Organize workplace

1.

2.

Don’t just organize your
workplace; organize your
thinking

3.

• "A company that cannot successfully implement the 5 Ss cannot
expect to effectively integrate re-engineering, or any other large-scale
change. Good workplaces develop beginning with the 5 Ss. Bad
workplaces fall apart beginning with the 5 Ss.”
―Hiroyuki Hirano, Five Pillars of the Visual Workplace

4.

• For those of you who are unfamiliar with Hirano’s concept of the Five
Pillars of the Visual Workplace – the five Ss, for short – they are five
organizing principles that can maximize the utility of the physical work
environment. The five Ss are Seiri, Seiton, Seiketsu, Seiso and
Shitsuke.
• A corresponding set of approximate English alternative titles has been
developed: Sort, Straighten, Standardize, Shine/Clean and Sustain.

5.

The Components of 5S
in a physical work
environment
Figure 1
The Japanese concepts and their English equivalents are outlined and
defined in Figure 1.

6.

• The principles of 5-S create an effective visual aspect; when
everything is organized and clean, problems and hazards are more
easily identified. For example, having a clean plant floor helps identify
any leaks occurring from nearby machinery that otherwise would
have gone unnoticed. Organization can reduce wasted time and
motion by having tools and other materials in the right place, a
seemingly small detail but something that adds up over time.

7.

1. Seiri (sort):
• Sorting all material with the goal of getting rid of items you don't need is the first step of 5-S. Your
team should ask what is necessary and what is unnecessary. Just by eliminating unnecessary
items, you reduce cost through less storage space; this includes cost savings in storage rental,
heating, cooling and maintaining the space. Seiri draws heavily from the Toyota technique of just
in time (JIT), which preaches "only what's needed, in the quantity needed, only when you need
it." To stay organized when implementing Seiri, many organizations use what's called the "red tag
campaign." This involves placing a red tag on unnecessary items. The tag has a checklist showing
the category of the item, the reason the tag was placed and an action to take (discard, move to
storage, etc.). Your team should ask:
• Is this item necessary?
• If it's necessary, what amount of it do you need?
• If it's necessary, does it need to be placed in this exact spot?
• Once these questions have been addressed, action items can be taken. Take action by keeping the
tagged items in the area for a period of time to ensure necessity, throwing the item(s) away,
putting the items in another location, or leaving the items in the same place.
Lesson: Don't forget to revisit the tagged items to
determine necessity.

8.

2. Seiton (orderliness):
• You've likely heard the saying, "a place for everything and everything in its
place." This is what Seiton is all about. Once items have been sorted, it's
time to organize the necessary items so they're easily found by anyone in
the area. To implement Seiton, follow these steps:Determine which items
to position.
• Determine where you'll place the items.
• Determine how many of each item you'll need.
• When you're setting an order for commonly used items, always ensure
they're stored in accessible areas that are easily navigable for employees.
Group tools and other items by function and use so they're easy to find and
identify. Finally, place heavy items and materials at an appropriate height
so employees can pick them up and carry them without injury.
Lesson: Think through daily tasks to determine how
layout and organization can best eliminate time, motion
and unnecessary movement.

9.

10.

Seiso (cleanliness):
• Think of Seiso as deep spring cleaning and then maintaining that level of cleanliness
going forward. Not only does Seiso address the current state of cleanliness, but it also
looks at activities and items that cause dirt, dust and contamination and then addresses
them as well. For example, this would involve keeping machinery clean and as close to
new condition as possible. So, how do you implement Seiso?Establish cleaning routines.
This involves what to clean, when to clean it and who will clean it.
• Train employees to clean their work area after each shift. A five-minute cleanup
following each shift is plenty to keep the area like new.
• Make sure tools and equipment are clean and ready to use at all times. This includes
storage areas.
• Establish routine visual checks for oil spills, leaks, damage to equipment and any other
abnormalities.
• Install additional lighting to see dirt and dust.
Lesson: For the sake of continuity, develop a cleaning
regiment for each workspace. This includes which
cleaning supplies to use, where they are located and how
to clean each machine.

11.

Seiketsu (standardize):
• You've established the first three 5-S principles. It's now time to make them
part of your organization's standard routine. Seiketsu is about
standardizing the company culture and workplace norms to ensure
working environments remain clean, decluttered and lean. Standardizing
best practices so they become the norm is key. Among the ways to
accomplish this include:Posting visuals as constant reminders or references
of proper and improper workplace setups. These include photos, charts
and labels.
• Ensuring all employees have a role and expectations so they can do their
part in maintaining a culture of cleanliness.
• Creating checklists – either on clipboards or digitally – to audit processes
and verify that the processes are being followed. There are many free,
customizable 5-S checklists available for download online.
Lesson: Use visuals to ensure the standardization of new
processes. Signs, labels and floor-marking tape make
following procedures easier.

