This week we deal with one of our most common questions from email
subscribers.

“We have read about 5S and been on several tours to other
organizations and they all seem to have traveled different
paths on their 5S journey. Is there a best practice when it comes
to starting a 5S program.?”

While there is no cookie cutter 5S approach that seems to work with
every company, there are some common lessons learned that we can
share.

First: Start small, keep the focus tight and confined to one
manageable area. Go an inch wide and a mile deep. Raise the level
of 5S so high that people can’t help but notice.

Second: Develop and practice sustainment skills before you begin
work in the next area. It does you no good to run rampant through
the factory or office if you can’t sustain.

Third: Use your success to set 5S expectations for all areas of the
business and move through the entire company (factory and office)
one step at a time.

Remember the most challenging and important part of 5S is to change
behavior. This takes new skills and persistence from leaders. Do
not underestimate the importance of this. You should expect to
spend a good amount of time with first line supervisors and leaders.
Next week, we’ll share our first of five best practices for
sustainment. In the mean time, feel free to contact me for a free,
20 minute 5S consultation. Email me at slage@pdgconsultants.com to
set up a time.

Steve

P.S. If you’re looking for training materials and a practical approach to establishing an effective 5S system, we invite you to take a look at our 5S Kit.

To receive more information, contact Lisa at 1-866-404-7221

This article was written on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 at 2:54 pm by stevelage. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.