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Tool 13 · Control

5S audit

Walk the workplace with twenty checkpoints, four per S. The tool gives a score per S, points out where to start, and saves audits so that next time you can see whether it is holding up.

5S method
Saved automatically in your browser
Type of workplace

Shop floor, office, warehouse, line.

S1Sort (seiri)

Only the things needed for the work are at the workplace.
Broken, outdated or duplicate items are gone, or marked with a red tag.
There is an agreement on what to do with items nobody is sure are still needed.
Walkways, desks and cupboards are free of what does not belong there.

S2Set in order (seiton)

Everything has a fixed, marked place: lines, labels, a shadow board.
What you use often is within reach; what is rarely needed is further away.
A new colleague finds what they are looking for within a minute.
It is obvious at a glance when something is missing or out of place.

S3Shine (seiso)

The workplace is clean, including under, behind and inside cupboards and machines.
Cleaning is part of the work, with a fixed frequency and an owner.
While cleaning, people look out for wear, leaks and defects.
Sources of dirt are tackled, not just the consequences.

S4Standardise (seiketsu)

The agreements on sorting, setting in order and cleaning are fixed, with photos or drawings.
Everyone works with 5S in the same way, including stand-ins and new colleagues.
The standard is visibly displayed at the workplace.
Deviations from the standard are immediately visible.

S5Sustain (shitsuke)

A 5S audit is done regularly and the result is displayed visibly.
5S comes up in the daily stand-up or the team meeting.
Managers walk the floor, address issues and appreciate what goes well.
Improvement ideas for the workplace are picked up and visibly completed.

The five S's

  1. Sort (seiri). Throw away what you do not (or no longer) need.
  2. Set in order (seiton). A fixed place for everything; what you need often within reach.
  3. Shine (seiso). A clean, tidy environment invites people to keep it that way, and whoever cleans sees what is breaking down.
  4. Standardise (seiketsu). Everyone works with 5S in the same way; that gives the first three steps staying power.
  5. Sustain (shitsuke). The hardest one: continuous attention, so you do not slip back into old habits. Regular audits help.

How to do the audit

  • With the people of the workplace, not about them. Walk around together and answer the points on the spot.
  • Scoring honestly is more useful than scoring high. The audit is there to see what can be better, not to pass.
  • Write down per S what you saw and who picks up what; without action an audit is just a number.
  • Save the audit and repeat it every four to six weeks. The difference from last time is the real outcome.

Also for the digital workplace

The practical example in our e-book is not about a shop floor but about a central document store where the search time averaged ten minutes. After sorting (a temporary drive for everything that could go), setting in order (a folder structure by frequency of use) and standardising (work instructions with more pictures than words) it was one minute. So choose "Digital" at the top for checkpoints on folders, file names and versions.

More background is in the knowledge-base article on the 5S method.

All tools 5S in the knowledge base