SIPOC Diagram

A one-page SIPOC diagram for mapping any process at a high level before you try to improve it. SIPOC stands for the five columns you fill left to right: Suppliers (who provides the inputs), Inputs (what goes into the process), Process (the four-to-six high-level steps, start to finish), Outputs (what the process produces), and Customers (who receives the outputs). A staple of Lean and Six Sigma, it's the first thing teams draw to get everyone on the same page about scope and hand-offs. Start with the Process steps in the middle, then work outward to who supplies each input and who receives each output. The numbered Process column anchors the flow, and chevrons show the direction from supplier to customer. Print it blank to map a process together on a wall.

• Landscape
• 1 page
• Planning

Best for: Getting a team aligned on a process end to end — its steps, inputs, outputs, and who's on each side — before improving it.