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How to Avoid Common 5S Mistakes

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As a plant manager who oversaw two distinct and rather successful Lean transformations, Im almost ashamed to admit that I missed some pretty fundamental issues relative to 5S. With the benefit of hindsight, I can now clearly see that my understanding of this basic tool was remedial at best and detrimental at worst. It is now evident to me that my limited knowledge of 5S certainly impacted the rate of progress and possibly the degree of improvement attained. In this article, Id like to provide you with the advantages of the lessons I have learned so that you and your organization can travel to a higher level at a faster rate. Listed below are six lessons that will enhance your organizations use of this vital Lean tool.

Lesson No. 1: 5s is not (just) about housekeepingMy initial comprehension of 5S was that it was simply a method for improving organization management and housekeeping. I figured that it was typically the first tool introduced in a Lean transformation because it was easy to wrap ones mind around, and was relatively safe meaning no persons job was impacted too drastically.

One of the benefits of 5S is that it resulted in an immediate visual impact and eliminates the waste and frustration associated with employees searching for required items. Thus, I saw it simply as a momentum builder. While 5S is indeed a tool for improving workplace cleanliness, limiting it to this is akin to classifying the Cathedral of Notre Dame as simply a church.

Whenever I introduced the topic of 5S during new employee orientation, I used the analogy of cleaning a home closet to simplify and demystify the strange and exotic Japanese terms that this program is based on. Whats the first thing you do when you clean a closet at home? I would ask.

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Im almost ashamed to admit that I missed some pretty fundamental issues

relative to 5S.

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Take everything out and decide what youre going to keep, a brave soul would almost always answer.

Great! Thats Sort or Seiri, I confirmed. What would you do next?

Put it back nicely? someone would volunteer.

Maybe dust and vacuum first? another would suggest.

Right! Thats Showcase or Seiso, Id approve.

And next?

Now put stuff back nicely, the second student would repeat.

Yes! Thats Set in Order or Seiton. And next?

At this point the room generally fell silent. I then explained that the fourth S, Standardize or Seiketsu, might involve creating special storage locations for everything in the closet, and making it visual so that it was fairly obvious where everything belonged.

I would then make a rather futile attempt at explaining the fifth S: Sustain or Shitsuke. Id describe inviting the other inhabitants of the house, my wife and three kids, up to my clean closet and imploring, You all see this nice clean closetkeep it that way! Im pretty sure I even told a lame joke about Shitsuke being what the supervisor from Toyota cursed when he stubbed his toe on an engine block that had been left laying around.

Thus I did my part in perpetuating the misunderstanding of 5S which exists in over 90 percent of North American companies.

The reason the room fell silent after listing the first three Ss is because that is exactly how we behave in North America. We sort out the items we no longer need and designate them for the next trip to the local charity or the upcoming garage sale. We knock down the cobwebs, wipe things down, and then put things back neatly. We then watch as the status slowly degrades until it reaches a point requiring us to repeat the entire process months later.

To fully appreciate the fundamental nature of 5S to any Lean transforma-tion, I find it is useful to start with a little arithmetic:

3S + 2S = 5SThe first three components of 5S are indeed about housekeeping. The fourth and fifth S, however, are about establishing a culture of discipline around Standard Work. It is for this reason that 5S is a foundation tool for all Lean transformations. Without establishing a culture that demonstrates the ability to establish Standard Work and sustain improvements, all future Lean progress will ultimately be for naught. In fact, some Japanese sensei believe this so strongly, that they refuse to let clients take the next step in the process until they have successfully demonstrated 5S for two years.

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Executive Takeaway:

5S is about housekeeping and organization, but it is further more about standard work and instilling the discipline needed to sustain future improvements.

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Lesson No. 2: 5S is simple... but its not easyThe ideals of 5S are not complex. Keep only whats required at the jobsite. Keep it clean. Store it in the most convenient location. Establish clear, visual expectations for everyone to keep it in that condition; and hold people accountable to those expectations.

