Title: Pareto Cube (Pareto³): Recursive Methodology for Strategic Analysis
Tags: systems-diagnosis
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The Pareto Cube is a method for reducing a complex problem to the small set of causes where action has the most effect. It applies the 80/20 principle three times in a row: 20% of the causes account for about 80% of the effects, 20% of those (4% of the total) for about 64%, and 20% of those again (0.8%) for just over 51%. The second step is named **Pareto Square** and the third **Pareto Cube**. At the point reached, the "5 Whys" technique of Taiichi Ohno is used to go from the symptom to the root cause. The two terms and the mandatory pairing with the "5 Whys" are introduced here.

Two modes are described. The Strategic mode runs the three selections and applies a single root-cause analysis to the final factor. The Systemic mode adapts the depth of questioning at each step with a heuristic formula, N_opt, which sets the number of "Why" questions between 3 and 7 from two estimates: the complexity of the problem and the concentration of its causes (80/20, 90/10 or 95/5).

The method is a heuristic for thinking, built from first principles and from practice. It is intended for complex problems whose causes are unevenly distributed.

It includes instructions for running the method with an AI system, an example of use together with SWOT analysis, and an open invitation to test and adjust it.