A 5S System is a low-cost system that is easy to put in place and has many benefits to your

company or department. If you have thought of implementing a 5S System Spring is the perfect

time. Everyone is used to “spring cleaning” so the mindset is already in place.

Start by doing Gemba Walk to see how people work and obvious areas for improvement. Kaizen

is about daily improvement, a change for the better and this is the goal of a 5S System. Use the

Kaizen approach to look at your workplace to see where improvements can be made to create a

more efficient and better work environment.

A 5S System is not a complicated best practice. It is a simple foundation on which you can build

to make further improvements in your workplace. With a successful implementation of a 5S

System you will raise the morale of the workplace and by getting workers to take part you open

the door for many more improvements.

5S System – The Same Steps For Any Work Environment

The 5S System was developed for the manufacturing environment, but can be adapted to any

workplace environment. Whether you are starting a 5S System for your office (see below) or any

other department the basic concepts are the same.

Sort – The sort step is where you remove everything from the workplace that is not used or

needed to do the work.

Straighten – The straighten step is based on the foundation “A place for everything and

everything in its place”.

Shine – The shine step is about cleaning the workplace and keeping it clean.

Standardize – The standardize step is about making the 5S System’s first three steps part of

the daily routine.

Sustain – The sustain step is about changing the culture and creating the discipline needed to

sustain the 5S System.

5S System – The Basics

As you can see above there are 5 basic steps to a 5S System. The first three steps are the meat of

the system. These are the work steps that produce the results. The last two steps are about

installing a system to follow and changing the culture of the workplace so it becomes a daily

habit.

This set of articles will introduce you to the basics of a 5S System.

5S System Step 1 – The Sort Step

5S System Step 2 – The Straighten Step

5S System Step 3 – The Shine Step

5S System Step 4 – The Standardize Step

5S System Step 5 – The Sustain Step

5S System Planning and Launch

There are several keys to a successful 5S System. The two most important are the planning phase

and the launch phase.

The planning phase lays the foundation of your 5S System. Key points are:

1. Educating yourself on 5S, what it is and what it is about.

2. Getting management and leadership to buy in. This should be an easy sell since the cost is

low and the benefits are high.

3. Establishing your 5S Team. A 5S System needs a team approach with members who

represent a cross-section of your workplace. They should be your most knowledgeable

people on how the workplace functions, what works and where improvements are needed.

Educate them about 5S and the benefits.

4. Working with your 5S Team decide how a 5S System will fit into your workplace. Take the

basic 5S System and adapt it. Listen to your 5S Team since these are the people who do the

work. They know what works best and where improvements are needed. Get them onboard

and you will have less resistance from other workers.

5. Create a plan for how each of the first three steps will be carried out, how it will be

standardized so it becomes a daily habit and how it will be sustained to change the culture of

the workplace.

The launch phase is where you introduce and start your 5S System in the workplace. Key points

are:

1. Where will you start? If the workplace is small you can do it all at once. If it is large it is best

to start in one area and move to others once the system is in place.

2. Gathering all the tools and supplies you will need to do the first three steps.

3. Creating a reinforcement system such as a bulletin board and a reward or recognition system

to inspire and enforce the 5S System.

4. Designating areas for the sort step. Lots of trash and junk will be generated so plan where it

will go and how you will handle it.

5. Create a system for handling the straighten step. This step is about organizing for efficiency.

Remember, “A place for everything and everything in its place”. This means you must

designate areas where everything goes. You don’t want the workplace cluttered up with

items that are not needed to do the work, but if they are items you need time and again you

will need a place to store them near where the work is done.

6. Consider the layout of your workplace. Is it efficient? One of the benefits of a 5S System is

improving your work flow. Create areas to store supplies to do the work close to where the

work is done, not in a remote location. Can furniture or be arranged to make it easier for

workers to move around? Can office equipment be move to more central locations?

7. Finally decide on a launch date. A casual Friday is the perfect time to launch your 5S

System.

For more information on how to plan for a 5S System launch read How to Plan a 5S System

Launch.

A 5S System For The Office

As I said a 5S System can be adapted for any work environment including the office. A 5S

Office system is a process to make sure work areas are clean and organized. The goal for

implementing a 5S System in the office environment is to make the office clean, organized and

more efficient. You will be able to find what you need, when you need it and know exactly

where everything is.

If you want to start a 5S Office System read these articles to find out how to adapt 5S to the

office environment.

A 5S Office System – Part 1 Planning

A 5S Office System – Part 2 Laying The Foundation

A 5S Office System – Part 3 Your First 5S Office Campaign

A 5S Office System – Sustaining the 5S Office System

Take Away

Spring time is the perfect time to start a 5S System in your workplace. A 5S System can be

adapted to any work environment. It is a low-cost way to bring many benefits to your workplace.

A 5S System lays the foundation on which you can build on for a more efficient and pleasant

work environment.

A 5S System is not rocket science. It is easy to learn, plan and start. Educate yourself, form a 5S

Team who will help you and create a 5S System plan. When you are ready to launch your 5S

System take time to educate everyone on what 5S is and the many benefits. Expect resistance to

change, but build in a system to sustain your 5S System and eventually it will become a habit.

If you want your employees to buy in to a 5S System a word of advice. Don’t go overboard with

it. People are naturally resistant to change so start small. Read “5S System Challenges – Slow

and Steady Implementation” for more tips. You want to sustain a 5S System by enforcing it, but

nobody wants the “5S Police” after them.

Once your 5S System is in place and running well look for other areas of improvement. Use the

Kaizen approach, do more Gemba Walks and see where improvements can be made. Does the

break room need to be updated? Is the office furniture or equipment outdated, broken or just

plain old? There are many areas for improvements that will create an even more compelling

place to work.

5S System Step 1 – The Sort Step

From the Japanese word is ‘Seiri’, the first step in the 5S System is sort.

In a 5S System the goal of the sort step is to remove everything from the workplace that is not

needed to do the work. You organize what is necessary and dispose of or put in place what is not.

With all the clutter removed the workplace will be cleaner and more productive.

By this time you have prepared your 5S System plan and have established your 5S team. If not

read How to Plan a 5S System Launch. Before you start take pictures of workstations before and

again after the sort so you can post them on your 5S bulletin board. The pictures can be used to

sustain the 5S System as examples of the improvements.

If your workplace is large such as several warehouses you should divide them up into

manageable sections and perform the sort event on different days. The first sort event can be a

massive undertaking and you will want to complete it with as little interruption to productivity as

possible.

5S Red Tag Sort Event

Sorting begins with a red tag event. Members of your 5S team will go through the workplace and

attach a red tag to anything that is not needed at a workstation and remove it to the sorting area.

As a rule of thumb anything that has not been used in the past 30 days should be removed. A red

tag does not mean an item needs to be thrown away it just means an item is not needed where it

is. Out-of-place items should be tagged and removed. They can be put where they belong once

they reach the sorting area.

