Operational Excellence Toolkit

5S TECHNIQUE
 5S - One page lesson
Description: Workplace Organisation (5S) is a management philosophy for creating and maintaining a highly effective, high-performance
workplace. It is often used as an enabling mechanism for continuous improvement.

5 Sustain
• Define roles and responsibilities
• Create a schedule to test
workplace against the 5S
standard
• Encourage further improvement
1 Sort
• Clear out cupboards, desks and
shared spaces 2 Straighten
• Archive rarely used items
• “Red Tag” unwanted items • Put frequently used items close
• Recycle where possible at hand
• Retain only what is needed • Ensure storage is appropriately
sized
• Replace broken items
• Arrange desks
• Label and organise cupboards

4 Standardise 3 Shine
• Create record of the new • Thoroughly clean the workplace
workplace standard including shared spaces
• Use visual indicators • Dispose of unwanted “Red Tag”
• Improve signage items
• Colour coding to delineate work

Benefit: Streamlined workplace, increased efficiency, improved skills transfer and minimised waste. Serves as a simple technique to quickly
identify opportunities in any area independent of formal projects or improvement efforts. The 5s technique can be applied to both physical
work areas and electronic work spaces (email, folders, shared drives etc.)
 5S - “How to”
Purpose Steps
To ensure that teams have the 1. Make an initial assessment of the workplace and identify
equipment and resources close opportunities
to hand that enable them to work 2. Talk to managers and staff to gauge their appetite for
as effectively as possible change, needs and concerns
3. Brief the team on the 5S principles and approach
When To Use 4. Take team members and managers to see other
environments that have adopted 5S principles (e.g. Library)
• As part of the deployment of 5. Organise an initial day to sort the work environment – make
Operational Management the day as fun and interactive as possible and encourage
• To ensure that teams everyone to join in (especially senior managers)
minimise the amount of time 6. Think about both the physical workplace and electronic
wasted searching for storage
equipment, documents or 7. Create a “red tag” area to store items that are not required
information 8. Engage with facilities to ensure that there are adequate bins
and recycling facilities - try to recycle and reuse as much as
• When space is at a premium
possible
and there is a need to
9. Work with the team to define new standards for the
maximise utilisation and
workplace
minimise waste of resources
10. Create visual reminders to help the team remember what
has been agreed
Output 11. Encourage everyone to address issues when they see them
• A safer, more professional, and not wait to be told
better organised work 12. Document the standard and create a checklist
environment. 13. Conduct periodic reviews to highlight opportunities for
• A more pleasant environment improvement
for employees 14. Ask the team to think about other applications (e.g. email
• More effective and flexible inboxes) and improvements
utilisation of space 15. Encourage senior managers to role model the new
behaviours and standards
 5S - examples
Shared areas tidied …. Corridors cleared ….

Cluttered desks organised …. Storage freed up ….

 5S example : Desk Visual Standard

Nothing above the baffle board

All pending work
in desk trays

Up to 2 personal Up to 5 small
photo’s ornaments

Stationery and
personal effects Clear desk at end Nothing stored
stored in Pedestal of working day under desk

Team defined and agreed Desk Standard – Professional but personal

 5S example: Sustain Checklist
WORKPLACE ORGANISATION CHECKLIST

Department Date

Reviewer

Check Y/N Comments / Actions

Work Is the name / function of the team clearly displayed?
The team’s purpose, work and performance
Is team performance clearly visible and up to date?
is clearly visible. Confidential items are
Is pending work clearly labelled and organised?
locked away
Is a clear desk observed at the end of the day?

Are confidential items locked away?

Desks follow an agreed standard and team Desks Is the Desk Standard documented and visible?

members have the equipment they need to Do team members desks follow the standard

work effectively Is all equipment in a good working state?

Storage Are the contents of cupboards clearly labelled?

Are the interiors of cupboards tidy?

There is sufficient storage and it is used
Is the space used appropriately?
appropriately
Are the tops of cupboards / window cills free from clutter

Print areas Are print areas tidy?

Print rooms are tidy and equipment is fully Is the equipment working?
functional Is stock managed appropriately?

Health, Are the corridors and passageways free from rubbish?

Safety &
The work space is clean, free of safety Environment Is it easy to identify the Manager / Supervisors?

hazards and comfortable Are carpets are furnishings clean?

Are lights / heating working correctly

Are there sufficient bins and recylcing facilities?

Meeting Is the equipment in good working order

Meeting rooms are tidy and have fully space
Are there sufficienct chairs?
working equipment
Are meeting rooms free from clutter
 5S - Best practice tips1
Team should create a statement
Look at ways to reduce amount
of aims before commencing the
of paper generated in the first
exercise
place
Engage with Estates to make
sure any rubbish is uplifted
Engage cleaning staff to borrow
quickly
equipment

Nominate a champion for each Workspace is very personal and

team involved some people need time to adjust

Need to be mindful of people

Look at reducing the number of
who’s workspace has been
printers
adjusted by Occupational Health

Multiple teams working together

2 full days of activity is a bonding experience

Set aside a “Room of non

requirements” to place unwanted Look at centralising stationary
items storage and ordering

1
From Library 5S exercise June 2014