Have you ever heard about 5s? if not let us dive deeper to understand what exactly is 5s and how our habits can help us maintain the 5s technique.

So, what exactly is 5S?

5S is one of the Lean tool methodologies which help companies to improve quality, costs, reduce floor space, and much more. The lean principle often referring to the “Five S Approach” involves a significant amount of Detail, Safety, Order, and Cleanliness.

But what does 5S Stands for?

it is an ongoing process of making workplace and workspace more Efficient. while each “S” represents the following steps in the process.

1. Seiri – Sort

“Leave the bare essential, when in doubt throw it out”

In this step, the organization should keep things that are necessary for the daily production area. Excess material can be attached with a red tag, either sold or recycled later in the process.

2. Seiton – Set in order

Each order should have its own designated area, multiple toolboxes can be combined into one shared toolbox with space for each tool and shadow board for quick storage. Rearranging the workplace according to the workflow will reduce lead time and increase efficiency.

3. Seiso – Shine

The 3rd step in the process Sweep/Shine requires the organization to thoroughly clean and inspect the working areas. This process improves the life span of the machine by maintenance and identifying safety concerns. A clean environment also promotes employee satisfaction and a positive impression on the customer.

4. Seiketsu – Standardise

Once all the above steps are completed now its time to maintain and document it. developing and standard and list of tasks to be done both in production and office/administrative areas will help employees to maintain 5S. techniques like color codes, signs boards, checklist sheets can be used in this process.

5. Shitsuke – Sustain

The final S of 5S is said to be the most important and most difficult. It is the process of maintaining previous steps for the long term and making changes for future improvements to it. procedures such as employee assessment, status board, routine inspection, and team-building exercises can be done to keep the process ongoing. As the legend says “it’s a continuous effort”.

Habits and 5S

As we have now touched on what 5S is, but do organisations need 5S?

Yes, Implementing 5S will Simplify, reduce waste and useless activities in the work environment, also improve safety and efficiency.

Although there are many more benefits when it comes to incorporating this process and many of us have already studied and might be aware of its benefits yet we cannot completely incorporate the process into our workplace.

Listening to Atomic Habits from James Clear has made me compare how close 5S techniques are similar to the process of developing a new habit. The good thing about 5S techniques is, you can implement it not only in your company but also in your home and daily life. Here are some of the James laws of habits developing techniques that resonate with 5S.

if you would like to learn more about the book Atomic Habits check out my review article on it here. you can also buy the book by clicking on the amazon affiliate link down below.

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