Voice of the Customer (Part of the Project Preparation Phase)

What has Lead up to this Point Select a Process and define Project Charter Conduct Sponsor and Owner meeting Select team members Now we need to: Develop SIPOC Identify customers of the process and their needs Create CT Tree

What is a SIPOC? SIPOC is a high level process map that includes: - Suppliers - Inputs - Process - Outputs - Customers Provides a clear, simplistic illustration of the process to determine scope

Why use a SIPOC? A SIPOC helps you get your arms around a process by summarizing: Inputs and outputs of the process Process boundaries or scope - Who the stakeholders (customers and suppliers) of the process are, as well as their requirements

SIPOC Form

SIPOC – The Process Describe the process that provides outputs to meet customer needs Define the start and stop boundaries of the process 2 When does the Process start? 1 What is the process? 2 When does the process end? Boundary Boundary

SIPOC - Outputs 3) The deliverables of the process What are the outputs from the process? 4 Who is the customer of each output? 5 What does each customer expect from each output? 3) The deliverables of the process 4) People who receive the outputs/deliverables 5) Quantifiable expectations of the process outputs

Identifying Customers When focusing on a process, the customers are the users of the process output For some processes, the customers are internal If the process touches external customers, their needs must also be identified

Customer Types External customers – Outside the company – Those that pay for the goods & services provided Internal customers Employees, work groups or departments that receive the output of a process or process step Depending on our business process, all of these could be your customers.

Primary and Secondary Customers Primary customers: the outputs of the processes are ultimately designed, developed and supplied for them. Secondary customers: receive process outputs or are impacted by the process, but are not the reason that the process exists. Example: Process – Buying a new car Primary Customer – Buyer Secondary Customer – Salesperson, Service Dept. Dealership Focus on the needs of your Primary Customers

SIPOC - Inputs 6) What the process needs in order to function What Inputs are required to enable this process to occur? 7 Who is the supplier of each input? 6) What the process needs in order to function - What triggers the process - What gets worked on by the process 7) Who provides the inputs to the process

SIPOC Summary A SIPOC: Is the first view of a process at a high level Provides a common understanding of the process scope for the project team Identifies customers and suppliers SIPOC is a simple tool that begins to focus your project team on the current-state process.

Voice of the Customer The SIPOC helps the team identify the customers of the process and their basic requirements. Once the customer is identified we can capture the specific requirements important to our customer. These requirements are called the “Voice of the Customer”.

Why do we need the Voice of the Customer (VOC)? A lean culture focuses on value as defined by the customer The Voice of the Customer specifies value in specific terms (meaningful, measurable) The Voice of the Customer guides us as we improve the process Customer requirements provide information for other LSS tools The Voice of the Customer is not just a project tool. We should understand the customer’s requirements for all processes.

Exercise Lets pick a process that we all have done in the past. Building a house Planning a trip Baking a cake Buying furniture Car maintenance

How Do I Capture the VOC? Ask the customer directly! Consider focus groups or surveys when multiple customers exist Thoroughly understand and document their needs Ask probing questions to establish meaningful and measurable requirements Example: The customer wants output delivered in a timely manner Probe to determine what “timely” means in specific terms A critical mistake in any business situation is “assuming” we know what the customer wants.

Critical to Satisfaction Categories Customer requirements can be characterized using the following categories: Critical to Quality It must be done right the first time Critical to Delivery It must be delivered when the customer needs it Critical to Cost It must be something the customer will pay for Critical to Safety It must not cause injury or unsafe condition Customer requirements = Critical To’s (CTs)

Critical To Satisfaction The CT Tree Provides a visual tool to capture the Voice of Customer (VOC) Useful tool for project teams Cost Safety Delivery Quality Critical To Satisfaction

Example: Building a House Franchise Owner Critical to Quality Critical to Delivery Critical to Cost Critical to Safety References for Subcontractor Low cost utilities Emergency Response Hard surfaced Roads Taxes Nearest Fire Hydrant Convenient Location Cable / Internet Availability Can be completed by _/_/_ General contractor fees Availability of materials Key CTs – Completion date, quality of work, and cost

VOC Summary Understanding customer requirements is critical to running your business, measuring results and improving processes Identify all of your customers - internal and external Get the VOC directly from the customer

Voice of the Customer ?