SIPOC Diagram: What It Is and How to Build One

Quick answer

SIPOC maps Suppliers → Inputs → Process → Outputs → Customers — the one-page scope of any process, drawn before improving it.

The columns

S (who supplies) → I (what inputs) → P (5-7 process steps) → O (outputs) → C (who receives).

Why it helps

Scope before improvement — the boundary and the parties, in one view; aligns teams on what’s being improved.

Building it

Start with P (5-7 high-level steps), then outputs, customers, inputs, suppliers — the middle-out order.

For projects

Scope and stakeholder conversation in one artifact — SIPOC as discovery tool.

Bottom line

SIPOC maps Suppliers → Inputs → Process → Outputs → Customers — the one-page scope of any process, drawn before improving it.

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