You can buy red tags, Amazon sells them 5S Red Tags – Individually pre-wired  or you can

create your own tags. Obviously the tags do not have to be red either. The tags should be large

enough to be written on and have a string or wire so they can be attached.  Have tape ready for

items that you can not tie a tag to.

Information on the red tag should include:

Date

Item description

Location

A reason for the tag such as scrap, not required, defective, obsolete and other with an

explanation of what other is

A tag number so it can be logged

Other items you will need for the sort event include:

A log book where you will note the tag number, a description of the item, the location of the

item, and the final disposition of the item.

A designated sorting area where red tag items removed from a workstation can be put until

their disposition is decided.

Boxes or totes are useful for transporting small items such as from drawers and cabinets.

Rather than tag each small item place items for a specific area such as a desk into a box and

tag the box.

Start the 5S Sort!

Now that the 5S team is armed with the tools they need it is time to start the sort event. If your

5S team is large enough assign  team members to work the sorting area. If not work the sorting

area after your team has gone through the workplace tagging and removing items.

5S team members should move from workstation to workstation tagging items and removing

them to the sorting area.

Fill out every tag as noted above before the item is removed from the workstation.

All drawers and cabinets should be sorted by those who work there with the help of a 5S

team member.

The goal of the sort event is to clear the workplace of anything that does not belong so be

ruthless when tagging items.

If there is any doubt that something is used ask the employee who works in the area to find

out if an item is needed.

Some employees will be resistant and want to keep items not needed. When this happens

management must step in to remove the item and avoid conflict.

During the sort event look for any obvious safety issues and resolve them immediately. You

may find frayed wires or leaking equipment that was covered up.

At the end of the sort event each workstation should only contain a small amount of work in

progress and the tools and supplies needed to do the work.

In the sorting area there are three dispositions rules for red tagged items.

1. The item needs to be discarded because it is no longer needed

2. The item is out of place and needs to be put in its designated area

3. The item is needed to do the work and should go back to the workstation it came from

Clear the sorting area by following these three disposition rules. Write the disposition of each

item in your log book noting the tag number, item description, location the item came from and

its disposition.

Learn From the Event

During the sort event have your employees and management come look at both the piles of red

tagged items and the newly sorted workstations. Impress upon them that the red tagged items

represent a waste of time and money.

How often a sort event is needed depends on how successful you are with the 5th step in the 5S

system, Sustain. A properly implemented and monitored 5S System will limit the need for 5S red

tag events since sorting is already built into the system. Part of the daily work routine is to sort

through and remove anything that is not needed from the workplace.

Even with the best 5S System items will accumulate and you will need to have another sort

event. I find the last Friday of each month is a good day to hold a sort event.

At the end of each sort event the 5S team and management should meet to review the event. If

you found excesses of parts or supplies you should look at your ordering system. Consider

implementing a Kanban flag system to improve inventory management and cut costs.

Items out-of-place are a sign of poor organization or a lack of employee discipline. Review the

log book for items out-of-place and create an organizational system that can be posted and

shared with everyone indicating what goes where. This will also help in the next phase in the 5S

System which is the straighten step.

How to Plan a 5S System Launch

A 5S System is a low cost system that will clean and organize your

workplace. It will increase productivity and raise employee morale. This article that will give

you some basic information on how to implement a 5S system in your workplace.

One of the keys to the success of a 5S system is to have the full support of the management of

your company. While a 5S system is low cost to implement, it will require changes to the work

habits of employees and needs the support and reinforcement of management.

Educate Yourself on 5S

The first thing you need to do is educate yourself on 5S. Purchase books and do some research

online. Write an overview of what the 5S system is and how it will be implemented in your

company. Present your proposal to management for their approval.

You may meet resistance since old habits are hard to break. Explain how the 5S system is a

useful tool that can improve productivity, promote safety and lower costs. Explain how the 5S

system will make the workplace cleaner, safer and more pleasant for the employees. Emphasize

the low cost involved to implement and the potential savings of a successful 5S system.

Management loves to hear of low cost ways to save the company money!

Create a 5S System Plan and a 5S Team

Before you begin a 5S System you must plan for it. This involves walking around the workplace

and taking notes. Look at how people work. How far away is the work to be done and the tools

and parts used to do the work from the workstation? What is lying around that is not used? Are

there any obvious work hazards? If so they should be taken care of immediately. Explore every

area, ever file cabinet, ever drawer looking for items that do not belong where they are. From

these notes you can map out your plan of attack.

A 5S system is a team concept. It requires the participation of everyone in order to sustain it.

You should pick a core group of people from various workstations to be members of your 5S

team. 5S team members should be well organized and with a good sense for the workflow. While

long-term employees are valuable members, someone who has not been around long can add a

set of “fresh eyes” to team. Once your team is intact you need to hold a series of planning

sessions.

As you did with management, the first step with your 5S team will be to educate them on what

5S is and the benefits of it. During these sessions you need to determine how the 5S system will

be implemented in your workplace. There is no one size fits all approach, but each step of the 5S

system should be implemented, monitored and continuously improved.

5S System Steps

The first three steps, sort, straighten and shine are primarily housekeeping measures. Remember

a 5S System is not a one time event. It is a continuous process of improving the workplace. For a

5S System to succeed the first three steps should be part of the daily work routine, usually

carried out at the end of each shift or work day.

The Sort step should include a plan for both sort events and the daily work habits of

employees. Limits on the amount of work in progress should be set so as not to overload a

workstation. You will need designated areas where items tagged for removal from a

workstation can be taken during a red tag sort event phase. These can be temporary areas

near the workstations. In planning for the sort step take into consideration a red tag event

will disrupt work. You may need to plan for this event to be done during off work hours.

The Straighten step has as its foundation “There should be a place for everything and

everything should be in its place”. Your 5S team will need to establish designated areas for

everything from parts to cleaning supplies. These areas should be marked and documented.

One of the greatest benefits of the straighten step is employees will know where to go to find

what they are looking for.

The Shine step is all about cleanliness. Determine if more trash and recycling containers are

needed and where they should be placed. If you do not have a green workplace plan, a 5S

System is a good place to lay the foundation of recycling items such as paper and cardboard.

Determine if you have enough cleaning supplies or any tools such as a shop-vac are needed

and where they will be stored. These items will be used on a daily basis.

The Standardize step of the 5S System is about your systems. Examine areas such as how

your parts and supplies are received. They should be put in place immediately. Examine your

workflow system to see how efficient it is. Parts, tools and work to be done should be close

to the workstation. If an employee has to walk 500 feet to get something they routinely use,

find a way it can be moved closer. The standardize step can be a framework for an overall

process and quality management system. This step should be revisited frequently to look for

areas of improvement.

The Sustain step is the final and most important step in the 5S System. No matter how well

laid out the plan you must be able to sustain it. Sustaining the program requires employees to

be educated on the benefits of a 5S System and it should be made a requirement of their daily

work routine. Old habits are hard to break so monitoring that the system is being following is

a requirement.

