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Lean 5S - How to Sustain Discipline (“Shitsuke”)

The previous article introduced Shitsuke. This article will discuss “how to” sustain the 5S efforts made so far.

The responsibility for Shitsuke is shared between management and the workforce. However, management must take responsibility for continuing to communicate the 5S message, and for regular inspections to enforce the standards.

Employees should be held accountable for doing the work and creating the results.

 

Sustaining the 5S Disciplines

• Management:
• Set standards and processes (including task lists and schedules) based on the prior 5S stages (Seiso and Seiketsu), if this was not already accomplished
• Introduce an audit process
• Introduce a certification program
• Inspect and enforce while the workforce is becoming accustomed to the new procedures, paying extra attention to the less-frequent cleanup tasks
• Train new employees to follow the procedures; and also provide the reasons for 5S
• Provide resources – tool racks, cleaning supplies, repairs, signage, storage areas, and the time required for weekly and infrequent cleaning
• Continue communicating the 5S message in person and using appropriate media such as posters or newsletters, as well as posting the photographs from the one-time Seiso clean-up
• Encourage continuous improvement by accepting suggestions on topics such as: better places to store tools; more efficient sequences of tasks; how to avoid creating dirt in the first place
• Hold regular “family visit” days, to reinforce the employees’ pride in making their workplace efficient, safe and tidy
• Employees:
• The 5S process should be a boost for morale and mutual respect: common tools are cleaned and stored properly; work benches and machines are tidy at the end of a shift; and everyone shares the responsibility and the achievement
• Make suggestions to improve the processes
• Help each other by visually inspecting each others’ work areas

 

Notes on Sustaining 5S

A checklist is a powerful tool. It is a task list, it provides evidence that the tasks have been completed, but it also is physical evidence that management is serious about the tasks. This helps the company “walk the talk” that 5S is important.

Ongoing communication is also important. Communication is only effective if the message is clear and well understood. The best communication will also be easily and quickly understood. For safety, standardize signs that point out hazards. (The “red circle with a diagonal slash” is commonly used for “don’t do this”; alternating yellow and black lines use a wasp’s color scheme to indicate a hazard).  Use consistent signs where the messages are similar.

TheShitsuke step ties together the previous ongoing steps of (Seiri), (Seiton) and (Seiketsu). Sustain the ongoing discipline to:

• Sort: vigilantly remove outdated items (Seiri):
• Consider putting a “remove by” date on every announcement pinned to a bulletin board
• Set in order: ensure that tools and materials are stored properly (Seiton):
• When you invest in a new tool, take the time to make its place in the tool rack
• Standardized Cleanup: continue living up to the Seiso standard, and try to improve (Seiketsu):
• Where did this dirt come from?
• Could we eliminate the source?

The next article discusses the benefits of theShitsuke step; these benefits may provoke more ideas on how to go about it.

Oskar Olofsson, 2010