Recommended Training Program for 5S

If I had to pick one piece of advice it would be this...don't call it 5S...and don't expect people to memorize what each of the S's represents (in either Japanese or English). In order to make it stick, my experience has been about showing the value of a culture that has 5S integrated within it, in everything they do.

Yes, some basic training is needed...and it will probably cover the 5S's and what they stand for...plus there is the inclusions of the tips and tools to help get that integration within your culture going...but for a guy on the floor or the lady driving the forklift, they don't care if it's called 5S or Housekeeping or That Thing We Do Every First Friday of the Month. They care about being able to do their job, quickly, efficiently, effectively and safely.

That being said, I'm sure other people on here can recommend some great external resources. I've just developed the in-house training materials using in-house examples with the in-house tools.

...and if you continue reading, you'll discover my reasoning behind the first paragraph...

Our global company had preached and advocated the 5S principles for many years. Our first attempt at implementing it failed. We picked the messiest, dirtiest, most unorganized department we had. And nothing was going to make them change...not even a nice coat of fresh paint.

Our second attempt had us working with a department that was already organized and clean and seemingly efficient. We worked with them to find ways to improve the layout, engaged the operators, implemented their solutions (including one of their own designs for a worktable caddy system) and so on. A short hallway connected this department with our first failed attempt. Every now and then...a head would pop in and check out what we were doing and the results.

By the time we came around to that department where we had initially failed, they were chomping at the bit to embrace the 5S culture and tools!

Over a year or two, our employees took ownership of their areas (even to the point of handing a broom to our Brazilian owner when he tracked dirt into a traditionally dirty area...our area was so clean, you could eat off of the floor).

Eventually, we were assessed by our Brazilian counterparts on the principles and standards and metrics that they had developed for 5S.

... and ...

We failed. Why? Because our team members on the floor could not answer "What are the 5S's?" We would have aced every other part of that standard, but because we could not answer that question, we failed.

I challenged the assessors on this. What is more important...knowing the 5S's or embracing the methodology? Do you have to consciously think about breathing in order for it to work, or is it more important that it is part of your daily routine?

We won the challenge. We became one of the benchmark locations in the entire organization on 5S. ... And after we invited the local Toyota plant to send some people over for a tour, we had even impressed them.

Yes, a long story. It was a long battle for us to figure out what we eventually learned. The gurus and champions may need to know all the intricate little details of 5S, but to the everyday person, the bigger challenge (with the better value), is getting them to incorporate it into their everyday activity.

 

I have been through more or less exactly the phases Roxane describes.

Agreed, and as usual, the route towards acceptance involves leading by example: How could I possibly ask people to get their respective work areas in order if my own desk looks like a landslide waiting to happen? Obviously, I have to (and do) keep my own room neat and tidy first.

 

The 6S term works when the first 5S's are in English...Sort, Simplify all the way to Safety. That being said, I'm with you on the concept that safety should be one of the inherent characteristics of a 5S program. For example, let's look at an office environment :

Sort - Do you need that fire extinguisher? Well, it's not part of your job but regulations and an overall sense of self-preservations says that you do need it 'just in case'.
Simplify - Hopefully, you don't need to use that fire extinguisher every day, so perhaps it doesn't need to be immediately within reach.
Shine (or Systematic clean) - Regular inspections of the fire extinguisher to ensure it is usable.
Standardize - Has the same approach been taken to identify and maintain fire extinguishers (eg, not blocked).
Sustain - Is there evidence of regular inspection/maintenance, training on use? Has the extinguisher actually been used and appropriately replenished?

If, however, you think my fire extinguisher example is too obvious an example...having come from a background heavy in manufacturing, our Shine (or Systematic clean) section of the checklist included items about no puddles or hoses or tripping harzards in the area. Again...safety should be a built-in notion within a 5S culture. I find including it as a separate notion creates silos within a culture - it's comparable to ISO 9001's QUALITY Management System. Those who truly don't understand the concept believe that it's the Quality Department's job and fail to recognize that Quality is part of everyone's job in everything that they do...no matter if it's the person who signs the pay cheques, touches the product or sweeps the floor.

 

When 5S is not consistently applied, it's a program not a culture.

Actually, I have another reason for disliking 6S...when were first discussed possibly going that route of adding 'Safety', people confused it with our 6 Sigma initiative.

 

Any system...if it is to succeed...should have minimal enforcement. Checks are one thing...reviewing results, even audits to a certain point. But the "Kwality Kops" and a 5/6S equivalent add little, if any, value to the overall system. I've always said that the true sign that I've helped to implement a system is when I am no longer needed.

 

How does your organization currently assess if workplaces are sorted, simplified and systematically cleaned? That could be the foundation of your checks.

My organization, however, did implement audits conducted by personnel external to the department. These audits were not announced and could take place at any time. This was done to assess if work places were being maintained outside of a designated audit period window. That being said, we did not conduct 5S audits on downdays (i.e., maintenance days when the activities in the area were not the normal day-to-day routines).