Some tools that may help you with your 5S System include:

Educational materials for the 5S team and employees. Posters placed around the workplace

will remind employees of the 5S System.

A bulletin board dedicated to the 5S System. You can post educational material, event

notices and location charts of designated areas. Before and after pictures are very useful to

show how bad things were and how much better they are now.

Rewards such as recognition of areas, groups or teams for their efforts in support of the 5S

System

5S is a team oriented system, allow anyone to offer suggestions on improvements. You will

be surprised at what employees can come up with. Plus, no one knows better how the work

flows than the ones doing the work. This is useful information for the standardization step.

Take Away

A 5S System is a low cost system used to identify and eliminate waste from the workplace. This

will lead to more productivity, safer, and cleaner work environment. If you want to implement a

5S System in your workplace

1. Education yourself about the 5S System

2. Write up a plan and present it for management approval and support

3. Create a 5S team, educate them and plan the 5S System launch

4. Examine each 5S System step to see how it fits into your workplace

5. Obtain all materials needed for the launch and support of the 5S System

5S System Step 2 – The Straighten Step

From the Japanese word Seiton we get the next part in the 5S System, the

straighten step. Once you have completed the sort step, the workplace should be free from clutter

and unnecessary items. Now it is time to straighten everything up and organize it. The goal is to

put everything in its place and organize each workstation for maximum efficiency and

productivity.

Everything Has a Place

The mantra for the straighten step in the 5S System is “There should be a place for everything

and everything should be in its place”. Everything from the work being done to the tools and

parts needed to do the work has a designated place and this is the only place it should go.

In the Kaizen philosophy Muda refers to waste, where the waste is any activity that does not add

value. By having a designated area for everything you will cut waste and improve productivity.

Have you ever wasted time looking for something? The 5S System will end this.

Organize The Workstations

To prepare for the 5S System straighten step you need go to Gemba. Gemba is the place where

the work is done. This is best done by performing daily Gemba walks. Go to each workstation

and watch the employees as they work. Take note of wasted movements because something is

out of reach or far away from the employee. Time spent walking to get regularly used parts or

supplies is waste, Muda and during the straighten step you want to eliminate wasted motion

which is lost productivity.

Use the 5S System straighten step will cut waste by putting regularly used parts, tools or supplies

near where the work is done. If several workstations use the same thing keep the supply in a

central location to all. Remember wasted movement is lost productivity.

Now that the workplace was cleared of clutter and unnecessary items during the sort phase, you

should limit the amount of work in progress that is allowed at each workstation. Do not allow

work to be done or work completed to be stacked around the workstation.

The only items that should be in the workstation is the work in progress and the tools and

supplies needed to do the work. When work is completed it should be removed before new work

is brought in.

In some instances reorganizing or moving a workstation to create a more efficient workflow may

be needed. If the work is done in steps at different workstations then put them next to each other

in the order they are done. This will improve the workflow and increase productivity.

It is said the sixth step in a 5S System is safety. During the straighten phase safety should be

addressed. Anything that is an obvious safety hazard should have been removed in the sort

phase. When you organize the workplace do so in a way that increases safety and reduces

hazards. Address any OSHA or other regulations as well.

The straighten phase is also about increasing employee morale. An unorganized workplace that

is hard to work in decreases morale. If an employee is constantly going to get something needed

to do the work or the work space design impedes the employee from doing their best it will

decrease their morale. A clean, well-organized workplace where the employee knows where

everything is and works places are designed for maximum workflow and productivity will raise

employee morale.

Sectional Organization

An important part of the 5S System straighten step is proper organization. All areas should be

broken down into sections and clearly labeled. Each aisle of a warehouse and every workstation

should have a sign or flag visible indicating what section it is such as A-1, A-2, etc and what the

workstation is for. Each wall should be labeled every set number of feet such as wall section B-1,

B-2, etc.

By organizing the workplace into designated sections you can create a workplace map and a

location log to show where a particular item or workstation is located. For instance log that “blue

widgets” are located in Aisle 1, Section 3 or A-3. The aisle where blue widgets are stored should

be clearly labeled as Aisle 1 and the section clearly labeled as Section 3. This will also help you

should you need to reorganize work spaces for maximum workflow and efficiency.

In the location that the “blue widgets” are stored you should have a large label with a description

of the item, a part number or other designation number and a bar code for that number. You

should  include a bar code label for the location “A-3″ and for the part number or other

designator for what is stored there. This will help you in taking inventory. When you inventory

you scan the location bar code, and then the part number bar code, then enter the quantity stored

there. Sectional organization is simple and efficient in many ways.

To designate that everything has a place you should label, paint, tape off or otherwise mark

where everything should go. For example paint lines and label the floor where a pallet of work to

be done is located. Outline the location of a tool on a peg board so you know where it goes and it

will be clear if it is missing.

If a pallet for scrap cardboard is located on the floor at wall section B-3 the wall should be

labeled “B-3″ and the location of the pallet should be outlined on the floor and labeled “Scrap

Cardboard”. Everything should be outlined or labeled to make it clear what goes where and make

it easy to spot when something is out-of-place.

Take Away

The straighten step is about improving organization and workflow. There should be a place for

everything and everything should be in its place. A printed and electronic version of the log book

will show the location of everything. All parts, work to be done, pallets, drums, even the fire

extinguishers should be logged.

If the location of everything is clearly marked off it is obvious when something is missing. When

an employee needs a part or tool they will know exactly where to go to find it and where to put it

back when they are done with it.

Key parts of the straighten step include:

There should be a place for everything and everything should be in its place

Limits are set on the about of work in progress and parts kept in the workstation

Improve the workflow to cut waste, improve efficiency and productivity

Work to be done, parts and supplies needed should be near each workstation

All areas of the workplace should be sectional organized and clearly labeled

All storage areas should be clearly labeled or marked off

An electronic map or log that can be printed and distributed or posted should show the

location of everything for easy reference

Straighten is about improving organization, workflow, productivity and morale

Done properly the 5s System straighten step can improve productivity, eliminate waste and

improve morale. Everyone will know where items are and movement will be reduced. Now that

the sort and straighten steps have been completed it is time to move to the shine step.

5S System Step 3 – The Shine Step

Seiso is the third step in a 5S System. Translated it means to shine or scrub. Now that you

have completed the Sort Step and Straighten Step, the workplace should be free of debris and all

areas in need of cleaning should be exposed.

In this step you will clean the entire work environment. Everything should be cleaned including

floors, workspaces, walls and equipment. If any area needs painting consider adding the extra

time to do this.

Before you begin the shine step, be sure you have all of the cleaning tools and supplies you will

need. Brooms, mops, dust pans, lots of rags, trash bags and a variety of cleaning fluids. Be

careful that you match the cleaning fluid to what is being cleaned. You can damage equipment

by using the wrong cleaner.

