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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. SIPOC Form

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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”.

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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)

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. Voice of the Customer ?