5S workplace – Sort, Set, Shine, Standardize & sustain

Sorting – 1S activity

General

Sorting unwanted items is the first activity in 5S. Organization shall clearly define the meaning of UNWANTED items.

It includes;

a) Items which are not required in a specific Zone (Damaged, Obsolete etc..) 

b) Items which are excess . Not needed for day to day operations 

c) Items which are not belonging to the specific Zone

Note : Unwanted items do not necessarily mean scrap items. There may be high value items also. Hence suitable control is required for storage , accounting and disposal.

RED TAG Guidelines

Core Team shall develop RED TAG and Guidelines for fixing and removing RED TAG. RED TAG guidelines includes but not limited to

a) Definition of unwanted items 

b) Frequency of Red Tagging 

c) Actions, timeline and responsibility for disposal of Red Tagged items

RED TAG Campaign

Core Team shall plan for periodic RED Tag Campaigns to identify unwanted items in all Zones. The frequency of this campaign varies from organization to organization based on the type of operations, years of accumulation …. Etc. Initially it may be more frequent and can be reduced later based on the need.

Note : Depending on size and complexity of organization, The first RED TAD campaign may need rapid improvement approach to ensure all the accumulated items cleared at once through 100 % employee involvement. After clearing the unwanted items, a mega cleaning is done to make foundation for 2S

RED TAG AREA

Core team shall identify the required number of RED TAG areas to facilitate easy storage and disposal of unwanted items. A register to be maintained to account and track all Red Tagged items

Set in Order – 2S activity

General

Set in Order is also called Organizing or Systematic arrangement. The Key strategy is “Place for everything and everything in its place”. Organization shall ensure suitable standards are established for Identification, Storage, Labelling , min /max quantity etc.. as per the guidelines established. The place identified shall be close to point of use to reduce unnecessary motion.

Four Keys of Storage

While establishing location for each items, the organization shall ensure the following four keys

a) Location – Where 

b) Item description – What 

c) Quantity – How-much 

d) Responsibility ( for Maintenance of the above three ) – Who

Use of Visual Controls and Mistake Proofing (Poka-Yoke) Systems

Organizations need to ensure use of Visual Controls and Mistake proof systems to avoid mis-placement and mix-ups. Following are few examples of such systems

a) Diagonal Marks on Files ( Refer Annexure) 

b) Department Colour coding for Files and Tools 

c) Use of pictures instead of words 

d) Shape based location markings (Ex: Shadow Boards) 

e) Dust-proof and Easily Maintainable labels etc.…

First-in-First-out (FIFO)

While establishing storage locations, organization shall ensure FIFO system .

Safe Storage Systems

Organization shall ensure the following safety factors

a) Proper lighting and Ventilation 

b) Heavy items stored at the bottom of the racks 

c) Suitable precautions to store hazardous and inflammable materials ( As per Industry and regulatory norms) 

d) Storage at Safe heights 

e) Use of appropriate Material handling equipments

Shine – 3S activity

General

Shine meaning free from Dirt and Dust. It is also called as Cleaning and Spic and Span . The following quotes explains the objectives and importance of Shine 

a) Shine Means “Cleaning with Meaning” – Stresses on what , where and how to clean so that people move from cosmetic cleaning to functional cleaning

b) “Don’t Clean, Keep it Clean” – Stresses on Prevention of frequent Cleaning by eliminating the necessity for cleaning and acting on sources of dust

c) “Cleaning is form of Inspection” – Stresses on observation during cleaning to identify and address abnormalities

Overall Shine is more than just superficial cleaning or house-keeping

Mega Cleaning

Organization shall define frequency and methods for Mega Cleaning activities. Mega cleaning is required to ensure thorough cleaning of equipment and workplace which is not feasible during regular cleaning. Leadership team should present and participate during Mega cleaning to ensure safety, employee involvement and resources

SEISO Calendar

SEISO calendar should be established and maintained in all Zones to ensure what, when , how and who of routine cleaning activities. This is to be counter-checked by the Leadership team during Gemba Walks. SEISO calendar and its contents should be reviewed at appropriate frequencies for its effectiveness.

Note 1 : SEISO calendar needs to have Hourly, Daily, Weekly cleaning schedules based on requirement.

Note 2: Some organizations include a common daily cleaning time to facilitate 100 % participation and culture of cleaning

SEISO Tools

Organization shall ensure availability of required cleaning tools near all zones to avoid delays due to searching and unnecessary Motion. 