Since all of the rubbish, out of place and excess work in progress has been removed you should

have a clear view of what needs to be cleaned. Be sure and look over, under and above every

area to find hidden dirt and debris.

All tools and equipment should be cleaned. Part of the purpose of the shine step is to expose

problems. Trash and dirt may be obscuring worn or frayed wiring. Oil buildup on a machine may

indicate a leak or crack in it that needs to be repaired or replaced.

For larger areas such as a warehouse or large storage room the shine step should involve

sweeping every aisle, cleaning all trash and debris from slots and if needed to clean the slots

themselves.

For a 5S System to be successful the first three steps of the 5S System should be part of the daily

work routine. They should be performed just prior to the end of the day or shift.

1.  The Sort Step – Remove all items that are not needed in the workspace.

2.  The Straighten Step – Put all tools back in place. All excess work in progress and excess

parts should be put in place. The workspace should be put back in an organized manner.

3.  The Shine Step – All trash should be removed. Floors should be swept and all workspaces,

tools and equipment should be wiped down.

Making these three steps part of the daily work routine will keep the workplace organized and

clean each day. It will also reduce the time needed for longer 5S campaigns where each of these

steps are thoroughly carried out.

These three steps make up the foundation of the 5S System. The next step is to Standardize your

5S System and your policies to support it.

5S System Step 4 – The Standardize Step

The fourth step in a 5S System is to Standardize. In this step you will set in place the rules and

policies that support the first three steps, Sort, Straighten and Shine. A 5S System will only work

if it is followed.

To carry out the first three steps you should already have a support system in place. Such as

designated areas, proper marking of areas, a log of what goes where and other parts of a support

structure mentioned in the first three steps. These should all be standardized so that it is clear to

everyone what the support system is.

Schedule 5S Activities

By scheduling regular 5S activities you will make it part of the work routine. The goal is to make

5S a habit for your employees. It may take a few reminders, but before long employees will be

starting their 5S steps without supervision. You should always participate and follow-up to make

sure everyone is doing their part.

Establish a Daily Schedule

At the end of each work day, have employees take 15 minutes to perform micro versions of the

Sort, Straighten and Shine steps. At the end of the day the workspace should be clear of items

that do not belong there; clean, organized and ready to start work the next day.

Sort through the workspace and remove anything that does not belong.

Straighten up by putting everything back in its place.

Shine the workspace by cleaning, taking out the trash and sweeping.

Establish a Monthly Schedule

With employees following the daily schedule you should only need to do major 5S activities

once a month. I prefer to do it on the last Friday of each month. You should plan ahead for the

event by making a list of all activities that need to be done. Make sure you have all of the

supplies needed and that everyone is aware of what their tasks are.

Standardize for Safety

One of the benefits of a 5S System is it makes the workplace safer. Protecting the health and

well-being of your employees is part of your job. You should make sure that any needed safety

equipment is available and in designated areas. Items such as first aid kits, eye wash stations, fire

extinguishers and all other safety gear should be available, clearly marked and known to

everyone.

Paint lines to mark off hazardous areas and to define safe walking zones.

Put into place an emergency plan for fires, medical emergencies and natural disasters.

Rehearse them often enough so that everyone knows what to do and where to go.

Consider purchasing an automated external defibrillator (AED). According to the Red Cross

more than 200,000 Americans die of sudden cardiac arrest every year. Up to 50,000 of these

deaths could have been prevented. To find out more about an AED visit the Red Cross web

site. The life you save could be your own!

Continuous Improvement of a 5S System

No system remains perfect. The workplace and workspaces change. The work being done

changes. For whatever reason a 5S System must always be improved upon. You should regularly

review your 5S System and look for ways to improve it. Have a meeting before each monthly 5S

event to discuss and get feedback for improvement from employees.

Training and Documentation

A well developed 5S System must be well documented. Each step must detail what, when and

where they are done. Logs must be maintained. Location maps must be updated. You should

have both hard copy that can be put into a book, and softcopy that can be distributed or put on a

company intranet.

New employees must be trained on the 5S System. You should develop training documentation

for this purpose. Put up a 5S bulletin board to keep employees informed and aware of the 5S

System and activities. Post before and after pictures, a schedule of activities, individual and team

winners of 5S contests, and an overview of the system.

In Summary

The goal of standardization is to put in place a system to support your 5S System. You will want

to create a schedule for your 5S System with daily and monthly activities. You want to make it

part of the routine so it becomes a habit for your employees.

A safe workplace is a benefit of a 5S System. You should maximize this benefit into a larger

safety plan to ensure the health and safety of your employees. If parts of the workplace are

hazardous, they should be properly marked and safe zones should be established and marked.

You should always look for ways to improve on your 5S System and support structure. Make

improvement a team effort by getting feedback and suggestions from employees. Reward

innovation and improvement to increase interest in the program.

Documentation of the 5S System will need to be constantly updated. You should create training

documentation for new employees and establish a bulletin board to keep everyone aware and

updated on the program.

The last step in a 5S System is the Sustain step. This is about developing the self-discipline to

make a 5S System work and create a culture to support it. Look for the last article in this series

soon.

5S System Step 5 – The Sustain Step

The fifth and final step in a 5S System is Sustain. In this step you will instill the self-

discipline and culture that will sustain the program. Over time a 5S System may become

less effective due to complacency. To sustain a 5S System you must change the culture of

employees and sometimes the company.

Self-Discipline

To instill the self-discipline needed to sustain a 5S System is to get everyone to understand that

5S is here to stay. By nature people are resistant to change. After a while they may fall out of the

habits of 5S. Consider 5S to be part of the required work. If needed use disciplinary actions to

make sure it is done.

Reinforce the 5S System by holding regular meetings and keeping employees updated on

improvements. Solicit their involvement for suggestions or ideas to improve the 5S System.

Many employees will appreciate a cleaner and safer work environment and will be willing to

make the extra effort.

Evaluate the 5S System

As part of the continuous improvement of your 5S System you should regularly evaluate it.

When you started the program you had a goal. Has that goal been reached? Are you getting all of

the benefits of a 5S System? If not you need to examine why and put changes in place to achieve

the desired results.

Kaizen is a philosophy of which continuous improvement is a major part. You should look at

Kaizen methods to improve your 5S System. Use Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA) cycles to

make sure improvements are properly added to the 5S System. Examine each step in the process

and determine if the step is needed, can it be improved upon or should it be removed.

5S Contests

To help draw attention to the 5S System and offer incentives to employees hold contests related

to the 5S activities and events. Reward is a powerful incentive and the benefits you will reap

from a well run 5S System will make the reward a worthwhile investment.

Contests for individuals can include the best 5S workspace. For teams or groups it can be an area

or department. Awards for innovations and improvements that have been adopted will help the

program and offer an incentive for everyone to participate.

An added benefit of 5S contests is the winners will serve as an example for others to follow. It

will also create a friendly competition between individuals, teams and departments to win. While

some may see this as bribery, it is better for morale and will yield better results than only using

disciplinary actions. Remember you are trying to change the culture and that is not easily done

when something is forced upon someone.

Change the Culture

In many companies today the philosophy is to maintain the status-quo. “If it isn’t broke, why fix

it?” “I’ve been doing this job the same way for 20 years and it works fine for me.” These are the

types of resistance you may run into. Resistance may come from management and employees.

Some people just do not like change.

Without change it is impossible to grow, to improve, to do better. A 5S System should be the

start of a change in the culture of your company, department and employees. Our global

economy is very competitive. You should look for every opportunity to improve production,

reduce costs and improve worker morale. A 5S System is an excellent base upon which you can

build a culture of change and improvement.

In Summary

In order for your 5S System to reach its full potential you must instill self-discipline and change

the culture of your employees, teams, departments and company. Education and participation are

your best weapons against complacency.

Contests and rewards are excellent incentives to draw attention to and get everyone involved in

the 5S System. Be creative in how you create contests and reward those who perform well and

offer innovations and improvements.

Often changing the culture is the most difficult part of implementing and sustaining a good 5S

System. Resistance to change or new methods is commonplace. Everyone must understand that

the 5S System is here to stay.

Education about the 5S System and its benefits is a useful tool to sustain the program. Use your

5S System as a base from which you can build a culture of change for your company.  You

employees will learn that what is good for the company is good for them. The benefits of

continuous improvement will help make your company a stronger competitor in the global

marketplace.

This is the last article in a five part series on a 5S System. The four previous

articles Sort, Straighten,Shine and Standardize as well as this one are only an overview of 5S and

what it can do for your company. While these articles are aimed primarily at production

environments, a 5S System is just as important in an office environment. I plan to cover this at a

later date.

A 5S System is easy to implement, has little or no cost involved and can reap great benefits for

your company. I encourage you to research it more, develop your own plan and start creating a

culture of change in your company.

A 5S Office System – Part 1 Planning

5S System, lean office, and Kaizen are popular terms used to describe a

system used to find and remove all forms of waste in the work environment. These Kaizen

principles that are used on shop floors around the world to increase productivity and efficiency

can also be applied to the office environment.

A 5S Office System will make your office clean, organized and office workers more efficient.

Your office workers will be able to find what they need, when they need it and know exactly

where everything is.

A 5S Office System will lay the foundation for a lean office that you can build on. Using the 5S

System will make your office more productive, cleaner, raise office workers morale and save

your company money. Once this lean office foundation is in place you can build on it using the

principles of Kaizen to continuously improve your office environment and office management

systems.

This series of articles will take you through the stages of planning and implementing a 5S Office

System.

Part 1 – Planning

Part 2 – Laying the Foundation

Part 3 – Your First 5S Office Campaign

Part 4 – Sustaining the 5S Office System

Part 5 – Building on Your Success

Planning a 5S Office System

The key to proper implementation of a 5S Office System is planning. Educate yourself on the 5S

System and how it is used in the office. Here are some 5S System resources you will find useful.

How to Plan a 5S System Launch

5S System Step 1 – The Sort Step

5S System Step 2 – The Straighten Step

5S System Step 3 – The Shine Step

5S System Step 4 – The Standardize Step

5S System Step 5 – The Sustain Step

There are many sources available on the Internet as well as books.

5S FOR THE OFFICE: Organizing the Workplace to Eliminate Waste

5S Office Facilitator Guide

5S Office Training Package

Get The Support of Management

To be successful you will need to support of management and leadership. Prepare an overview of

a what a 5S System is. Explain how it will make the workplace cleaner, more productive, more

efficient, increase office worker morale and lower cost. Leadership likes to hear about low-cost

ways to improve in these areas so these will be your key selling points.

Create a 5S Office Team

To help you plan and start a 5S Office System create a 5S Office Team. Team members will be

managers, supervisors, team leads and your most organized and knowledgeable staff. Pick only a

few relevant members of management. Most of the team should be office workers. The best

feedback on improvement comes from those who actually do the work. They can tell you what

works and what needs to be improved on. This team will help you plan and launch your 5S

Office System as well as sustain it.

First Meeting

The goal of your first 5S Office System team meeting should be to educate your team members

on the 5S System and to set the goals you want to achieve.

Discuss the 5S’s

Sort - Remove everything from the office space that is not needed to do the work.

Straighten – “A place for everything and everything in its place”

Shine – Cleanliness

Standardize – Business rules to support the 5S System

Sustain – Instill the self-discipline to sustain the 5S System

Discuss the 7 Wastes in the Office

Over Production – More information than the customer needs, more information than the

next process needs, creating reports no one reads, or making extra copies

Transportation – Retrieving or storing files, carrying documents to and from shared

equipment, taking files to another person, or going to get signatures

Motion – Searching for files, extra clicks or keystrokes, clearing away files on the desk,

gathering information, looking through manuals and catalogs, or handling paperwork

Waiting – Waiting for faxes or a copy machine, for the system to come back up, for a

customer response, or a handed-off file to come back.

Unnecessary Processing – Creating reports, repeated manual entry of data, use of outdated

standard forms, or use of inappropriate software

Inventory – Files waiting to be worked on, open projects, too many office supplies, e-mails

waiting to be read, or unused records in the database

Defects – Data entry errors, pricing errors, missing information, missed specifications, or

lost records

During this meeting you should set the goals for your 5S Office System. Examples of goals

include:

Eliminate Waste

Increase Productivity

Increase Efficiency

Better Organization

Increase Your Office Workers Morale

A Clean Work Environment

Engage Your Office Workers

Before you launch meet with your office workers. During this meeting ask for as much feedback

as you can get from them. They will have ideas you never thought of to help improve the office

environment. Many of these can be integrated into the 5S Office System or used later as you

build your lean office.

For a 5S Office System to work you must have everyone aboard. A 5S System is dependent on

each office worker following the system and doing their part. You want to highlight that the

office workers are the companies most valuable resource and that a 5S Office System will make

their job easier.

Individual self-discipline will be required to sustain the system. By nature people are resistant to

change so you should take a slow approach. It will make it easier to start and sustain the 5S

System and have it accepted by office workers if they are part of the process.

A 5S Office System – Sustaining the 5S Office System

Standardize and Sustain are the fourth and fifth steps in a 5S Office System.

These last two steps are about keeping your 5S Office System running smoothly.

To do this you must set up standards and reinforce the 5S Office System.

After the first three articles A 5S Office System – Part 1 Planning, A 5S Office System – Part 2

Laying The Foundation and A 5S Office System – Part 3 Your First 5S Office Campaign you

have your 5S Office System in place. Now we will look at how you can sustain and improve the

system over time.

