What is 5S?

5S is a methodology that promotes organization and cleanliness in the workplace by eliminating nonvalue added waste. In a Toyota factory in Japan during the 1970’s, Taiichi Ohno identified the 7 forms of waste in the workplace- which can be remembered by an acronym, TIMWOOD. When 5S is implemented and sustained correctly it can eliminate the wastes that you experience in your everyday workflow.

In order for 5S to have a long-lasting impact on your organization, it must become embedded in your company’s culture. Management must have proficient training and buy into the impacts that it can bring into your workplace. Look at it as an opportunity to unite your company through a common goal. As you continue your Lean journey you can partner 5S with other Lean tools to continuously improve your company.

Step 1: Sort

It’s time to clean it up! In this step, we will be removing the unnecessary items in your work area that do not serve a direct purpose. To ensure success from your 5S sorting event, consider the following guidelines:

Following these guidelines, it’s time to get to work! Before you do anything, grab your camera and take some before photos so you can review your progress with the team later. Next, we will begin to clean up by applying Red Tags to all items that do not need to be in your work area. Following the sorting criteria you established, look around your area and apply tags to all items that need to be removed. After you have assessed all items in your area move all Red Tag items to the “Hold Area” for further evaluation. Assign team members to specific items in the Hold Area to discard, repair, repurpose or donate. Update your company 5S board, including after photos, to acknowledge and congratulate your team on a job well done!

As you set the criteria, ask yourself: "Is this item/equipment/tool necessary for me to perform my daily tasks?"

Step 2: Set In Order

It’s time to organize and arrange what remains. In the simplest terms, a place for everything and everything in its place. Keeping in mind that the overall goal of 5S is to increase efficiency; arrange your remaining items so that there is no wasted movement in the workflow, items are easily identifiable, and all items have an assigned location.

Depending on your industry, this is the step where you establish several visual cues to help sustain your 5S program:

By outlining pedestrian walkways, defining hazardous areas that require attention, and labeling the correct homes for tools, equipment and other objects means that employees and visitors can immediately understand how things should be and takes the guesswork out of navigating your facility.

"A place for everything and everything in its place."

Step 3: Shine

The literal translation of step 3 from the Japanese word (seiso) is “cleaning”. Ensure that all cleaning materials are easily accessible, that your workplace has been swept and cleaned, and that everything is in working order. Set up a routine cleaning schedule (some tasks will be daily/weekly/monthly) and continuously look for ways to improve and maintain the cleanliness in your facility.

Set up a routine cleaning schedule and continuously look for ways to improve and maintain the cleanliness in your facility.

Step 4: Standardize

Establish standardization across your organization to maintain and ensure the first 3 steps become part of the regular work routine. The goal of standardization is to create conformity with the standards you have set in place to assure consistency. The standard of maintaining and repeating the Sort, Set In order and Shine steps need to be obvious and properly communicated to all stakeholders. This might include establishing a routine cleaning schedule and revisiting previously agreed upon processes to evaluate if improvements can be made.

During this step, some organizations like to create a 5S Agreement so there is a written reflection of the responsibilities of each employee. The agreement defines best practices and standard operating procedures for completing tasks.

The goal of standardization is to create conformity with the standards you have set in place to assure consistency.

Step 5: Sustain

We’ve made it to the last step- and quite frankly- the hardest step. The direct translation of this step (shitsuke) means “training & discipline.” However, the more commonly used phrase is "Sustain". In the previous step, you standardized the responsibilities and best practices to maintain your 5S program. Now, you and your company must be disciplined enough to maintain the procedures that have been established. The most efficient way to do this is to schedule routine audits to make sure the steps are being followed by all departments and employees.

During audits, use a 5S Checklist or Assessment Worksheet to evaluate how successfully each of your department(s) have been at sustain the 5S steps in their areas. If parts of the agreement are not being upheld, it is management's responsibility to work with their teams to find out why the steps are being followed and collaborate on a solution. Once a solution has been agreed upon, establish the change to the Agreement and sustain the change moving forward.

During audits, use a 5S Checklist or Assessment Worksheet to evaluate how successfully each of your department(s) have been at sustain the 5S steps in their areas.

To reiterate, your organization must be fully immersed in 5S methodology for the sustain step to succeed. Practice continuous improvement in your workplace and engage in consistent training to improve employee knowledge. Here are some helpful ideas to sustain your 5S program: