In this article, I am going to provide definitions and explain the value of conducting 5S activity in the office. But first just a little bit of background regarding 5S. You may have heard the acronym hundreds of times, but not know what it is means. 5S is derived from 5 Japanese words, each which begins with the letter “S”. Taiichi Ohno developed the 5S methodology and integrated it into the Toyota Production System or TPS. It has become a common practice of companies who practice lean manufacturing principles. It isn’t the Japanese words that are important but rather the context of the message behind each word which will be translated into English.

The words are Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. The words define a methodology of creating an optimized work environment which results in a more productive, organized workplace, a more comfortable place to complete the work tasks, and a cleaner and safer place for doing your work. So, what’s the big deal? Aren’t ALL offices structured this way? We don’t have to go too far to answer this one…just look at your desk.

Okay, now that I have convinced you that just maybe you could use a little organizational improvement, let’s proceed to understand the 5S categories.

Sort is the first stage of conducting 5S activity. Sort simply means to separate what you need and eliminate the things you no longer need. To clarify, there is the grey area that reserves those things you use from time to time but not every day. Let’s just be honest and call the stuff we don’t need “clutter.” Now that I have offended the pack rats out there, it is time to move ahead versus reveling in your collection of treasured junk or those items you just can’t part with. We all have spent lots of time moving this stuff around looking for the things we need right now, right this instant and can’t seem to locate. Sometimes and maybe more than we would like to admit, we can’t find it, so, if it is convenient, we go buy another one, or ask someone if they have a copy of the missing item and if they can forward you the document or file, or just re-do what was done before. (Memory jogger – does this sound like it could be one of the 8 Wastes?)

I hate to be so brutally honest, no I don’t that was a lie, but this thing we call treasures or esteem as valuable, not only impacts your performance but also creates frustration on the receiver’s end. The receiver is your customer. Your condition of clutter often becomes someone else’s wait time, especially when that emergency happens.

So, let’s begin by identifying those articles, items and supplies that we use every day. These stay close to us so disposal is out of the question. But other things that clutter our desk tops, desk drawers, file cabinets, and supply cabinets, need to be separated away from our daily work. Sort it out. Frequently used items you keep. Other items that you do not use frequently can be moved away from our work space. And others that we use once a quarter, bi-annually or annually can be moved to another area of the department office. Everything else you need to truly determine if it’s time has come and it goes into the trash. I know, office work has retention dates, so these items fit the category above. It is a good idea to check your company’s retention policy BEFORE you begin 5S-ing the office. Old reports, meeting minutes, catalogs, etc., are the clutter and these go to the trash can. It will be handy to have a large trash can and shredder available during this activity.

Sort the entire office for clutter or debris. Look around the office:

· Search in all spaces, small storage rooms, closets, inside cabinets and drawers

· Look for unneeded, unused or broken equipment

· Look for unneeded, unused or broken furniture

· Scan shelves and the top of cabinets (Note: A 5S Rule is never to store anything on top of a cabinet.)

· Search walls or zones where items have postings, bulletin boards to ensure out dated information is removed

· Look for unneeded materials and supplies (Is YOUR desk drawer the company’s supply cabinet?)

· Look for other unneeded items, like paperback books, magazines, extra shoes, clothing, magazine

· The computer should not be forgotten as obsolete documents, emails, logs, calendar notices, etc., all take up valuable space in our system that need to be reviewed for their usefulness. If backup is mandatory, you could transfer to a flash drive.

The Sort process in manufacturing utilizes a special space to move all the unwanted, broken, or not needed items. It is called the Red Tag area as these items are identified with a Red (Identification) Tag for future disposition. Your office can create a similar spot for your 5S Sort activity. Move the stuff to your designated area. The motto of Sort is “When in doubt, throw it out.” It is fun doing this and seeing all the stuff that accumulates. You will also notice that suddenly you have more available space to store and organize the things you need. Congratulate yourself now. You and your team just completed Stage 1 – Sort.

The next step is to Straighten . This process is the activity that organizes the work environment into a uniform standard through substantial use of visual aids, such as labels, color coding, lines of demarcation, signage, and storage devices. The motto of 5S is “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Applying the straightening technique to the environment does exactly that. Forget about the office for just one moment and put yourself inside your home’s kitchen. You have a personal example of where everything goes because you created a specific spot for these items. Dishes, spices, pots & pans, flatware, glasses, cups, cooking oils, dry baking goods, and more, all have a specific cabinet and location. I would bet if I blindfolded you in your own kitchen and told you to set a complete place setting with salt and pepper, you would be able to do it with no problem. Let’s go back to office. The office should replicate the kitchen setting in concept, creating an environment that is visually attractive and uniform to all office associates. Labels and color-keyed folders are excellent tools for organizing documents in file cabinet or binders on shelves. Arrange documents by client, customer, month, year, numerical or alphabetical sequence, or other special category to provide quick recognition when retrieving or filing the paperwork. Your entire office should discuss the best method for this process as it has many variations. The exterior of the cabinet or shelving should also be labeled to define the contents of what is behind the drawer.