Establish Standards

To make sure the 5S Office System is followed you must set up standards. The goal is to put to

paper standards for how you want your office workspace to be maintained. These are the rules

but don’t call them that, call them standards.

Here is an example of standards for conference rooms

No food is allowed in the conference room

Doors should be closed during all meetings

Cell phones should be put on silent before a meeting starts

White boards must be cleared at the end of the meeting

All chairs must be put back in place and if extra seating is brought in it must be removed at

the end of the meeting

The meeting organizer is responsible for making sure the conference room is clean and

returned to standards at the end of each meeting. (accountability)

Remember a 5S Office System is about more than keeping things clean and organized. It should

include office etiquette as well. You are changing the culture of the office so this must include a

code of behavior such as turning off cell phones before a meeting starts.

Standards should be established for every common workspace and personal workspace. How

they should be laid out, how they should be labeled, how they should be organized, and how they

should be maintained.

Other areas to consider:

How desks and offices should be maintained

How filing cabinets and common work areas should be maintained

When files are pulled they must be returned to the proper filing cabinet by the end of each

day

Common work areas must be kept clean and organized

At the end of each day desks should be cleared and ready for work the next day

Don’t become a 5S Czar by laying down rules that are so rigid people will not follow them.

Standards should be best practices for maintaining a clean, organized and productive work

environment. Standards are the who, what, when, where and how of your 5S Office System.

Sustain The 5S Office System

The fifth and last step in a 5S Office System is the sustain step. With the sustain step you want to

instill the self-discipline needed for everyone to follow the 5S Office System. You also want to

lay the groundwork for changing the office culture.

Reinforce Your 5S Office Team

Continue to hold regular meetings with your 5S Office team to check the system. 5S utilizes

Kaizen which is a philosophy of small, but continuous improvements. No matter how good your

system is it can always be improved.

Evaluate your system to see if your goals are being met and if new goals need to be added. Look

at areas where the system is not working well and find out why. These meetings should cover the

5S Office System as well as the office culture.

Reinforce Your Employees

Old habits die hard over and over time the newness of the 5S Office System will wear off and

some people will be tempted to return to their old habits. The sustain step will make sure this

does not happen. By nature people are resistant to change and others may think this is just

another fad that will fade away.

One way to reinforce your employees is to hold monthly 5S Office campaigns. Over time

slippage will occur and more extensive sort, straighten and shine steps will need to be carried

out. As with your first campaign make it an office event. Make it a jeans Friday and bring in

snacks.

Hold a meeting or have a lunch to get feedback from employees. The goal is to keep employees

engaged in the 5S Office System so they know it is not going to fade away. Only then will it

become a habit and part of the office culture.

Contests are often used in 5S Systems. Rewards are good incentives and the benefits you reap

will be well worth the cost. The contests can be the best example of a 5S Office workspace, and

awards for teams or departments. It will raise morale and yield better results than disciplinary

actions.

Three Keys to Success

1. Ensure everyone knows what is expected of them. How can you expect people to follow a

system they do not understand or is not clearly defined by standards?

2. Set aside a specific time of day to carry out the sort, straighten and shine steps. This is the

biggest key to success. You must give your employees the time to support the system. Those

10-15 minutes at the end of each day are likely already lost with people preparing to go

home. Utilize this time to support the system. You want this to become a habit and habits are

formed by repetition.

3. Reinforce both your 5S Office team and your employees to keep the 5S Office system from

fading away.

A 5S Office System – Part 2 Laying The Foundation

In the first article A 5S Office System – Part 1 Planning we looked at the

planning and first meeting stages of implementing a 5S Office System.

Now you will learn how to build on this to lay the foundation for your 5S

Office System.

First a word about overdoing it. The 5S system was created for the

manufacturing environment. Part of this is using items such as shadow boards where the outline

of a tool is placed on a peg board so you know where it goes and if it is missing.

While I see great benefit for this in that environment, I have seen this translated to what I feel is

an extreme in the office environment. Some 5S Office Systems will have you literally label each

desk such as “stapler” and that is where your stapler must go.

You may want to carry your system this far, but remember the goal of a 5S Office System is to

create a more productive workplace and as a benefit to raise morale. Personally having my desk

labeled with the locations of everything on it and being expected to keep it that way is extreme.

I do recommend standards for cleanliness and organization for desks and cubicles. The goal for

the end of the day should be to have a desk that is clear and ready to start the next day. In my

opinion, to actually label a desk and force workers to maintain that layout takes away the ability

for each worker to adjust their workspace to fit their work flow.

Do you really want your 5S Office team to become office police going around taking away

points because a stapler is not in its labeled position?

During Follow-Up Meetings

Once you have educated your 5S Office team and established the goals you want to accomplish it

is time to plan your 5S Office System. Hold follow-up meetings to develop the tools and lay the

foundation of your 5S Office System.

Since the goal of the first 5S step is the remove all unnecessary items, your group must

determine where everything goes. Create a map and log to indicate where everything will be

located at the end of the campaign. Consider placing a 5S bulletin board in the office. On it you

will place educational material about 5S and a map showing where everything is located. It is

also an excellent location to place a suggestion box. You may be surprised at the good

suggestions that can come from those who actually do the work.

Zone Mapping

A key benefit of a 5S Office System is being able to find what you need, when you need it and

knowing where everything is. Tools to help you reach this goal will include maps and lists that

can be posted around the office and on your company intranet.

To help you determine what goes where take the office space and divide it into zones on an

office map such as A1, B2, etc. If the office space is large and contains several different

departments create a map specific for each department. Map the location of every filing cabinet

either by what the contents are or by a letter or numbered system. Log these to a sheet which can

be posted with the location map.

Desks and offices should be mapped not according to who is located there, but using a logical

zone based system. For instance office C12 and desk B19. Your location map can easily show

where office C12 and desk B19 is located. You can then create a separate document placing it on

your company intranet to indicate who is in office C12 and at desk B19. Office equipment

should also be zone based such as PA4 for the printer located in zone A4.

As workers change locations and new workers are hired it is much easier and faster to

accommodate their change of location using zone mapping. If someone is promoted from office

C12 to office A3 the reference sheet can be easily updated. Inventory tracking is made easier

because you can move the PC belonging to the worker in office C12 to office A3 and map them

to the printer in zone A with a quick update.

Other benefits of mapping out your office is for your new team members. They can be given a

map and reference sheet. They will then easily know where everything and everyone is located.

It will also benefit groups such as the IT department. They will be able to the track the inventory

and location of every piece of equipment. For instance they can change printer names to match

zone locations. When someone calls and says that printer PA4 is not working, they will know

exactly where that is. Be sure to label office equipment for ease of identification.

Plan the Work Flow

One of the goals of a 5S campaign in the office is to improve efficiency and productivity. To

enhance this consider the office layout and environment. Place filing cabinets containing

designated documents close to those who use them the most. You should have a designated area

for office supplies and cleaning supplies. If you do not have these consider building two closets

for these items centrally located if possible.

