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Finally, we will engage in brainwriting to further tease out the granularities of the steps identified within the SIPOCs.

Stakeholders

SIPOC

SIPOC simply stands for:

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Conceptually a SIPOC looks like a table, and it lends itself well to being documented in a spreadsheet.

However, the interesting thing about a SIPOC, is that it is not created in the linear manner that the acronym suggests. The creation of a SIPOC, actually sort of happens inside out.

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(Adapted from https://www.isixsigma.com/tools-templates/sipoc-copis/sipoc-diagram/)

Once you complete a SIPOC, it can be reviewed with project sponsor(s), champion(s) and other involved stakeholders for verification.

SIPOC Example

SIPOCs should range from a minimum of 4 steps and a maximum of 7. The following real example embraces the minimum:

RACI

When we have completed the SIPOC we can begin to conduct the RACI exercise. This exercise allows us to identify the roles and their accompanying responsibilities that they may have for each process step. This acronym stands for:

• Responsible: A role is “Responsible” if they are those who do the work to complete the task. There has to be at least one role that is responsible, although others can be delegated to assist in the required work.
• Accountable: The role who is ultimately answerable for the correct and thorough completion of the deliverable or task, is deemed Accountable. They ensure the prerequisites of the task are met, and delegate the work to those responsible. There must be one, and only one accountable role specified for each task or deliverable.
• Consulted: These are roles whose opinions are sought, typically subject matter experts; and with whom there is two-way communication
• Informed: These folks are kept up-to-date on progress, often only on completion of the task or deliverable; and with whom there is just one-way communication

We need to make a distinction between a role and individually identified people:

• A role is a descriptor of an associated set of tasks that an individual is capable of completing; these may be performed by many people, for example: 
  • Role = scan technician
• Whereas, an individual, is one person that performs a particular role or roles.
  • Individual #1 = scan technician #1
  • Individual #2 = scan technician #2; and maybe conservation technician #4

The RACI can be completed by creating a matrix where the rows are at a minimum the process steps from the SIPOC, but could be augmented with more granular steps.  The RACI can be then be filled out in one of two manners:

• in version 1, the columns represent R-A-C-I and for each process the roles or persons are identified. Each step must have someone responsible (can be multiple) and accountable (can only be one). In this version one can quickly identify who is responsible, accountable, consulted and informed, for each step. In this example, we can quickly see that yes, there is one and only one accountable person for each step, while there may be multiple roles/people responsible, consulted or informed
• In version 2, the columns represent the various roles, and could be further broken down by individuals. For each step, one indicates if the role or individual is responsible, accountable, consulted and/or informed. In this version, one can see how a role or an individual’s participation changes throughout the process, and aggregates their responsibilities.

Both versions provide us with valuable insight into the workflow and its processes. Below is an example of each version based upon a hypothetical restaurant visit workflow:

RACI Example

The following real v1 and v2 examples are based upon the aforementioned SIPOC example:

1 = Head of Bibliographic Initiatives: Overall leader of Bibliographic Initiatives

2 = Bibliographic Initiatives Unit Head: either leader of Western Languages Unit or the Non-Roman Languages Unit

3 = "External" to the unit creating the SIPOC (e.g. Metadata Initiatives is "external" to Preservation & Digitization)

Brainwriting

Link to this section: go.osu.edu/dpa-brainwriting

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Brainwriting Tool: Google Jamboard

(downloadable PDF version)

Jamboard is an easy and simple tool that provides us with the ability to utilize “sticky notes” and free style drawings to create details, to build up the activities that occur within each process step of our SIPOCs. The goal is to conduct an activity that combines Brainwriting and Affinity Mapping/Diagramming. In a nutshell:

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• Go to jamboard.google.com
• Click the + in the orange circle located in the lower right corner of the screen
• Select the background if you like (I like the dotted style so I can keep things neat and nicely aligned)
• You have the following options in the vertical menu:

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• Start by naming the Jamboard to coincide with appropriate SIPOC.
• Next,  SIPOC process steps can be added as top categories. All participants can now  add their sticky notes, identifying microprocess steps along with connecting lines and/or other supporting details.
• Depending upon the nature of the SIPOC, the number of microprocesses identified could begin to overcrowd a frame; in this situation, a frame could be used for each process step, as opposed to trying to fit all steps on a single frame.
• When we complete a Jamboard, it can be exported to a PDF (export example of diagram below).

Jamboard in action…

We will invite the individuals that were identified during the RACI exercise to make sure we are capturing all relevant and pertinent information that can inform our Value Stream Mapping activities.

Below is a hypothetical example of what Bibliographic Initiatives might create during their Brainwriting session.  Please be aware that this is not a true reflection of what the Bibliographic Initiatives groups does, and it is created just as an example.

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Status

Link to this section:go.osu.edu/dpa-workflow-analysis-status

Resources

• University Libraries:
  
  • SIPOC Template or go.osu.edu/ul-sipoc-template
  • SIPOC, RACI & Brainwriting: An Introduction to Exposing the University Libraries’ Digital Preservation & Access Workflows: PDF| Recorded Zoom (mp4 - 15 minutes)
• External:
  • SIPOC in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIPOC
  • Lean Six Sigma Technique Tips – SIPOC by Pyzdek Institute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlN7eNOBPzg (7 minutes)
  • How to complete the SIPOC Diagram by Six Sigma Development Solutions Inc: https://youtu.be/x8_I19PJBY8 (1 minute)
  • SIPOC by LeanOhio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2_Ijfg4EVk (4 minutes)
  • SIPOC Diagram explained (with example) by Bzhwen A Kadir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9oWnnbtkOo (7 minutes)

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