But lets not confuse simplicity (the lack of complexity) with ease (requiring little attention or effort). Tiger Woods makes swinging a golf club look easy. The mind can quickly comprehend how a good stroke looks, but anyone who has played golf knows it is anything but easy to make ones own body duplicate Tigers. And, even though we may occasionally hit a good shot, we know it requires significantly more effort to do so with any degree of consistency.

The key word here is consistency. In the incredibly competitive environment of a professional golf tournament, a single bad hole over four days of play

can effectively eliminate one from contending for the championship. The need for such a high level of consistency is what makes it so tough to win.

Likewise, what makes 5S sustainability so difficult to adopt is the consistency with which it must be applied. In short, each and every instance of non-conformance that is identified must be addressed. Anything short of that allows for doubt and mixed messages to creep into the workforce. One company was so good at this that a leader would divert from a customer tour to coach observed instances of 5S non-conformance.

A factory or office successfully practicing 5S makes it look effortless. But, just as Tiger has invested endless hours working on his game, the successful 5S organization has committed to constant sorting, shining, and setting in order. More importantly, those organizations have the courage to risk episodes of interpersonal discomfort when a team member fails to live up to agreed to standards.

Undoubtedly, in addition to his dogged discipline, Tiger was born with various traits that make him the worlds most successful golfer. Fortunately, all of the skills required for a flourishing 5S organization can be learned and successfully applied if the desire exists. No innate traits are required.

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Executive Takeaway:

Like almost all things requiring discipline (healthy diet, exercise, saving), 5S is easy to understand but difficult to practice. Communication should notover-simplify the challenge. Ensure the organization understands the importance and magnitude of the effort. Start small, recognize successes, and leverage to larger areas.


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Lesson No. 3: 5s is not an event, its a processOrganizations often kick off their Lean implementations with basic training and perhaps a short 5S Kaizen focused on the initial cleanup of a scoped area. Before and after photos are taken to document the significant change, and almost everyone leaves feeling like theyve accomplished something.

Those feelings, however, quickly erode to skepticism if Standardize and Sustain are not practiced. The result is that the condition of the area steadily degrades, pulling down employees pride and enthusiasm with it. If this occurs, the entire Lean effort can be perceived as another Program of the Month.

While a 5S Kaizen event is a possible trailhead for continuous improvement, great care must be taken in planning the event to ensure that all five components are adequately emphasized. Often, 5S Kaizen agendas allot 80-90 percent, sometimes more, of the scheduled time to Sort, Showcase, and Set in Order. Standardize and Sustain are treated as afterthoughts. This reinforces the myth that 5S is only about housekeeping and the continuous improvement journey sets off on a perilous first leg.

A better allotment is to spend an equal amount of time on the final two components as is spent on the first three. Dedicated time should be assigned to create clear, visual standards to document expectations. Photos of both acceptable and unacceptable levels should be included. In addition, agreement should be reached on how team members will satisfy expectations: will 5S time be designated each shift and does adequate time exist within machine cycles to perform the necessary task?

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An adequate portion of the agenda should also be devoted to developing the Sustain process. Team members must articulate their expectations of each other and practice holding each other accountable. Standard Work for supervisors is recommended so that their role is clear in addressing out-of-control situations. An audit process and visual metric to monitor sustainment by the team and their supervisor must be developed, including leaderships duty to hold the supervisor accountable.

Finally, an agreed-to system should be established for making improvements to the initial standards as team members identify better locations for storing items and more efficient methods for cleaning, etc.

Team members must articulate their expectations of each other and practice holding

each other accountable.

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Executive Takeaway:

Review 5S Kaizen pre-work to ensure the appropriate time and emphasis is placed on the Standardize and Sustain components. Reinforce the importance of these components in kick-off comments, during the event and at the report-out. Recognize improvements by refraining from Mission Accomplished type comments. Take an active role in auditing the audits.


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Lesson No. 4: 5s success depends almost entirely on leadershipProgressive leaders may often roll up their sleeves to help during the initial clean up portion of an event. In reality, however, leaderships real work begins when the initial clean up is completed.

Only leadership can ensure that a culture valuing standardization and sustainment is established within their organization. Until those values are imbedded within the workforce, pursuing other Lean tools which have an even greater impact on how work is accomplished (change-over, one-piece flow, TPM) is fruitless.

