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| Sustaining 5SOctober 31, 2003 Many
organizations make some early 5S improvements and then slide back into their old
ways of doing things. Other
organizations continue to maintain their 5S programs for many years.
What separates a successful 5S program from one that is headed for
failure? An unsuccessful implementation of 5S was never a complete 5S
implementation. The fifth “S”
stands for “sustain;” if implemented completely, a 5S program will have
longevity. There are three keys to
successfully sustaining 5S: commitment, top management support, and performance
measurement. Key
#1: Commitment. The
first key is to commit to all five S’s. While
this may appear to be obvious, I once had a conversation with a well-meaning
executive who told me: “We are just going to implement 3S for now.
We aren’t ready for all five.”
The fifth “S,” “Shitsuke” in Japanese, actually translates more
closely to “commitment” than “sustain.”
According to Tomo Sugiyama (author of The Improvement Book),
“’shitsuke’ is a typical teaching and attitude towards any undertaking to
inspire pride and adherence to the standards established.”
If your entire organization is not committed to 5S, your organization’s
5S program will be short-lived. Key
#2: Top Management Support. The
first and second keys go hand-in-hand. Commitment
is not possible without top management’s visible support for the program.
All employees must believe that the organization has committed to the
program. One way that we encourage
top management to get involved on a continuing basis is for them to conduct
quarterly 5S visits in which executives inspect each work area to 5S conditions
and offer advice and support to the employees.
Another effective method for demonstrating top management support is for
executives to mandate and participate in visible promotion of 5S. Some ways to promote 5S include: 1. Designated
5S days: Select a
day per month or per quarter to emphasize 5S throughout the plant. 2. Slogans:
Select a 5S related slogan, post it in public areas throughout the plant, pass
out shirts made up with the slogan to successful 5S teams, etc. 3. Public
Announcements: In
monthly or quarterly announcements/all-employee meetings, take some time to
emphasize the importance of 5S. 4. Seminars:
Have employees participate in seminars throughout the year.
Some of these should be 5S related.
Key
#3: Performance Measurement and Reward System.
The
third key is to measure 5S performance in each work area and set up a reward
system to reward teams that achieve 5S success.
Organizations that have successful 5S programs measure their performance
through weekly audits using checklists and score sheets.
Results of the audits are posted in public areas.
This creates an atmosphere of friendly competition and will help to
instill pride in the teams you’ve set up.
This measurement and competition should be combined with a reward system;
most successful organizations offer monthly or quarterly rewards for their teams
in various 5S categories. The
rewards can range from movie tickets to cash bonuses. These
three keys are simple but powerful. Your
organization must commit to all 5 of the 5 pillars.
Top management must show visible support for the program. And your organization must set up a 5S performance
measurement and reward system. Click here to subscribe to our free e-newsletter Learning to Lean and receive three articles like this one each month. About the Author Darren Dolcemascolo is an internationally recognized lecturer, author, and consultant. As Sr. Partner and co-founder of EMS Consulting Group, he specializes in productivity and quality improvement through lean manufacturing. Mr. Dolcemascolo has written the book Improving the Extended Value Stream: Lean for the Entire Supply Chain, published by Productivity Press in 2006. He has also been published in several manufacturing publications and has spoken at such venues as the Lean Management Solutions Conference, Outsourcing World Summit, Biophex, APICS, and ASQ. He has a BS in Industrial Engineering from Columbia University and an MBA with Graduate Honors from San Diego State University. | ||||||||||||||
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