Consider the location of printers, fax machines, document shredders and other office equipment.

How much time is wasted going to retrieve documents from a printer located on the far side of

the room? Consider moving such items to a central location, near those who use them the most.

Since space in an office is valuable real estate look at the layout of desks, cabinets and office

equipment. Walking through a maze or areas that are too close together is a waste of time and

often hazardous. You want walkways to be clear of clutter and the office easy to navigate in. If

there are pieces of office furniture or office equipment that is not needed, dispose of it or move it

to a location that is out of the way.

Upgrade Your Office

Since the goal is to increase efficiency and productivity consider replacing any worn out office

furniture and equipment. How much time is wasted dealing with that old printer? Consider

replacing it with a modern multi-function printer.

All upgrades do not mean spending money. One way to save money is to go to a paperless office

where possible. It reduces printing costs and the need for so many filing cabinets. You can scan

documents into a portable format such as PDF and place them on a central and organized

location on your company network. Access can be controlled with folder rights so only those

who need access to the documents can get to them. Workers will never have to leave there desk

to retrieve a document and documents will never be lost or out of place!

Upgrading the office environment can also increase efficiency and productivity by increasing

worker morale. Workers who are happier about their work environment are more

productive.Replacing worn out office furniture and office equipment, implementing better office

organization and making it easier for workers to do their job can do wonders for increasing

morale. Consider placing some pictures on those blanks walls. Plants and other office friendly

decorations can liven up the work environment. If you have a break room look at upgrading it as

well.

Designate Sort Zones

A lot of items will be out of place. To prepare for this you must designate three specific areas

and provide plenty of boxes and bags to handle them all.

1. A place for items that need to be discarded. These are items you designate are no longer

needed and can be thrown away. Be sure you have an area for sensitive documents and a

shredder to destroy them before disposal.

2. A place for items that are out of place. Before beginning a 5S sort campaign for the office

you need to determine what goes where.

3. A place for items that have no designated area, but can not be discarded. You will have to

identify if you really need these items and if so where you will put them. Despite your best

efforts for planning, there will always be pieces that you do not have an assigned place for.

5S Campaign Supplies

Be sure you have enough cleaning supplies for the shine step. Cleaning rags, cleaning solutions,

brooms, dust pans, garbage bags and any other items that will be needed.

You will need to have LOTS of boxes to hold items that are out of place. The last part of the Sort

step will be to go through these boxes and tagged items and determine their fate.

Tags, labels and label makers will be very useful. During the 5S sort step items can be tagged to

indicate where they came from and in which of the three designated sort zones they belong.

Filing cabinets will need to be marked, as well as the folders inside them. Everything should be

labeled for easy identification.

A 5S Office System – Part 3 Your First 5S Office Campaign

There are many benefits to a 5S Office System. Saving time, saving money,

increasing efficiency, increasing production and increasing morale are just some

examples.

In the first two articles A 5S Office System – Part 1 Planning and A 5S Office System – Part 2

Laying The Foundation, we looked at planning for and laying down the foundation of a 5S

Office System. Now we will look to put everything to use by launching your first 5S Office

Campaign.

Ready

By this time you should have all of your planning done and all of the supplies you need to

support your 5S Office System.

A zone map designating where everything is located

Designated sort areas for sorting items that are out of place or their status is unknown

Supplies such as tags, boxes, trash bags, cleaning supplies

Your office flow examined and a list of changes to be made

Equipment and office furniture to be upgraded

At this point you need to or should have already set the date of your first 5S Office campaign.

Friday is always a good day to hold one on. Allow your team members to wear jeans and

comfortable shoes. Most likely you will not be able to shut down office operations so plan your

campaign in stages with as little interruption to team members as possible.

Set

Now it is time to bring the entire office staff onboard with the 5S Office System.

Hold one large or several small meetings to educate them on what a 5S Office

System is, what it means to them and how they will participate. It is a good idea

to have hand-outs ready that explains the 5S Office System and what team members are expected

to do. You will have lots of questions and a few grumbles, but as with anything that is new be

patient as it will take time for everyone to get onboard.

By this time you should have all of the support structure in place. Zone maps should be posted

around the office or on your organizations Intranet. If you plan on using a bulletin board it

should already be up, along with a suggestion box.

The day before your campaign review everything with your 5S Office team. Be sure everyone

knows their tasks and that everything is in place. You can expect plenty of bumps and forgotten

items to show up so you should expect these. If your office is in really bad shape you may not

get everything done in one day. For instance if you are upgrading equipment and furniture it

would be best to do that after the first campaign is complete.

The goal of the first campaign is to clear out everything that does not belong and set everything

in its place. This is the foundation you will build on. It may take several campaigns and be

followed by daily, weekly and monthly work to get the 5S Office System in place and part of the

daily routine.

Days or even weeks before you start your first campaign take pictures. You will post them on the

5S Office System bulletin board or Intranet web site as before and after pictures. They will serve

as excellent reminders of how bad it was and how much better it is with a 5S Office System.

Go!

Launch day is here and your team is ready to go. Use the steps in the 5S Office

System as your guide to run your campaign.

Sort

The Sort step for the office is about removing anything that is not necessary to do the work.

Sort through work areas and remove any unnecessary items such as books, supplies and files.

Check inside all drawers, cabinets and storage areas.

The goal of the sort step is to remove anything that does not belong. Items that are out of place

and items that a team member does not know where it goes should be taken to the designated sort

areas. In the sort areas items should be tagged according to what is to be done with them.

Relocation to a specific area and trash are the most likely outcomes. If in doubt, move it out. You

can always come back and replace something if it is needed.

Each team member should be responsible for their own desk. You do not want members of your

5S Office team going through team members desk, cabinets or belongings. Give each employee

at least one box to place items that do not belong in their work area. 5S Office team members can

then take the boxes to the sort areas.

This is also the time to shred documents or other material that is no longer needed. You can

create a lot of free space by getting rid of paperwork that is no longer needed. It will also make it

easier in the next step when you organize and label all of your files and cabinets.

Straighten

Once all of the clutter has been removed it is time to put things in their place. Start by clearing

out your sort areas and putting items where they belong. Next move through the office looking

for anything that may have been missed. You want as much removed as possible to make the

Shine step easier. Some items may have to wait until the Shine step has been completed to return

them.

Arrange items so that they are easily accessible. Use a labeling system to label all folders and

other items so they can be easily spotted. The goal is to be able to find what you are looking for

in 30 seconds or less.

The motto for the Straighten step is “Everything has a place, everything in its place”. This is

your goal for this step. For most desks and cabinets this will just mean sorting through what is

left and organizing it. If desks, furniture or equipment is to be moved to improve work flow this

is the time to do it.

Shine

Now that all of the clutter has been removed and everything has been put in to place it is time to

clean. This is the step where people will really start to notice the results.

