5s Process Implementation Tips And Handling 5s Jobs

Apart from saving your business a lot of money, there are other numerous benefits an effective 5s program can bring. However the handling 5s jobs at the implementation stage is easier said than done.

The following tips may be of great help when attempting to achieve your dream of a clean, straightened, sorted, standardized and self-disciplined work environment.

View The 5s Program As Part Of Larger Performance Improvement Plan

Seeing the 5s efforts as a stand alone project is bound to cause confusion and raise questions with regards to its implementation. Similarly, it is not advisable to assign 5s jobs to a specific team – instead it better to have 5s initiative reviews incorporated in the regular leadership team meetings.

Management Should Lead by Example

You do not expect the employees morale towards 5s efforts to remain high when they continue to step into messy managers’ offices. The managers offices in a 5s organization should always be the cleanest and highly organized. The managers should also continually support the 5s program by challenging those employees who are not practicing 5s ideals.

Include 5s Expectations in the Job Descriptions of Your Workers

Every employee should leave their workplaces clean, shiny and organized at the end of each working day. You can easily achieve this through including 5s practices in the job description of all the employees. Additionally, 5s expectations should be emphasized in regular work group meetings.

Appreciate Milestones Made in Implementing the 5s Program

Boost the morale of the workers by recognizing those who meet or surpass the set score on 5s practices. Do not develop a tendency of punishing people for being ‘one of the worst’. Spending part of the recognition budget to recognize team success is a good move towards finally achieving your 5s goals.

Create a 5s Punch List and Indicate its Progress Regularly

After putting 5s in place, you can do away with the initial hump and make it easier to keep the program alive. For instance, at the beginning you may have to clear all the obsolete materials from the working area. Once this is achieved, it will never be done again. Creating and reviewing a single punch list for the entire facility makes it easy to keep track of the progress.

Do not assign 5s jobs to specific people. If you follow the above guidelines, you should be able to witness progress within a short period of time. However, a little regression is also expected but picking up and moving on remains the best thing to do.