The Innovator's Toolkit: 50+ Techniques for Predictable and Sustainable Organic Growth, 2nd Edition

Technique 50

SIPOC Map

Identify the key inputs and outputs of your process.

 

SIPOC (Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer) is a high-level map of a process that helps springboard the transition of a developed solution into production or delivery. For example, one pharmaceutical design team made a SIPOC map to demonstrate the process involved in developing a new drug for reducing the risk of diabetes. Another healthcare provider leveraged a SIPOC map when introducing an integrated hardware/software system for allowing patients access to their medical records over the Internet.

Use a SIPOC map when you need a shared understanding of how you plan to produce and deliver your innovation to customers. This is your first order of definition, to be followed by more detail using a Process Map or Value Stream Map (Technique 51).

Steps

Scenario: With the nation on the verge of an obesity crisis at all age levels, market research concludes that there would be serious demand for a drug that integrates with diabetic diets and associated exercise programs. A pharmaceutical design team developed a promising chemical compound to meet this need, and used a SIPOC map to design a new drug development process that would ensure a smooth path for bringing the drug to market.

1. Create a High-Level Map of the Process

The P in SIPOC designates the process—the set of activities or tasks that transform inputs into outputs. To begin, identify the first and last tasks in the process, where it starts ...