Leader-led 5S

Over the years that I have been leading myself (and others) on the journey to a culture of continuous improvement, I've learned that the most important thing is the leaders are the first followers.  That means that; they implement the tools in their own areas before expecting others to do it, a.k.a. walk the talk.

My first entry in these posts following that theming is about implementing 5S in an office environment...yes at your desk too... I've heard so many people groan when I say that.  Most of the time they groan because previous coworkers (or even themselves) have put tape outlines, shadow boards, and labels where their phone, monitor, pencils, everything should go.  This is just plain wrong.  Or, at the very least, a misunderstanding of keeping 5S itself lean.

The level of visual controls implemented in the "Standardize" phase of 5S should be directly proportional to how frequently it is used and by how many different people.  We should strive to minimize the amount of signage to find the balance between communicating relevant information and not over-whelming people with too much such that the message gets lost.  There is a much more simple and effective solution that can be implemented anywhere. Let me explain.

The 4th S (Standardize) should be done with a simple/printable 8.5" x 11" color picture and a few pertinent items that you want to communicate such as your name, title, group, and office location. This is your desk's visual control.  

The 5th S (Sustain) is a little more involved.  You should create and post a sweep log for each month, it can combine multiple different desks or offices in an area (e.x. Alex, Bob, and Carla).  This log should be signed off daily, typically with a green/red/black status.  Green means good, red means you have something in or out-of-place in your office.  Black is for weekends and other out-of-office days (e.x. vacation days or training).

*Pro-tip: You should designate a WIP area in your visual control and/or labeled area.  This allows you to keep project-related materials that may be relevant to your job while still maintaining 5S.

There is one more step to the 5th S, and it is probably the most important.  You should keep track of the scores, with a simple Green=2, Red=1, and blank=0.  Do this as a group percentage and start making it a friendly competition.  Once you reach a sustained level of 85% or above (3x months in a row).  Then you start adding other groups and areas.  Shared spaces, meeting rooms, and *gasp* the floor should be next.  Spread that success.

This sets you up for success when implementing 5S on the floor.  If you are a CI leader (CI mgr, Lean practitioner, OpEx Lead, etc.), that means yours should be done before the first training.  Then when you start training people, you can bring them to your area as a 5S GEMBA walk.  Then they can start implementing in their own areas and train others based upon actually doing to themselves first.

This, everyone, is simple and invaluable to an organizations Continuous Improvement culture.  As with all CI/Lean things, I cannot guarantee this will give success, but without it I can 99.99999% guarantee failure.

Thanks for your time,

Lean Matt