--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Law Number XV: The last 10 percent of…" description: "\"Law Number XV: The last 10 percent of performance generates one-third of the cost and two-thirds of the problems.\" — Norman Ralph Augustine" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_cost_law-number-xv-the-last-10-percent-of-per_2828691.png" --- # Law Number XV: The last 10 percent of performance… ![“Law Number XV: The last 10 percent of performance generates one-third of the cost and two-thirds of the problems.” quote by Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_cost_law-number-xv-the-last-10-percent-of-per_2828691.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_cost_law-number-xv-the-last-10-percent-of-per_2828691.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/norman-ralph-augustine-10805_cost_law-number-xv-the-last-10-percent-of-per_2828691.png) > “Law Number XV: The last 10 percent of performance generates one-third of the cost and two-thirds of the problems.” [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The final 10% of performance causes most cost and problems, highlighting diminishing returns. **In simple terms:** Last 10% of work creates most issues. Key Takeaway Focus on optimizing final effort. Themes efficiency cost performance Mood analytical pragmatic Type business technical When to use this quote - project management - software development - manufacturing - service delivery - budget planning Key Concepts diminishing returns process optimization risk management Questions to Reflect On - Where do you allocate resources? - How can you mitigate late‑stage problems? A Different Perspective May ignore early-stage issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) ## Related quotes > [At 170... I need to have a 97 percent performance. And some of the guys at 170, they need to have maybe an 85…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benson-henderson/at-170-i-need-to-have-a-97-percent-performance-and-some-of-the-guys/) [Benson Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benson-henderson/) > [The system that people work in and the interaction with people may account for 90 or 95 percent of performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/the-system-that-people-work-in-and-the-interaction-with-people-may/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [“In life, never spend more than 10 percent of your time on the problem, and spend at least 90 percent of your time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-robbins/in-life-never-spend-more-than-10-percent-of-your-time-on-the-problem/) [Anthony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-robbins/) > [You can't keep a democracy going in a functional and constructive way if only 10 percent of the people you represent think your institution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sarbanes/you-can-t-keep-a-democracy-going-in-a-functional-and-constructive-way/) [John Sarbanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sarbanes/) > [I won't lie - I picked up the occasional gossip magazine in the past because I thought that maybe 5 to 10 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-vonn/i-won-t-lie-i-picked-up-the-occasional-gossip-magazine-in-the-past/) [Lindsey Vonn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-vonn/) > [“what we can see may constitute no more than 10 percent, and perhaps as little as 1 percent, of the matter in the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/what-we-can-see-may-constitute-no-more-than-10-percent-and-perhaps-as/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [If you're only using 10 percent of your brain, you don't even know that you're using 10 percent of your brain. If you're only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beasley/if-you-re-only-using-10-percent-of-your-brain-you-don-t-even-know/) [Michael Beasley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beasley/) > [By 2030, up to 10 percent of the world's gross domestic product could be linked to space in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-taylor/by-2030-up-to-10-percent-of-the-world-s-gross-domestic-product-could/) [Dylan Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-taylor/) > [My agent gets 10 percent of everything I get, except the blinding headaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/my-agent-gets-10-percent-of-everything-i-get-except-the-blinding/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [The secret to a masterpiece is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/the-secret-to-a-masterpiece-is-10-percent-inspiration-and-90-percent/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“Ideally, only 10 percent of Taijiquan movement is expressed externally, as 90 percent of the true functioning occurs internally and is unseen by others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-alve-olson/ideally-only-10-percent-of-taijiquan-movement-is-expressed-externally/) [Stuart Alve Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-alve-olson/) > [I think for a long time we were just 10 percent women in physics, and so obviously people can see things in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/i-think-for-a-long-time-we-were-just-10-percent-women-in-physics-and/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [You know how they say we only use 10 percent of our brains? I think we only use 10 percent of our hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wilson/you-know-how-they-say-we-only-use-10-percent-of-our-brains-i-think-we/) [Owen Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wilson/) > [Modern medicine, for all its advances, knows less than 10 percent of what your body knows instinctively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/modern-medicine-for-all-its-advances-knows-less-than-10-percent-of/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I've found the 90-10 rule to be pretty true: 90 percent of what I come up with and write down is kinda 'eh,' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-ve-found-the-90-10-rule-to-be-pretty-true-90-percent-of-what-i-come/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) ## More by Norman Ralph Augustine > [Regulations grow at the same rate as weeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/regulations-grow-at-the-same-rate-as-weeds/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [By the time of the United States Tricentennial, there will be more government workers than there are workers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/by-the-time-of-the-united-states-tricentennial-there-will-be-more/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [Law Number XXXIX: Never promise to complete any project within six months of the end of the year, in either direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-xxxix-never-promise-to-complete-any-project-within-six/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [Law Number XIV: After the year 2015, there will be no airplane crashes. There will be no takeoffs either, because electronics will occupy 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-xiv-after-the-year-2015-there-will-be-no-airplane-crashes/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [If the Earth could be made to rotate twice as fast, managers would get twice as much done. If the Earth could be made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/if-the-earth-could-be-made-to-rotate-twice-as-fast-managers-would-get/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [People working in the private sector should try to save money. There remains the possibility that it may someday be valuable again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/people-working-in-the-private-sector-should-try-to-save-money-there/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [Software is like entropy. It is difficult to grasp, weighs nothing, and obeys the second law of thermodynamics; i.e. it always increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/software-is-like-entropy-it-is-difficult-to-grasp-weighs-nothing-and/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [The most unsuccessful three years in the education of cost estimators appears to be fifth-grade arithmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-most-unsuccessful-three-years-in-the-education-of-cost-estimators/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [Rank does not intimidate hardware. Neither does the lack of rank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/rank-does-not-intimidate-hardware-neither-does-the-lack-of-rank/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [By the time the people asking the questions are ready for the answers, the people doing the work have lost track of the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/by-the-time-the-people-asking-the-questions-are-ready-for-the-answers/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [All too many consultants, when asked, 'What is 2 and 2?' respond, 'What do you have in mind?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/all-too-many-consultants-when-asked-what-is-2-and-2-respond-what-do/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [Law Number XXVIII: It is better to be the reorganizer than the reorganizee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-xxviii-it-is-better-to-be-the-reorganizer-than-the/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [If you can afford to advertise, you don't need to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/if-you-can-afford-to-advertise-you-don-t-need-to/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [For every scientific (or engineering) action, there is an equal and opposite social reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/for-every-scientific-or-engineering-action-there-is-an-equal-and/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [A billion saved is a billion earned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/a-billion-saved-is-a-billion-earned/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) [Explore all 63 Norman Ralph Augustine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) ## More Cost quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. 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If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I believe that government is too large, costs too much, spends too much, and has too much regulatory power in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walberg/i-believe-that-government-is-too-large-costs-too-much-spends-too-much/) [Tim Walberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walberg/) > [One reason for the tremendous increase in health-care costs in the U.S. is managerial neglect of the "hotel services" by the people who dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-reason-for-the-tremendous-increase-in-health-care-costs-in-the-u/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [They brought on someone who cost more than our stadium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/they-brought-on-someone-who-cost-more-than-our-stadium/) [Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/) > [When the government pays, health care's lack of affordability becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. 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