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A Practical Approach To The Successful Practice of 5S
A Practical Approach To The Successful Practice of 5S
Practice of 5S
Pradeep Mahalik 11
While some Lean Six Sigma (LSS) practitioners consider 5S a tool, it is more than that. 5S,
abbreviated from the Japanese words seiri, seito, seiso, seiketsu, shitsuke, is not just a
methodology, it is a culture that has to be built in to any organization which aims for
spontaneous and continuous improvement of working environment and working conditions. It
involves everyone in the organization from the top level to bottom. The Japanese developed this
simple and easily understandable words religiously practiced the philosophy of 5S at every
aspect of their life and have made it a world wide recognizable system.
Too often in LSS the 5S philosophy is confined to one classroom training session or, at best,
used as a one-time implementation methodology that then dies its own death due to negligence.
5S is not a list of action items that has to be reviewed at some interval of time. Instead, it has to
be practiced as a daily activity, which requires concentration, dedication and devotion for
sustaining it and ultimately making it a company-wide culture.
A proper and step-by-step process has to be followed to make 5S a practice and a success.
Plan-Do-Check-Act Approach to 5S
The PDCA (plan, do, check, act), or “Deming cycle,” of implementing 5S is effective. This is a
never-ending process and has to follow a process approach.
Step 1: Seiri, or Sort
Seiri is sorting through the contents of the workplace and removing unnecessary items. This is an
action to identify and eliminate all unnecessary items from the workplace.
Actions items:
1. Look around the workplace along with colleagues to discover and identify items which are not
needed and not necessary to complete work.
2. Develop criteria for disposal for not-needed items.
3. Take “before” photographs wherever it is required.
4. An effective method for recording progress is to tag the items not needed. This visual control
of the not-needed items is often called red tagging.
5. While red tagging, ask these questions:
Seiton is putting the necessary items in their place and providing easy access. This is an action to
put every necessary item in good order, and focuses on efficient and effective storage methods.
Action items:
1. Make sure that all unnecessary items are eliminated from the workplace.
2. Taking into account of the work flow, decide which things to put where.
3. Take “before” photographs wherever necessary.
4. Also decide with colleagues about which things to put where from the point of view of
efficient operations.
5. This should be done as per the frequency of use of items. More frequentlyused items should be
kept near the workplace (see Nos. 9, 10 and 11 under Seiri).
6. Workers should answer these questions:
Seiso involves cleaning everything, keeping it clean daily, and using cleaning to inspect the
workplace and equipment for defects. This is an action to clean the workplace daily.
Actions items:
10. 5S “owner” check-sheets should be maintained on daily basis. An example of a check sheet
is illustrated in Table 2. (The word owner here is used as a replacement for the title of operator.
An operator merely operates the machine or process, and might think cleaning is below them. An
owner cares for the machine and area in which he or she works.)
Seiketsu involves creating visual controls and guidelines for keeping the workplace organized,
orderly and clean. This is a condition where a high standard of good housekeeping is maintained.
The first three steps, or S’s, are often executed by order. Seiketsu helps to turn it into natural,
standard behavior.
Actions items:
Shitsuke involves training and discipline to ensure that everyone follows the 5S standards. This is
a condition where all members practice the first four S’s spontaneously and willingly as a way of
life. Accordingly, it becomes the culture in the organization.
Actions items:
1. Everyone in the workplace should treat it they would their own home.
2. Periodic facility management involvement is required to check that the first four S’s are
implemented perfectly.
3. Employees must make it a part of their daily work and not an action forced upon them.
4. Dedication, commitment, devotion and sincerity are needed in implementation of 5S on daily
basis.
5. Senior management should initiate a celebration for the total 5S implementation, and be an
active part in the total process in initiating and carrying forward the program.
6. Senior management should do a periodic review of the status of 5S.
7. Inspections of first three S’s should be done and the results displayed on 5S board regularly.
8. Single point lessons should be used to communicate the standards for how 5S work should be
done.
9. Root cause problem-solving process should be in place where root causes are eliminated and
improvement actions include prevention.
10. Owners conduct 5S Kaizen activities and document results. Owners (operators) complete
daily check sheets to control factors that accelerate deterioration of equipment, and to keep clean
workplaces that help build pride.
When fully implemented, the 5S process increases morale, creates positive impressions on
customers, and increase efficiency and organization. Not only will employees feel better about
where they work, the effect on continuous improvement can lead to less waste, better quality and
faster lead times. 5S is not only a system for housekeeping, it is an integrated approach for
productivity improvement. 5S is a whole a culture which increases production, improves quality,
reduces cost, makes delivery on time, improves safety and improves morale. 5S also is not a list
of action items, but is an integrated concept of actions, condition and culture. To get the greatest
success, the nature and implication of each “S” need to be understood by each employee and
should be regularly practiced.