Ivan Carillo
5S METHODOLOGY
HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR WORKSPACE
FOR EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS
Ivan Carillo
Trying to stay organized in a chaotic workplace?
Learn 5S methodology, and your productivity
troubles will end once and for all.
5S refers to five Japanese terms which are used
to describe the main steps of visual management
toward Operational Excellence:
整理 → Sort
- (1S) Seiri
整頓 → Set In Order
- (2S) Seiton
清掃 → Shine
- (3S) Seisō
清潔 → Standardize
- (4S) Seiketsu
しつけ → Sustain
- (5S) Shitsuke
The 5S system can turn any dirty place into a
clean, standardized workplace when successfully
implemented.
Here’s how it works:
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(1s) Seiri → Sort
Seiri is sorting through all items in a location and
removing all unnecessary items from there.
Keep what you need. Remove what you don’t.
Anything not frequently used should be moved to a
separate, common storage area called the Red Tag
Zone.
Items that are not used should be removed or recycled.
Do not keep anything in your workplace because it
might be useful in the future.
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Go through the entire area (inside cabinets, under
and behind machines, etc.)
Put all obvious scrap in the Scrap Area / Bin.
All unidentified things should be moved into the
Red Tag / Quarantine Area.
Only items that are required should remain.
1S - Basic Steps
1. Clean
2. Classify
3. Assign Responsibility
4. Red Tag of unnecessary things
5. Recycle or reassign items in the Red Tag Zone
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(2s) Seiton → Set In Order
"A place for everything, and everything in its place"
People spend tons of time looking for lost items.
Each item should be easy to find, use, and return in
line with the physical workflow.
In this step, you'll need to put things according to the
frequency of use.
Go for safe storage - heavy items at a low level,
light items at a height.
This way, If any item is missing, we can easily find it.
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2S - Basic Steps
Items used so often should be kept nearer to where
they are used.
Items used very few times should be kept far
compared to frequently used ones.
Keep things in their defined places after completion
of work.
If several things are used together, then store them
together.
For example, if a welding rod is used with a welding
machine, both should be kept together.
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(3s) Seisō → Shine
After Sort and Set In Order, the workplace requires
regular cleaning.
Shine is used to regularly clean the workplace, tools,
and equipment.
Cleanliness can lead to:
+ Reduction of accidents
+ Easy detection of defects
+ Improved morale in the workplace
It’s not just the job of a housekeeper.
It's everyone's responsibility.
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3S - Basic Steps
Every workplace should have a person or group
assigned to clean that area.
The best approach is that those who work in a
workplace are also responsible for area readiness.
Answer these 4 major questions.
→ Who is responsible for cleaning?
→ What needs to be cleared and where?
→ When will it be done?
→ How is it to be done, and which tools are required?
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(4s) Seiketsu → Standardize
It’s how you maintain the gains made in Sort, Set in
Order, and Shine.
Standardizing means documenting all necessary
processes or activities.
By developing standardized work, everyone knows:
What to do
How to do
When to do
Where to do.
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4S - Basic Steps
How to standardize?
→ Write SOPs, process flow diagrams or flow charts
→ Standardize labelling, signage, and flow
→ Perform audits at a regular cadence
Use labels, symbols, posters, and banners to standardize.
Standard Work is the best way to:
→ Document the current way of running a process
→ Provide a baseline for improvement
→ Reduce process variations
→ Mitigate injury risks
→ Sustain
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(5s) Shitsuke
Sustain means maintaining 5S within the workplace.
This step aims to gain momentum from all 4 previous
steps.
Here you turn good practices into good habits.
It’s all about discipline.
Practice regular inspections to find areas for improvement
and run operations smoothly.
Record progress with evaluations, communication, and
training-related activity.
5S - Basic Steps
1. Create a schedule
2. Teach employees to run 5S audits
3. Adapt as necessary
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TL;DR:
(1S) Sort
↳ Classify Items
(2S) Set In Order
↳ Organize everything
(3S) Shine
↳ Clean the workplace
(4S) Standardize
↳ Document the processes
(5S) Sustain
↳ Keep the momentum going
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