Note : Some Organizations call this location as SEISO or 3S corner

Critical Areas of SEISO

Organization shall identify areas where Cleaning critical and ensure they are always maintained spic and span. These areas should include Restrooms/Toilets, Scrap Yards, Canteen etc.. Where the absence of cleaning causes health and Safety issues.

Prevention of Frequent Cleaning

Organization shall explore various ways to eliminate sources of dust and dirt and thereby reduce cleaning or eliminate need for frequent cleaning. Employees should be encouraged to give suggestions on the same

Sustain through Self Discipline – 5S activity

General

Compliance to established Standards, Self Discipline , Training & development of people , Rewards & Recognition and Continual Improvement are the key ingredients of 5th S activity. It helps in making 5S a work culture

Training

Organization shall ensure training of 100 % of employees at all levels on 5S. New employee Induction programme should include 5S as one of the topics.

Organization shall define a frequency for retraining of employees to ensure communication of all improvements and reinforce leadership commitment

Training contents shall include Root cause analysis , Corrective action, Mistake Proofing, Visual Management and continual improvement topics

Internal Audits

Organization shall conduct internal audits at planned intervals to ensure compliance to established 5S Standards. Audits shall be conducted by certified Internal Auditors. The audit findings including opportunities for improvements and Non conformances shall be one of the agenda points during Leadership Reviews.

The outputs of Audits shall include

1.  Audit observations – both Positive observations and Non-conformances 
2.  Zonal Scores – Rated using customised audit Checklists 

Note : Customised Audit checklists required for different work areas like Production Shop, Office, Warehouse, Toilets , External Premises etc.. 

Apart from Internal Audits, organization shall have a process and checklists for self audits by zone members either on daily or weekly basis to enhance self –ownership

Corrective Actions

Organization shall ensure timely closing of all non-conformances

Rewards and Recognitions

Organization shall establish a process and Criteria for Rewards and recognitions . This shall happen at defined intervals . 

Note : Rewards can include Best performing Zones and Individuals . Leadership needs to ensure there is a healthy competition between the zones through continual improvement.

Performance Evaluation

General 

Organization shall establish Metrics and Review systems at appropriate level to ensure effectiveness of 5S System

Leadership Gemba Walks

Organization shall establish procedure and frequency and agenda for Leadership Gemba Walks. The observations noted during the Gemba Walks need to be documented and addressed appropriately by concerned people.

Zone Leader Meetings

Organization shall establish a system for meeting of Zone leaders at planned intervals . Initially Core team members need to facilitate this meeting until it becomes a habit

The agenda of this meeting should include

a) Review of Previous Minutes 

b) Sharing of best Practices 

c) Actions for closing gaps identified during internal Audits 

d) Review of Support required by core-team and Leadership team

Metrics for 5S

Organization shall establish metrics to measure the performance of 5S. Below are few examples;

a) Audit Scores

b) Sq feet area recovered after 1S 

c) Number of employee suggestions for improvements 

d) Percentage employees actively involved in daily cleaning 

e) Number of unsafe conditions and acts identified and closed

Leadership Reviews

Leadership shall review progress of 5S at planned intervals. The agenda for this meeting shall include 

a) Review of Previous Minutes 

b) Actions against the Master Plan 

c) Zone-wise Trends of Audit Scores , Non Conformances and Corrective actions 

d) Overall organization performance on 5S 

e) Actions on pending Red tag items 

f) Performance on Key Metrics 

g) Employee and Leadership Involvement 

h) Status of Rewards and Recognitions 

i) Resource requirements 

j) Planned and Actual 5S Events 

k) Continual Improvements

Continual Improvement

General 

Organization shall demonstrate continual improvements in all the zones. This may include but not limited to employee participation levels, Visual Management, Mistake proofing, reduction in cleaning time etc.. 

Improvements need to be documented for training and standardization purpose 

Note : Continual Improvement of all the zones will be one of the key criteria during Yearly Surveillance audits 

Total Employee Engagement

Organization shall establish systems to improve Employee engagement with the target of 100 % engagement. This can be achieved through Employee Suggestion systems, Planning monthly 5S events, Healthy competitions among the zones , Rewards & Recognition and continual training.

5S for Computers

The organization shall develop systems to implement 5S in computers . The following systems shall be implemented as a minimum requirement

1.Periodic Removal of unwanted files/folders ( 1S)

2.Proper organization of Folders/Files with the objective of minimizing retrieval time (2S) 

3.Separate storage of Obsolete files retained for reference purpose ( 2S) 

4.Identifying locations for computers/Laptops and other accessories to ensure proper ergonomics and minimize fatigue ( 2S and 4S)