5S is a workplace organization methodology consisting of five Japanese words: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. The methodology involves identifying unnecessary items, organizing the workspace, cleaning regularly, setting standards, and sustaining the new systems. Implementing 5S brings benefits like improved safety, efficiency, and productivity. The document recommends starting with a pilot group, collecting performance data, and standardizing operations to fully implement the 5S methodology.

1. Lean: The 5S Methodology

2. What is 5S Methodology?
5S is a workplace organization
method described using 5 Japanese
words
(or their English equivalents):
• Seiri (Sort)
• Seiton (Set in Order)
• Seiso (Shine)
• Seiketsu (Standardize)
• Shitsuke (Sustain)

3. • Identify whether items are necessary for the
workspace or not.
• Remove items that are no longer needed.
• Ask employees to put red tags on items they
believe are no longer needed.
• Also tag items which are used infrequently or
difficult to classify.
• Establish a “holding area” for tagged items to
allow others to review, see if they are needed.
Sort
“When in doubt, move it out.”

4. Set in Order
“A place for everything, and everything in its place.”
• Arrange materials and equipment in a
way that makes them easy to find, use,
and put away.
• Increase efficiency by keeping tools close
to where they are most frequently used.
• Save time spent looking for things, and
putting them away, by clearly labeling all
storage areas.
• Use color-coding, outlines, and other
visual cues to show where everything
belongs.

5. • Housekeeping should be performed at
regular intervals to prevent buildup of
garbage, dust, and dirt.
• Cleaning time should be used to
inspect and do maintenance on
equipment, checking for leaks or spills.
• Create cleaning checklist that can be
initialed when it is performed.
• Clean workspaces promote better
health and safety.
• Workspace should always be kept
ready for working.
Shine

6. • Set standards for work areas across
the company.
• Create procedures and schedules to
promote consistency in performing
the first 3 steps - Sort, Set in Order,
Shine.
• Every worker should know what
tasks s/he is responsible for and
what compliance looks like.
• Set goals and expectations for
compliance.
Standardize

7. • Maintain the standards you have put
in place.
• Offer support for continuous use of
these processes through training,
feedback, and structuring time into
the work day to perform them.
• Set regular audits to check for
compliance and look for ways to
improve the process further.
• Offer rewards and incentives.
Sustain

8. • Improved health and safety.
• Reduced waste.
• Increased efficiency,
productivity, and profitability.
• Saves space and time.
• Workers gain a sense of
ownership and responsibility
over their work stations.
• Easier to focus, fewer
distractions.
Benefits of 5S Methodology

9. • 5S is a method of achieving your
organization’s goals, not a goal in and
of itself.
• Management team should practice 5S
themselves, and serve as an example
to other employees.
• Start implementation with a “pilot”
group, focusing on one area that can
then be used as a show piece to
demonstrate what can be
accomplished with these procedures.
Implementing 5S Methodology

10. • Take photos of the pilot area before 5S
implementation and after, for
comparison.
• Collect data to measure performance
improvement after 5S - output per
man hour, number of defects and
rework, delivery performance, etc.
• Discuss what improvements can still be
made to the process.
• Standardize operations by creating
instructions, checklists, and schedules.
Implementing 5S Methodology

11. • Create audits to assess and score the area for
5S compliance.
• Use the “before” and “after” pictures, plus
data about performance improvement and
other measures to put together a storyboard
to present to management and future 5S
teams.
• Choose other areas to begin implementation,
and create rewards for improvement and
compliance.
Implementing 5S Methodology