Five S: Top Notch Organization as a Foundation for World Class
At GP Deltapoint, we describe Sorting, Simplifying, Systematic Cleaning, Standardizing, and Sustaining as Five S. We work with clients to implement Five S, either by providing materials or by leading them through the stages of Five S at their workplaces.
For each S, we describe levels of achievement: five of them. So top-notch Five S is attaining level 5 in each S. That means:
- Sorting such that cleanliness problem areas are identified and mess prevention actions are in place for them.
- Simplifying to such an extent that any needed item can be retrieved within 30 seconds using a minimum number of steps.
- Systematic cleaning so that all foreseeable potential organizing and cleanliness problems are identified and countermeasures are documented.
- Reliable methods and standardization for housekeeping, daily inspections and workplace arrangement are shared and are used throughout similar work areas.
- Sustaining behavior so that root causes are eliminated and improvement actions focus on developing preventive methods.
Is this a tall order? Hardly; but many organizations struggle to get past the ritual of annual cleaning followed by 12 months of gradual decline until the next feverish clean up and wishful thinking about standards of organization and orderliness. The root cause for this often lies in the incomplete participation of senior managers. The office and factory must be spotless, but middle managers' offices contain precarious piles of paper. The office has weekly meetings, but management won't cough up $25 for a vacuum cleaner. Worst of all, the management hierarchy does not participate in the spirit of Five S other than checking whether their direct reports checked the checks of the supervisors checking the Five S audits of the front line team.
Management must participate fully in Five S. Their offices must be clean and tidy. Their files should be ordered. They should do their part in keeping common areas organized and tidy, just as they found them. If Five S teams audit their own attainment of Five S goals, supervisors audit whether teams have the resources needed to remedy acute and chronic orderliness issues. Managers audit whether supervisors have provided common and consistent frameworks for Five S success. And senior managers should work with their reports to ensure that Five S improvement is continuous. After all, Top Notch Five S begins at the top.
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