareto Principle

[rousseau]

I was reading the Wikipedia article on the phrase Perfect is the Enemy of Good today, and interestingly enough I had always misinterpreted the meaning. What I thought was meant to dissuade someone from a kind of psychological perfectionism, had a bit of a deeper, mathematical meaning:

The Pareto principle or 80–20 rule explains this numerically. For example, it commonly takes 20% of the full time to complete 80% of a task while to complete the last 20% of a task takes 80% of the effort. Achieving absolute perfection may be impossible and so, as increasing effort results in diminishing returns, further activity becomes increasingly inefficient.

Interesting.

Thoughts? Also what else does the Pareto principle apply to?

 

[bigfield]

Thoughts? Also what else does the Pareto principle apply to?

20% of the people in a workplace do 80% of the work.

 

[rousseau]

Also many applications listed in the Wikipedia page.

 

[Jokodo]

How is this a math question?

 

[steve_bank]

Sometimes it is slow a the beginning and fast at the end. Sometimes it is fast at the beginning and slow at the end. Sometimes it is a grind all the way through.

It ia just a general expression people sometimes us conversationally. It has no literal meaning.

The NBA s another matter. It takes longer to play the last half of the 4th quarter than the rest of game.