Process model
SIPOC template: the simplest process model that works.
SIPOC is a table with five columns: who supplies, what goes in, what happens, what comes out, and who receives it. That is all. It fits on one A4 page and does not fail on a whiteboard.
By Sina Esfahani · Example, not a client case. · Updated .
What is SIPOC?
SIPOC stands for Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer. It is a lean tool to put one process on one set of rules before you draw a process flow diagram.
Build a SIPOC per flow, not per person. One row is one thing that enters and leaves the process. If you put colleague names in the Process column, you are writing an org chart, not a process.
A SIPOC example for a breakdown job
This is an illustration for a boiler breakdown, not a client project. The SIPOC tab in the template is blank; this example shows how short a useful row can be.
- Supplier: the customer who calls. Input: name, address, fault. Process: take the call. Output: scheduled visit. Customer: the technician.
- Supplier: the planner. Input: scheduled visit. Process: do the job and fill in the work order. Output: signed work order. Customer: administration.
- Supplier: the technician. Input: signed work order. Process: transfer hours and materials. Output: invoice line. Customer: the customer.
Make a SIPOC without Visio
You do not need Visio. Five columns on paper, in Word or in Excel are enough. Process-flow symbols come later, once the flows are correct. Anyone who starts with symbols draws the intended route and misses the detour.
Write the output first: what must exist at the end? Then work backwards to the input. That stops you from pushing the whole company into one table.
What SIPOC does not show
SIPOC shows the chain, not the exception that has become the real work. If every row needs an "unless", the process is not described yet. That is when working alongside the team on the floor yields more than an extra column.
Frequently asked questions about SIPOC
What is SIPOC?
SIPOC is a table with supplier, input, process, output and customer. It is a lean overview of one process, not software and not an org chart.
What is SIPOC in lean?
In lean, SIPOC is the first overview before you draw a value stream or process flow diagram. The goal is agreement on what enters and leaves the process.
How do I make a SIPOC?
Set five columns, choose one process, write the output first and work backwards. One row is one flow. The template on the process-description page has a blank SIPOC sheet.
The table is full. Does it match this morning?
If nobody dares to write down the detour, the SIPOC is done and the research is not. Working alongside the team brings that detour out of practice.