Clean everything in the work area including all office equipment. If your office equipment has

not been recently serviced, service it yourself or setup a service call. Move furniture if needed to

get everything swept or vacuumed. Literally look high and low for dirt, trash and gunk. You will

be surprised at what you will find.

Standardize

The last two steps are about installing a system that will support and maintain the 5S Office

System. You should already have written a document explaining to everyone what is expected of

them. Detail what should be done at the end of each day, each week and each month.

Establish standards for how the work areas should be maintained. Everything should be kept

clean and organized. When items are pulled for use they should be returned when you are done

with them. Standardization is important to maintaining and improving on the system.

At the end of each workday you want each work area to be ready to start work the next day.

Don’t allow files and paperwork to pile up on desks. They should be disposed of or returned to

when they belong when they are no longer needed. This should be part of the daily routine and

should become a habit for everyone.

Sustain

Be sure that everyone is following the new 5S Office System standards. This is about making

sure everyone is following the 5S Office System and doing their part. A word of warning here.

You do not want to establish a 5S Office police force. A negative opinion will develop very

quickly. You want everyone to be onboard and it may take others longer to get with the new

system. Be patient!

If your first 5S Office campaign was done properly everyone should notice the difference. Being

able to find what you need when you need it, not having to walk halfway across the building to

get office supplies, seeing the office clean and tidy should raise morale. The goal of the Sustain

step is to instill a philosophy that will make the 5S Office system part of the office culture.

Evaluation

Now that your first 5S Office campaign is complete it is time to meet with your 5S team

members and see what worked and what needs to be improved on. Don’t expect everything to go

perfect the first time. Your 5S Office System should include continuous improvement. Things

will change and your system must adapt to those changes.

If you did not get everything done this time make plans for your next campaign. If your plan

includes replacing old equipment or office furniture make plans to do this now. You probably ran

across things you did not plan for or uncovered things you did not know existed.

The most effective system is one where everyone takes 15 minutes at the end of each day to

perform the first three steps. If they make 5S part of their daily routine it should take less time

than this. This also gives them time to set themselves up so they can start work with a clean slate

the next day.

If needed set aside more time at the end of the day on Friday to perform the first three steps in

more detail than can be done during the week. Having everything sorted, back in its place and

cleaned makes Monday mornings a lot more tolerable and productive.

Plan on having monthly 5S Office campaigns on set dates. The last Friday of the month is a good

time. Make it an event that people will look forward to rather than dread. Bring in snacks, make

it a casual Friday, be creative to make it not only productive in maintaining the 5S Office

System, but a morale booster as well. You may want to put a little competition into it by

rewarding people or teams with the best areas. Gift cards or other rewards are a good incentive.

Most of all remember that a 5S Office System is about making the workplace better. More

efficient, more productive, cleaner and raising morale. It is not a rigid system that must be

followed “or else”. You want your 5S Office System to be accepted and work. This will lay the

foundation for further improvements in the future. A successful 5S Office System that is

accepted and followed will make it much easier to make these improvements in the future.

A 5S Office System – Sustaining the 5S Office System

Standardize and Sustain are the fourth and fifth steps in a 5S Office System.

These last two steps are about keeping your 5S Office System running smoothly.

To do this you must set up standards and reinforce the 5S Office System.

After the first three articles A 5S Office System – Part 1 Planning, A 5S Office

System – Part 2 Laying The Foundation and A 5S Office System – Part 3 Your First 5S Office

Campaign you have your 5S Office System in place. Now we will look at how you can sustain

and improve the system over time.

Establish Standards

To make sure the 5S Office System is followed you must set up standards. The goal is to put to

paper standards for how you want your office workspace to be maintained. These are the rules

but don’t call them that, call them standards.

Here is an example of standards for conference rooms

No food is allowed in the conference room

Doors should be closed during all meetings

Cell phones should be put on silent before a meeting starts

White boards must be cleared at the end of the meeting

All chairs must be put back in place and if extra seating is brought in it must be removed at

the end of the meeting

The meeting organizer is responsible for making sure the conference room is clean and

returned to standards at the end of each meeting. (accountability)

Remember a 5S Office System is about more than keeping things clean and organized. It should

include office etiquette as well. You are changing the culture of the office so this must include a

code of behavior such as turning off cell phones before a meeting starts.

Standards should be established for every common workspace and personal workspace. How

they should be laid out, how they should be labeled, how they should be organized, and how they

should be maintained.

Other areas to consider:

How desks and offices should be maintained

How filing cabinets and common work areas should be maintained

When files are pulled they must be returned to the proper filing cabinet by the end of each day

Common work areas must be kept clean and organized

At the end of each day desks should be cleared and ready for work the next day

Don’t become a 5S Czar by laying down rules that are so rigid people will not follow them.

Standards should be best practices for maintaining a clean, organized and productive work

environment. Standards are the who, what, when, where and how of your 5S Office System.

Sustain The 5S Office System

The fifth and last step in a 5S Office System is the sustain step. With the sustain step you want to

instill the self-discipline needed for everyone to follow the 5S Office System. You also want to

lay the groundwork for changing the office culture.

Reinforce Your 5S Office Team

Continue to hold regular meetings with your 5S Office team to check the system. 5S utilizes

Kaizen which is a philosophy of small, but continuous improvements. No matter how good your

system is it can always be improved.

Evaluate your system to see if your goals are being met and if new goals need to be added. Look

at areas where the system is not working well and find out why. These meetings should cover the

5S Office System as well as the office culture.

Reinforce Your Employees

Old habits die hard over and over time the newness of the 5S Office System will wear off and

some people will be tempted to return to their old habits. The sustain step will make sure this

does not happen. By nature people are resistant to change and others may think this is just

another fad that will fade away.

One way to reinforce your employees is to hold monthly 5S Office campaigns. Over time

slippage will occur and more extensive sort, straighten and shine steps will need to be carried

out. As with your first campaign make it an office event. Make it a jeans Friday and bring in

snacks.

Hold a meeting or have a lunch to get feedback from employees. The goal is to keep employees

engaged in the 5S Office System so they know it is not going to fade away. Only then will it

become a habit and part of the office culture.

Contests are often used in 5S Systems. Rewards are good incentives and the benefits you reap

will be well worth the cost. The contests can be the best example of a 5S Office workspace, and

awards for teams or departments. It will raise morale and yield better results than disciplinary

actions.

Three Keys to Success

1. Ensure everyone knows what is expected of them. How can you expect people to follow a

system they do not understand or is not clearly defined by standards?

2. Set aside a specific time of day to carry out the sort, straighten and shine steps. This is the

biggest key to success. You must give your employees the time to support the system. Those

10-15 minutes at the end of each day are likely already lost with people preparing to go home.

Utilize this time to support the system. You want this to become a habit and habits are formed

by repetition.

3. Reinforce both your 5S Office team and your employees to keep the 5S Office system from

fading away.