A method begins by a processing module determining a performance based indication regarding storage of a data segment as a set of encoded data slices and comparing the performance based indication with a performance threshold. When the performance based indication compares unfavorably with the performance threshold, the method continues with the processing module decoding the set of encoded data slices to reproduce the data segment, adjusting error coding dispersal storage function parameters based on the unfavorable comparison of the performance based indication with the performance threshold to produce performance adjusted error coding dispersal storage function parameters, encoding the reproduced data segment in accordance with the performance adjusted error coding dispersal storage function parameters to produce a second set of encoded data slices, and selecting a storage set of encoded data slices from the set of encoded data slices and the second set of encoded data slices.