For this reason its important that all leaders, from front-line supervisors to the senior leadership team members, understand their role in a continuous improvement transformation. While a basic understanding of Lean principles is important, a clear image of leaderships responsibilities in the Lean environment is absolutely vital.

One manager, upon hearing of the importance of auditing for improved sustainment complained, Im not interested in becoming a babysitter! One can only wonder how someone in a leadership role capable of making such a remark could succeed in any organization, Lean or not. The point is, a key leadership responsibility in any setting business, athletic, charity involves holding people accountable to the ideals and goals of the organization.

If the organization has not previously established a healthy results-oriented culture, leaders should be trained in coaching techniques and holding employees accountable prior to embarking on 5S. Properly interacting with employees to provide feedback, both positive and negative, is the heavy lifting a good leader must do.

Hopefully an organization eventually matures to a point where team members hold each other accountable to agreed-to standards. This level will never be reached without leadership first modeling the behavior.

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Executive Takeaway:

Before beginning 5S efforts, train all members of the leadership team in accountability and coaching and practice via role playing. Communicate clear expectations to all members of leadership. Finally, expect leaders to hold others accountable.

Properly interacting with employees to provide feedback, both

positive and negative, is the heavy lifting a good leader must do.


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Lesson No. 5: Each 5s component has a common pitfall (learn to avoid them)My experience with 5S implementation has revealed that there are very common missteps. By being aware of these mistakes, the prudent leader can proactively design an implementation program to ensure that their organizations execution is successful.

In the Sort phase, companies often underestimate the critical nature of an effective, ongoing Red Tag process. Its very hard for some people to part with items they believe have value, even though that value may not pertain to the area undergoing 5S. A working Red Tag process offers these folks a means for getting the item out of their area, while still recycling it to a place where it can add value.

A common flaw in the Showcase phase is not setting a high enough standard for the team. As a result, many Showcase efforts go no further than 409 cleaner and rags. The goal is to restore the area to a good-as-new condition and may involve new painting, lighting, and flooring in addition to cleaning.

Leaving more space than required to store only necessary items is a frequent oversight with the Set in Order phase. Theres some truth which can be applied to the work area from Bostons Irreversible Law of Clutter which states, In any household, junk accumulates to fit the space available for its storage.

In the Standardize phase, I often see standards that are too vague to be useful for anyone other than the author(s) of the standards. Clear standards should include visual examples of both acceptable and unacceptable levels of adherence.

Finally, leaders often make the unfounded assumption in the Sustain phase that all team members are on board and excited to comply with the new level or organization. The sad truth is that some people are very comfortable living in total disarray and return to it each day after work.

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Executive Takeaway:Learn from others mistakes:

sort Develop a bullet-proof Red Tag process showcase Provide clear expectation on the

level of improvement desired... and the appropiate budget to allow it to happen

set in order use creativity to minimize space which can accumulate clutter, eg. replace a table which holds a fixture with a stand to hold the fixture.

standardize use someone from outside the work area to interpret standards to ensure clarity

sustain Audit from Day 1 and ensure violators are held accountable (including supervisors).


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Lesson No. 6: 5S isnt important... its essential!The most common rationale for 5S is that an organized workplace improves safety, quality, productivity, and morale. These are good arguments and were enough to convince me that 5S was important and worth pursuing. Now however, with the benefit of more than 20 years of experience, I know that 5S is more than important, its essential for continuous improvement. Heres why:

Standardize and Sustain are discipline dependent ideals. Its easy to Sort, Showcase, and Set in Order, but to maintain the efficiencies that are created, people have to behave differently than they did in the past. It would be nice if behaviors would just change automatically, but it usually doesnt work that way. It takes influence to change behaviors that have developed over time. It isnt always easy, but it can be done by leaders who have the skills and courage to do so.

So heres my point. Leaders who know (or learn) how to Standardize and Sustain by instilling discipline are well equipped to effectively utilize many other essential tools for continuous improvement. Why? Because so many Lean tools are also discipline dependent. Here are a few examples:

When we create Standard Work we identify the best practices and document them as the standard for everyone to follow. Will they follow them just because we have created a standard? Probably not. As with 5S, we have to ensure people are following the standards in order to sustain the improvements we make. Its not a given.

