The 5S Lean Methodology
How to create a clean, organized, and efficient workplace that reduces waste and promotes productivity.
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Today’s Overview:
Until you have things in order, it can be difficult to see waste in a process, site, or organization. How can you standardize when things are chaotic and it is not easy to clearly understand what is being done or where problems are being encountered?
Introducing 5S: The Fundamental Building Block of Lean. This methodology is centered around five key principles: (1) Sort, (2) Set in order, (3) Shine, (4) Standardize, and (5) Sustain.
Cleanliness and organization will affect every other single that you do, whether it be planning, the execution of construction, or closing out. So dive into Lean Construction with 5S – whether it's for your desk, offices, job sites, Conex boxes, or even file management.
5S - The Fundamental Building Block of Lean
Did you know you could save hundreds of hours in a production environment just by labeling what’s inside your closed cabinets?
Sounds crazy right? Well it’s true, and why not take advantage of that time?
Good housekeeping is an important aspect of project management, especially during time-limited projects where being organized and working efficiently can save significant time.
Today I want to share with you a lean tool that you can take and apply to your projects and workspace for an immediate boost to your productivity and efficiency.
Introducing The 5S Method…
Why is the 5S Method Effective?
Complexity is a silent killer of focus, clarity, and performance. This statement is true for business and life.
It's easy to let complexity and disorder slowly seep in—we tend to add, but rarely subtract.
The fastest way to improve your life is to simplify it:
Clean your physical & digital environment
Automate repeatable tasks
Sort & remove unnecessary “stuff”
The 5S Lean Framework is a productivity tool used to simplify, organize, and optimize workspace by reducing waste and increasing efficiency.
If Lean is a strategy to improve efficiency, then 5S is a tactic.
The framework is named after the five steps involved in the process, which are:
Sort - throw away everything that is not needed.
Set in Order - Keep needed items in the correct place to allow for easy and immediate retrieval.
Shine- clean and keep it clean.
Standardize - develop rules and expectations to maintain the first three S’s.
Sustain - the process with discipline.
The logic behind the 5S tool is simple: You are a product of your environment. An environment comprised of necessary energy creators will compound positively in your life. An environment cluttered with unnecessary energy drainers will compound negatively in your work and life.
The other benefit of conducting a 5S review is a newfound awareness of the creeping complexity in your work and life.
If you do it quarterly or biannually, you’ll slowly build the muscle to recognize when complexity is entering your space where it shouldn’t be.
It's time to get addicted to cleanliness and organization. All of the great builders in construction are clean and organized.
Cleanliness and organization will affect every other single that you do, whether it be planning, the execution of construction, or closing out.
So dive into Lean Construction with 5S – whether it's for your desk, offices, job sites, Conex boxes, or even file management.
Sort
The first step in the 5S process involves sorting through all items in a workspace and removing unnecessary materials or equipment.
Anything that is not needed should be thrown away or donated.
By de-cluttering the workspace and keeping only the essentials, the 5S framework reduces waste, minimizes distractions, and makes it easier for employees to find and access the tools, information, equipment, etc. they need to perform their tasks.
Set in Order
Once unnecessary items are removed, the remaining tools and equipment are organized in a logical and efficient manner.
This step promotes efficiency by ensuring that every item has a designated place, making it easy to locate and return items to their proper storage location.
It also reduces the time spent searching for tools and materials. Implementing a color-coding system or labeling items can also help to streamline the process.
When everything is labeled, searching through drawers for something specific or forgetting where things go becomes a thing of the past. You will always know exactly where to find what you are looking for.
Shine
Regular cleaning and maintenance of the workspace are crucial in the 5S framework.
A clean and well-maintained environment not only improves the appearance of the workspace but also reduces the likelihood of accidents and breakdowns.
This includes regularly cleaning surfaces, equipment, and tools to ensure they are in good working order.
When focusing on cleanliness, employees become more conscious of their surroundings, leading to a safer and more efficient work environment.
Standardize
To ensure long-term success, the 5S framework emphasizes the importance of standardizing procedures and practices.
By developing consistent processes, project teams can easily follow and adhere to the established guidelines, reducing errors and inefficiencies.
Standardization also simplifies training and on-boarding for new employees, ensuring a smooth transition into the workplace culture.
Sustain
The final principle in the 5S framework is sustaining the improvements made throughout the process.
This involves regularly reviewing, monitoring, and adjusting the implemented changes to maintain efficiency and effectiveness.
By creating a culture of continuous improvement, the 5S framework helps organizations adapt to evolving industry demands and maintain a competitive edge.
Before and After 5S:
Final Thoughts
I conducted my first 5S audit in 2021 and it felt like a weight had lifted off of me.
A clean and organized workspace can help to reduce the time spent searching for tools and supplies, minimize the risk of accidents or injuries, and ultimately lead to a more efficient and successful project.
Simplify your work environment and your results will improve—I guarantee it.
Once you have 5S your work spaces, you will experience the domino effect that enables all other successful habits.
You will unlock your ability to optimize the behaviors of people on the project and introduce additional lean techniques, tactics, and processes.
Until next week,
Kyle Nitchen
One Quote:
Less is more.
Ironically, half of wisdom is learning what to unlearn. Learning is easy. Unlearning is hard.
The ability to unlearn and relearn will equip you to create the outcomes, outputs, and results you want.
Lesson: make unlearning and relearning a life-long habit.
Recommendations
—
🔥 Check these out:
Podcast: How to help your team stop drowning in work (link)
Article: How much safer has construction gotten? (link)
Question to ponder: What am I continuing to do out of habit, but is no longer serving me?
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Hey Kyle, great article!
We have been using the 5S methodology for over 20 years here at ULA. It's a great tool that we use continuously.
Thanks!