Strategic Cost Reduction: How to Trim the Federal Budget using the Pareto Principle
JH3 is a big fan of the 80/20 principle:
The 80/20 rule provides the foundation for a relatively simple exercise for executives. It involves answering the following questions:
* Which 20% of the products or services generate 80% of the profitability?
* Which 20% of the customers generate 80% of the profitability?
* Which 20% of the geographies generate 80% of the profitability?
* Which 20% of the assets generate 80% of the profitability?
These are powerful and revealing questions, yet few companies today are able to answer these questions given the way their accounting and information systems are set up.
I wonder if the same approach could be applied to the Federal Budget. Obama, are you listening?
The pareto questions might look something like this:
- Which 20% of our costs take up 80% of the budget?
- Which 20% of our services impact 80% of the tax-paying public?
- Which 20% of our geographies require 80% of our aid?
- Which 20% of our public generate 80% of our tax revenues?
Betcha these could be eye-openers!