The primary differences:
Both frameworks achieve the same goal: preventing trade-offs where improving one metric degrades another (e.g., cutting costs but harming quality).
SQDCP frameworks place Safety as the first metric to signal organisational priority and non-negotiability.
In high-risk industries like automotive manufacturing, chemical processing, and construction, safety incidents can:
By making Safety a standalone category at the top of every dashboard, SQDCP reinforces that:
PQVC embeds safety within the People category alongside attendance, training, and engagement. This approach assumes:
Neither approach is superior, the choice reflects cultural maturity and risk profile.
The V in PQVC and the D in SQDCP measure related but distinct aspects of operational performance.
Velocity measures internal speed and flow efficiency:
Velocity is internally focused, it asks "how efficiently are we producing?"
Delivery measures customer-facing timeliness and commitments:
Delivery is externally focused, it asks "are we meeting customer expectations?"
A factory could have:
Organisations with direct customer commitments (contract manufacturing, build-to-order) often prefer SQDCP's Delivery focus. Operations focused on continuous flow and waste reduction (lean manufacturing, high-volume production) typically prefer PQVC's Velocity focus.
Yes, many organisations run hybrid frameworks that combine elements of both.
Five-pillar model (S-Q-V-C-P):
Six-pillar model (S-Q-V-D-C-P):
Tiered approach:
Consider hybrid frameworks when:
Automotive manufacturing:
Read how an Automobile manufacturer boosts operations with SQDCP
Aerospace and defence:
Heavy industry (steel, mining, energy):
Chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing:
Read the real case study of how PCI Pharma Streamlined continuous improvement with SQCDP boards
Electronics and consumer goods manufacturing:
Service operations (call centres, back-office):
Software development and tech operations:
Food and beverage production:
Ask these questions to determine the best fit:
1. What does your industry standard require?
2. How mature is your safety culture?
3. What matters more: internal efficiency or customer commitments?
4. What does your leadership team want to see first?
5. What tracking systems do you already have?
Still confused, where to start? Take this free SQCDP quiz and see if your teams meet SCDP standards before taking next moves.
If switching frameworks:
Note: Quality and Cost metrics are nearly identical across both frameworks.
(Sample: LTS Data Point PQVC dashboard)
(Sample: LTS Data Point SQCDP dashboard)
For more insights, read How to use SQCDP board.
Modern PQVC software and SQDCP digital boards support both layouts with:
Both frameworks complement lean methodologies but emphasise different aspects.
PQVC's Velocity focus naturally supports lean manufacturing:
Lean practitioners often add PQVC to visual management boards alongside:
SQDCP's Delivery focus supports lean's customer value emphasis:
Many lean operations run SQDCP at executive levels (customer-facing view) and add Velocity metrics at shop floor levels (internal efficiency view). This tiered approach satisfies both:
SQDCP requires:
PQVC requires:
SQDCP implementation emphasises:
PQVC implementation emphasises:
Modern performance management software should support:
Yes, both frameworks scale to operation size.
Start with manual tracking:
Minimal PQVC setup:
Minimal SQDCP setup:
Transition to digital boards or software when:
Requires integrated performance management platforms with:
What happens: Teams rename "People" to "Safety" without actually separating metrics or changing review processes.
Solution: Fully extract safety metrics from workforce management. Assign dedicated safety ownership. Conduct safety reviews before production discussions.
What happens: New SQDCP dashboards start from sero, breaking trend lines that existed in old PQVC system.
Solution: Map historical PQVC data to new SQDCP categories. Maintain parallel views during transition period. Archive old data in accessible format.
What happens: Focus shifts entirely to customer delivery dates, but internal process efficiency metrics disappear.
Solution: Track Delivery at L1/L2 levels for customer-facing performance, add Velocity at L3/L4 for operational improvement work.
What happens: Teams add 20+ new metrics thinking SQDCP's five categories demand more tracking.
Solution: SQDCP has one additional category (Safety) but doesn't require more total metrics. Keep 8-12 metrics total across all five categories.
What happens: Teams use SQDCP format but maintain PQVC mindset (safety embedded, velocity prioritised).
Solution: Explain why Safety is separated and Delivery replaces Velocity. Connect framework choice to industry standards and customer expectations.
Contractual requirements:
Safety emphasis:
Delivery criticality:
Quality standards:
1. Is PQVC or SQDCP better for manufacturing?
Neither framework is universally "better"—the choice depends on industry, safety risk level, and customer delivery criticality. Automotive and aerospace prefer SQDCP for explicit safety emphasis and delivery focus. General manufacturing and services prefer PQVC for velocity tracking and simpler four-category structure.
2. Can you convert PQVC metrics to SQDCP metrics?
Yes. Extract safety metrics from the People category, replace Velocity metrics with Delivery metrics, and reorganise dashboards into five categories instead of four. Most metrics (Quality, Cost, and non-safety People metrics) transfer directly.
3. What does SQDCP stand for in lean manufacturing?
SQDCP stands for Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People. It's a performance tracking framework used in lean manufacturing to maintain balanced operations and prevent optimising one metric at the expense of others.
4. Do PQVC and SQDCP require different software?
No. Modern digital performance management platforms support both PQVC and SQDCP configurations. The software difference is in dashboard layout and metric categorisation, not underlying functionality.
5. Which framework is easier to implement first?
PQVC is typically simpler to start with (four categories vs five, safety embedded rather than separated). Organisations can begin with PQVC and transition to SQDCP later if industry requirements or safety culture maturity demands explicit safety separation.
6. Can you track PQVC and SQDCP for different departments?
Yes. Some organisations use SQDCP for high-risk production areas (welding, assembly) and PQVC for service departments (quality lab, planning). Modern software platforms support multiple framework configurations within one system.
7. How long does it take to switch from PQVC to SQDCP?
Manual tracking: 1-2 weeks to redesign boards and train teams
Spreadsheet systems: 2-4 weeks to rebuild templates and migrate data
Digital platforms: 1-3 days if software supports both frameworks
8. Should startup manufacturers use PQVC or SQDCP?
Start with PQVC unless you're in automotive supply chain or high-risk industry. The simpler four-category structure is easier to implement with limited resources. Transition to SQDCP later if customer contracts or safety maturity require it.
9. What's the difference between PQVC velocity and SQDCP delivery?
Velocity measures internal speed and flow (cycle time, throughput). Delivery measures customer-facing timeliness (on-time shipments, schedule adherence). Velocity is internally focused; Delivery is externally focused.
10. Can PQVC or SQDCP work without digital boards?
Yes. Both frameworks work with manual whiteboards, Excel spreadsheets, or paper forms. Digital boards improve speed, accuracy, and multi-location visibility but aren't required for small operations.