12.

Shitsuke (sustain):
• The final principle in the 5-S system is set to ensure all your hard work is
sustained. The idea behind Shitsuke is to turn the 5-S principles and
procedures you've created into habit, making them part of all employees'
daily routine. Shitsuke requires self-discipline and company-wide
compliance to these new procedures. There are four things to keep in mind
as you address sustainability:
• Communication: Has everyone within the organization been notified of the
changes put in place? Are employees aware of their responsibilities? Do
they know how to report ineffective processes?
• Education: Have employees gone through adequate training so they
understand their role?
• Recognition: Make sure employees' efforts are recognized and rewarded.
• Time: Establish audit frequencies as daily, weekly or monthly. Ensure the
time you allot is enough to know if the new processes are effective.
Lesson: Train all new employees or those who have switched
departments on their new area's 5-S procedures.

13.

How to Implement 5-S Principles Successfully
• When starting your 5-S implementation process,
consider these five action items:
• Choose a team: When selecting a team to
implement the 5-S principles, make sure they're
reliable, engaged and committed. Since the end
goal of 5-S is sustainability, it's important to have
people in leadership roles who are fully
committed to making it stick so other employees
will latch on. Start with an easy area of the
organization to clean up first. This way, you can
work out the kinks before moving onto more
difficult areas.

14.

• Measure: Measuring, auditing and acting are the keys to 5-S. These three
things will be performed over and over again.
• Training: A simple two-day training or workshop is a great way to ensure
everyone is on the same page and all things are communicated effectively.
Managers and/or directors should attend the training sessions to show
employees that the entire organization is committed to the
implementation.
• Testing: This does not involve long, drawn-out written tests. See if
employees can find an item, tool, document or person in less than 30
seconds. This will tell you if your processes will work well.
• Get creative: Welcome creative ideas from everyone. Most ideas cost
nothing to implement but can save the organization thousands of dollars in
benefits.

15.

What Are the Benefits of Implementing the 5-S
System?
• Increased productivity: Less waste leads to improved efficiency and productivity.
Labeling, organizing workspaces and getting rid of clutter will result in less time
searching for materials and tools and more time being productive. The ergonomic
positioning of machines and equipment can reduce fatigue and provide easy
access for a more efficient workspace. Even the standardization of processes
ensures new and efficient processes are identified and put into practice,
eliminating wasteful practices.
• Less downtime: Sustainable cleanliness procedures keep equipment and
machinery in "like new" working order. When machines and equipment remain
clean, it's easier to notice defects, failures and other issues like leaks. Noticing
these issues early enables preventive maintenance to address the problem
before it turns into something more serious.For example, a clean machine lets
you spot an oil leak quickly, allowing the maintenance team to identify and fix the
cause of the leak before the oil reaches a critically low level that could result in
future downtime.

16.

• Improved safety: Nearly all 5-S principles directly relate to improved safety
in the workplace. Cleanliness ensures spills are cleaned quickly, preventing
possible slips and falls. Removing clutter can reveal hidden mechanical,
chemical or electrical hazards. Having tools and equipment nearby and
easily accessible reduces movement and decreases the potential for injury.
Standardizing new safety practices eliminates bad, old habits.
• Improved morale: Employees want to be valued. When they see you care
about their workspace and value their input, they care more about their
job. The clean, organized and efficient workspaces resulting from 5-S,
coupled with quality standards, create an increased sense of pride and
ownership. Improved safety lowers the number of workplace injuries,
leading to less turnover and happier, more motivated employees.

17.

• Let's take a look at how a 5-S implementation might occur in practice.
For this example, say you're in charge of improving the workflow,
efficiency and productivity of your manufacturing plant's metal shop.
You might choose to start with the 5-S system before moving onto
other lean manufacturing tools.

18.

• Day 1: You and your team move everything out of the shop except the heavy machinery mounted
to the floor. Everything is moved to a temporary storage area where it's cleaned, refurbished
and/or replaced. Tools and equipment not needed in the metal shop are moved to their
appropriate locations.
• Day 2: Walls are painted, and the floor is swept, mopped and cleaned of grease. Once the floor
has been cleaned, a protective, glossy sealer is applied.
• Day 3: Your team walks through the metal shop's usable area, mapping out the best locations to
position everything to minimize movement. Colored tape is used to mark new production areas,
as opposed to work-in-progress areas. Tools and equipment bins are clearly labeled and placed in
convenient locations. Shadow boards are created with outlines of each tool for easy identification
and so the tools are always in the correct spot.
• Revising the metal shop's layout ultimately lets operators complete multiple steps in one process.
For example, motion is greatly reduced by combining the welding and grinding operations.
Combing operations also helps with the quality of work. When welding and grinding are
combined, employees can determine if they messed up a weld as they grind it smooth. This
allows the weld to be fixed immediately.