Standardize (Seiketsu)

Seiketsu is to standardize the processes used to sort, order and clean the workplace. Once the first three steps of 5S are completed, things should look pretty good. All the extra stuff is gone, everything is organized, spaces are cleaned, and equipment is in good working order.

The problem is, when 5S is new at a company, it’s easy to clean and get organized…and then slowly let things slide back to the way they were. Standardize makes 5S different from the typical spring-cleaning project. Standardize systematizes everything that just happened and turns one-time efforts into habits. Standardize assigns regular tasks, creates schedules, and posts instructions so these activities become routines. It makes SOPs or standard operating procedures for 5S so that orderliness doesn’t fall by the wayside.

Initially, people will probably need reminders about 5S. Small amounts of time may need to be set aside daily for 5S tasks. But over time, tasks will become routine and 5S organizing and cleaning will become a part of regular work

• Establish procedures and schedules to ensure the repetition of the first three ‘S’ practices.

• Develop a work structure that will support the new practices and make it part of the daily routine.
• Ensure everyone knows their responsibilities of performing the sorting, organizing and cleaning.
• Use photos and visual controls to help keep everything as it should be.
• Review the status of 5S implementation regularly using audit checklists.

Walk the Talk : Visual cues such as signs, labels, posters, floor marking tape, and tool organizers also play an important role in 5S. They can provide directions and keep items in place, in many cases without words