Kanban is a fantastic tool to improve supply chain performance, but like 5S and Standard Work, it requires discipline. Kanban cards must be moved at the right time and be filled in the right order for the system to work. Calculations must be regularly reviewed. These actions, while simple, are essential and require discipline.

With Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), we identify what needs to be done proactively and routinely to ensure that equipment is reliable and productive. People who are assigned TPM tasks are essential to the success of the TPM program. Their behavior needs to change after the TPM event has been completed.

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The most common rationale for 5S is that an organized workplace improves safety,

quality, productivity and morale.


People often refer to 5S as a tool and in many respects it is. The beauty of this tool is that when we learn to use it well, we learn the key to success for many other tools.

Summary:5S is deceptively simple, appearing to be intuitive and practical on the surface. However, anyone who has tried to implement 5S knows that it brings its fair share of challenges. Leaders need to understand that 5S is just as much about Standard Work and discipline as it is about housekeeping and organization. Furthermore for 5S to succeed, leaders must accept responsibility to learn and apply new skills and behaviors that help instil Standard Work and discipline in their organization. This is no small task. In fact, failure to adequately utilize Standard Work and create discipline is why the vast majority of 5S initiatives fail.

About Lean Partners 5S PortfolioAt Lean Partners, we help our clients continuously improve their operational performance through Lean, Six Sigma, and organizational development. We provide both techni-cal and cultural know-how that allows our clients to achieve substantial, sustained, year over year improvement while they learn to become self sufficient over time.

Our 5S portfolio contains virtually everything an organization needs to effectively implement and sustain a 5S system. It contains the knowledge, experience, tools, and lessons learned from over 75 years of combined 5S experience.

The 5S portfolio: 5S Implementation System 5S Field Guide for Leaders 5S Coaching On-site 5S Consulting 5S Essentials for Leaders 5S Basics

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To learn more, contact us at 612-799-3844 or e-mail Steve Lage [email protected]

Executive Takeaway:

Standardizing and sustaining 5S requires discipline and this will create the opportunity for improvements far beyond 5S. Use 5S to learn to change behavior by setting expectations, providing feedback, and holding people accountable. Then apply those same skills elsewhere.


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The 5S PortfolioThe 5S Field Guide for Leaders is filled with how-to information collected from leaders of successful 5S initiatives. It goes far beyond the seminars and textbooks, getting to the real issues that leaders face when applying the 5S principles. Each chapter is filled with insights and best practices that will help you understand what you must do to achieve and sustain 5S results. The 5S Field Guide for Leaders is available in paperback or audio CD.

5S Essentials for Leaders is a training session that clearly defines what leaders must do to achieve success with 5S implementation and sustainment. The module is approximately four hours in length and covers topics such as supporting 5S events, effective auditing, holding people accountable, the leaders role in 5S, and much more. 5S Essentials for Leaders is available for purchase with a facilitators guide. We can conduct the training for you.

The 5S Implementation System is everything an organization needs to implement 5S. It includes all 5S materials and presentations that our consultants use with \ clients during 5S implementations. It also includes five copies of the 5S Field Guide (four paperback and one audio CD), the 5S Essentials for Leaders training module and four hours of coaching with a Lean Partner consultant.

5S Coaching is designed for the do-it-yourselfer who needs a little help. We provide coaching on any topic dealing with 5S, including sustainment, accountability, event leadership, employee engagement, and buy-in. Your 5S coach can be with you when needed, to help you solve the most difficult challenges you face as you implement 5S.

On-site 5S Consulting is customized to meet your needs and starts with an on-site assessment. One of our consultants will spend time with you understanding what you want to achieve and where you have experienced successes and challenges. From there, we will design and present a solution that will get you what you want.

5S Basics is a narrated slideshow that teaches 5S fundamentals. It can be used by individuals or groups and is a great way to provide self-paced learning for participants prior to 5S events. People who use the 5S Basics module will learn what 5S is, why its important, how to effectively do all of the Ss, and what team members need to do in order to sustain 5S results.


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