How to make a SIPOC Analysis to understand your process 【Excel Template】(Lean Six Sigma)
SIPOC Analysis is a tool that enables you understand your operation flow clearly in the short time by clarifying the supplier, input, output, and customer of each step of the process. You can learn the basics and method of this SIPOC Analysis on the Excel template.
(Duration: 4:43)
DOWNLOAD ← Click this to download the “SIPOC Analysis” template file.
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How to make a SIPOC Diagram using an Excel template
Hi, this is Mike Negami, Lean Sigma, Black Belt.
Today, I would like to show how to make a SIPOC Diagram using an Excel template. With this diagram, you can understand your business process in a short time.
SIPOC stands for Supplier, Input, Process, Output and Customer. You can organize all inputs and outputs from each step of the process very easily. Let’s look at an actual Excel template.
DOWNLOAD ← Click this to download the “SIPOC Analysis” template file.
(Click the image below to enlarge the image.)
Let’s start with Supplier. It’s not only external suppliers, but also includes any internal departments that supply inputs to each process step. Even your customer can be a supplier here. By the same token, Customer is not only external customers, but also includes any internal departments that receive outputs from the process steps.
Here are a few instructions. Please refer them later. One tip for this analysis is to start listing all process steps first, then filling out items in order of Customers, Outputs, Suppliers, and Inputs by each step.
SIPOC Diagram – Step by Step
1) Write all process steps in the Process column.
Listing the target process steps, divide the process into around 5 to 7 steps. More than this makes the analysis too detailed. Listing the most important 7 steps in the process is also fine. Completing it looks like this.
Put a serial number in each step. It makes it easy to understand when you draw a Value Stream Map. It’s better to focus on typing content texts without formatting or color designing. It’s fast and easy to do formatting or color designing all together after you complete typing the texts.
2) At each process step, fill out in this order: Customers → Outputs → Suppliers → Inputs
Next, reading the first process step, consider outputs from the step and who receives the outputs. Type the person’s job title or department name in the Customer column. I’ve already typed them, so I’ll copy and paste them. Then, type what objects and information go to the department in the ‘Output’ column.
For Supplier, consider inputs to the step and who supplies the inputs. Type the person’s job title or department name in the Supplier column and those inputs in the Input column.You’ll repeat this for all the steps in the process, like this.
3) Format your SIPOC diagram.
Now, we would like to make this more pretty. Before drawing borders, you should merge cells, then you can put borders all at one time. Let me show an example: The first step process has a long sentence, so you may need 3 cells. Select the 3 cells, then go to “Home”. In the “Alignment” group, select the “Merge & Center”.
Since all the inputs from the step come from one supplier, merge their 3 cells. Merge 3 cells of the supplier as well. There are 2 customers. The top one receives longer-text outputs, so merge 2 cells. Do the same with the outputs. Select the whole first step section, and click the “All Borders” icon. It’s fast.
Repeat this for the rest of the steps down to the bottom. Your SIPOC diagram will be completed like this.
We practiced making a SIPOC diagram that prepares us for drawing a Value Stream Map. You need some getting used to it, but once you master it, you can understand a new business process in a super short time. Please practice this SIPOC diagram using this template.
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