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Welcome to the Invasion of the SIPOCs! SIPOCs might sound like creatures from a sci-fi movie, but they’re far friendlier and more useful than that. A SIPOC is a high-level process map that provides a framework to help you understand your process and its customers and suppliers better. It encourages you to think about what needs to be measured in the process to help understand performance and opportunities for improvement (covered in Chapters 7 and 8). Figure 3-4 shows the SIPOC model. SIPOC stands for:

 Suppliers: The people, departments or organizations that provide you with the “inputs” needed to operate the process. When they send you an enquiry or order form, the external customer is also included as a supplier in your process as they are providing an input! Suppliers also include regulatory bodies providing information, and companies providing you with equipment or raw materials.

 Inputs: Forms or information, equipment or raw materials, or even the people you need to carry out the work. For people, the supplier may be the human resources department or an employment agency.

 Process: In the SIPOC diagram, the P presents a picture of the process steps at a relatively high level, usually Levels 2 or 3, as shown in Figure 3-3.

 Outputs: A list of the things that your process provides to the internal and external customers. Your outputs will become inputs to their processes.

 Customers: The different internal and external customers who’ll receive your various process outputs.

© Martin Brenig-Jones and Jo Dowdall

FIGURE 3-4: The SIPOC model.

The SIPOC model identifies your customers and the outputs they need, presents a high-level process map, usually comprising four to seven steps, identifies your suppliers and confirms your input requirements from them.

The customer can also be a supplier, particularly of information needed by you.

Some people refer to the SIPOC as a COPIS, because when they create the diagram, they start with the customer on the right-hand side of the model before listing the outputs that go to them.

In previous editions of this Dummies book, we have demonstrated the SIPOC technique using the COPIS method, starting with the customer and working backwards. In this version, we’ll show you how we start with the process and work outwards from the center. In truth, there are lots of different ways you can create your SIPOC. One reason for starting with the process is that we find it easier to identify all of the outputs and the customers who received them once we have defined what the process steps are. You might like to practice different methods and find the one that works best for you.

The best way to create your SIPOC diagram is to gather your team around a large sheet of paper or online collaboration tool and follow these steps. After starting with the process, it doesn’t really matter whether you work to the left (inputs) or right (outputs) as long as you capture them. (Figure 3-5 provides an example of how it might look).

1 Set out all the steps in the process.Use sticky notes (or virtual sticky notes) to construct a high-level picture of the process. Typically it involves four to seven steps. Don’t go beyond this; otherwise, you’ll be dealing with too much detail too soon. (Chapter 5 covers process and Value Stream Mapping in detail.)In Figure 3-5, the start and stop points are represented with the oval shapes, the process steps with the rectangular boxes, and points in the process involving questions with the diamond shapes. Diamonds are decision points, such as, for example, showing the need to do something different if you’re dealing with product A or product B, or where different authority levels may come into operation in underwriting a loan, perhaps based on the loan value. Diamonds tend to be not so relevant in the SIPOC diagram, though there will be times when you need to use them. In Figure 3-4, we include one purely for reference. Figure 3-5 simply uses the square boxes.

2 List all the inputs that go into the process.Include order forms and information, materials, criteria, and so forth. As shown in Figure 3-5, you could use arrows to show which inputs relate to which process steps.

3 Identify where all the different inputs come from.Under S for Suppliers, list the sources of all of your inputs. Again, use arrows to clarify who’s supplying what. Remember that some of your customers might be suppliers, as they may be providing an input such as a request or an order.

4 List all the outputs that come from the process.As well as the “main” outputs (like the products produced by your process), there may be others, such as records created, documents filed, and waste to be disposed of. At this stage (remember we are dealing with “warts and all” here), there may also be some undesirable outputs like rework or scrap.

5 List all of the customers who receive outputs.Include both internal and external customers, such as, for example, managers who receive reports or information. Consider third parties such as regulatory bodies, where relevant. Drawing arrows showing who receives which outputs can be helpful.

© Martin Brenig-Jones and Jo Dowdall

FIGURE 3-5: Building up the SIPOC model.

SIPOCs provide a helpful checklist, identifying who your customers are and the outputs that go to them. They highlight areas where greater clarity is needed, especially in relation to requirements and outputs. They also help you focus on what needs to be measured, like, for example, how well are you delivering the outputs to your customers, and how well are your suppliers meeting your requirements of them? (Measurement is covered in more detail in Chapters 7 and 8, with Chapter 8 focusing on how you present your data and understand your results.)

Creating a SIPOC process map provides an opportunity to begin thinking about the various elements involved in your process, whether you have all the information you need and if segmenting your customers is necessary.