The next step is to organize your desk and desk drawers. If the office tasks are shared, then it becomes more important to ensure the desk layout are the same. When one associate is out ill or out on vacation, it is important to be able to sit in that seat and navigate your way through the tasks without spending needless time looking to find files, documents, office supplies, forms, stamps, etc. The crisis always happens the first day the person is out of the office and nobody knows where the information is kept. Therefore, the desk setting needs to comply to the kitchen setting. The drawers should be organized with minimal office supplies and supply organizers. I have experienced seeing some desk drawers look like overflowing pantries stuffed with snacks and food like a bomb shelter as well as carrying more office supply inventory then OfficeMax. Hopefully all of this was sorted out in the first stage of the 5S activity but if not, now is the time to achieve it. Think and act minimal in terms of supply. All supplies should be arranged in a neat and orderly fashion. Procuring office supply organizers makes the task much easier and when you happen to temporarily take over your co-worker’s desk, you will be less frustrated looking for the items you need to complete the work.

The top of desk should be clear of all debris and only what is needed or being worked on should be in site. All other stuff should be in its place until needed, meaning stored and filed away until the work is to be handled. Do all the items on top of the desk top need to be outlined and labeled as to what it is? You may recall I used the word visually attractive in introducing the Straighten principle. Unlike the factory floor where employee turnover or multiple shifts exist, that creates a mandatory need for lines of demarcation. The office desk top usually does not require this extensive identification. The choice is up to the office associates but what is mandatory is that everyone knows the standard. “A place for everything and everything in its place” means exactly that. The in-box, out-box, work in process box, stapler, tape dispenser, mouse, keyboard, desktop computer, docking station, etc., all have a designated spot regardless if it is outlined. If you can achieve the standard without the boundary tape, then go for it. Time will tell if you are successful or not. Large offices with a large staff that rotate desks on a frequent basis should use the outlining technique. Shared rooms, such as conference rooms, require a standard, which can be a posted photograph of how the room is to be left after the meeting. Designated placement of items, that are used frequently by employees in the conference room, are a strong consideration for a taped off location.

Shine is the third stage of 5S activity. Shine goes beyond just dusting or cleaning. It is the process of ensuring while you are cleaning that everything you are using is functioning the way it should. When you clean, you inspect the area or item to determine if it is safe to use and it performs it function the way it should. Examples are a loose chair arm support, broken caster, the chair’s back support function is operating improperly, the desk lamp or overhead lights are flickering, the wiring is frayed, the mouse’s batteries are low, etc.

To perform this activity, you will need a few cleaning supplies.

· A non-abrasive cloth for cleaning the computer screen

· A cloth or paper toweling for cleaning the desktop with a cleaner such as Windex

· Cloth for wiping the inside of the drawers and cleaning your desk drawer organizers

· A keyboard cleaner or air duster spray

· A small keyboard vacuum, if available

· Disinfect wipes

· Furniture polish and polishing cloth

The office setting should always have a clean, professional appearance with an uncluttered desk top. I am sure you have seen some work areas that you would be afraid to touch anything on the desk. Shine activity is a regular cycle, so that the office looks the same at the beginning of the day and at the close of the day. It takes just a few moments to clear up and put everything in order before you leave each day. Wipe up the coffee spill, dust off the cookie crumbs from the desktop, and return the desk to that professional look so you can start fresh the next day. I had an office roommate who did not have the same workplace organizational habits as I did. Here is an example of his desk, before, after and during the work day.

If the exterior looks this way I am sure you can imagine what the inside drawers look like. Unfortunately, I had the task of cleaning up this desk when the employee left the company. I put on my hazmat suit and took on the daunting task of trying to determine what was useful and what was not, inclusive of the less than superior document filing system. The only order that existed was in the mind of the employee, so it was difficult to determine where things were placed as well as knowing the intermediate stages of any of the work. I am glad he was not my medical doctor.

When completed, the practice of Shine yields:

· A cleaner workplace that eliminates hazards thus resulting in fewer injuries

· Improves customer satisfaction and confidence in the work process

· Provides a more effective and satisfying place to work

· Quality will exist in and of the work accomplished

· Optimizes employee performance by eliminating “seek and find” frustrations

You have just completed the physical tasks of 5S. Everything now should have that professional appeal to it. Life is good. It is good feeling to have everything cleaned up, sorted out, and put into its proper place, even if it’s just the office cubicle. Once finished, in a very short time, you will notice many things that were frustrating, stressful, annoying, and just chaotic disappear. You added order into your process and eliminated waste at the same time. You have become a student of the basic lean principles.

This completes what I wanted to accomplish in this article. In Article 4, Standardization and Sustain, the remaining two elements of 5S will be discussed. Until then.

Please feel free to send me any questions or comments at: pverschaeve@surefoundationsllc.com