What is the 5s methodology and how is it used with Checklists.

5S Principles

The concept of 5S is based on the five Japanese words whose initials form the name of the program. The words are Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu and Shitsuke, which when migrated to Portuguese were translated as “senses”, aiming not to mischaracterize the program's nomenclature. They are: sense of use, sense of organization, sense of cleanliness, sense of health and sense of self-discipline. Let’s look at the concepts of each of the 5S separately:

1) SEIRI – Sense of Use

It means using materials, tools, equipment, data, etc. with balance and common sense. Where everything is disposed of or relocated that considered unnecessary to carry out the activities. You results of applying Sense of Use are immediately evidenced.

- Space gain

- Ease of cleaning and maintenance

- Better inventory control

- Cost reduction

- Preparation of the environment for the application of other 5S concepts

2) SEITON – Sense of Organization

The sense of organization can be interpreted as the importance of having all things available so that they can be accessed and used immediately. To do this, standards must be set and use some very simple tools such as panels, labels, shelves, etc. Everything must be very close to the place of use and each object must have its own specific location. We can identify as results of the sense of organization:

- Time saving;

- Ease of locating tools;

- Reduction of unsafe points.

3) SEISO – Sense of Cleanliness

The translation of the word Seiketsu is cleaning. This sense defines the importance of eliminating dirt, residue or even foreign objects or unnecessary to the environment. It is about maintaining the cleanliness of the floor, cabinets, drawers, shelves, etc. The sense of cleanliness can go beyond the physical aspect, also covering personal relationships where an environment of work where transparency, honesty, frankness and respect prevail. Applying a sense of cleanliness results in:

- Healthy and pleasant environment;

- Reduction of the possibility of accidents;

- Better conservation of tools and equipment;

- Improvement in interpersonal relationships.

4) SEIKETSU – Sense of Standardization and Health

The sense of standardization is translated into the fixation of patterns of colors, shapes, lighting, location, signs, etc. As it also covers the concept of health, it is important to check the condition of the bathrooms, cafeterias, work rooms, etc. so that they can be identified problems that affect the health of employees, such as problems ergonomics, lighting, ventilation, etc. This sense has as its main purpose of maintaining the first 3 S’ (selection, ordering and cleaning) in a so they don't get lost. The main results of the application of this concept:

- Ease of locating and identifying objects and tools;

- Physical and mental balance;

- Improvement of common areas (bathrooms, cafeterias, etc.);

- Improvement in safety conditions.

5) SHITSUKE – Sense of Discipline or Self-Discipline

The last stage of the 5S program is defined by compliance and commitment personnel to the previous steps. This sense is made up of the patterns ethics and morals of each individual. This stage will actually be carried out when individuals start doing what needs to be done even when there is no supervision generally carried out by management or when they extend these concepts to personal life, demonstrating their total involvement. In a self-disciplined environment regarding 5S principles, it is possible that you have:

- Better quality, productivity and safety at work;

- Pleasant daily work;

- Improvement in human relations;

- Valuing the human being;

- Compliance with operational and administrative procedures;

Coexistence with the five senses presented leads individuals to better understand their role within an organization and makes them part of of the pyramid of results achieved, giving rise to the awareness that You have to be disciplined even when there are no demands. Therefore, Quality Programs have helped companies in process of continuous improvement of products or services, mainly through cultural change in order to obtain competitive advantage necessary at will be harvested in the short, medium and long term.

The 5s Secrets

In this example, the initiation of the 5S method followed an already known script and applied in several Group companies. We will see the exhibition below timeline of the implementation stages, follow:

a) Defining the scope of the program.

Aiming to maintain the main focus and obtain successful implementation, it is necessary to define which areas to focus on in the first stage, those with greater urgency. This definition is made by the 5S committee, a group formed by company employees, whose function is to multiply knowledge about 5S, monitor the execution of the Program and evaluate the results obtained.

b) Mapping and division of the company into areas.

This stage aims to divide the company into cells so that it becomes more It is easy to control implementation and carry out audits.

c) Conducting training for 5S auditors.

To ensure the good level and reliability of audits, it is necessary carry out capacity building training for employees chosen as 5S auditors. There is also a need for the company to carry out new training sessions each month seeking to increasingly train employees to carry out the next audits.

d) Making and maintaining photographic records.

In order to guarantee a history of the implementation of 5S in the company, In each sector, photos are recorded that will later be used in presenting results and raising awareness of employees in training, internal newspaper and general publicity.

e) Definition of identification standards and markings.

In order to ensure compliance with the sense of standardization, it is necessary to define standards to be used throughout the organization so that they become unified identification of files, folders, cabinets, drawers, etc.

f) Development of informative material and 5S training.

If the company has sufficient financial resources, to reach the all company employees with instruction booklets and presentations is very valid. The objective is to train 100% of the organization's employees to ensure that everyone has knowledge of the concepts and the ability to execute them.

g) Programming and execution of the 5S Program launch week.

To ensure that all activities planned for the week of launch of the Program are carried out successfully, it is necessary to definition of disposal areas for D-day (day on which the practice the 5S Program, starting with the first 3 concepts: selection, ordering and cleaning).

D-day is marked by the verification and disposal of all materials considered useless or unnecessary to carry out the activities. For Disposal of these materials uses several demarcated points of the company and identified as waste areas where employees will deposit waste materials to later be rearranged or sold at auctions internal.

h) Planning and carrying out 5S audit cycles.

To verify the measurements and results obtained, a scale where each pair of auditors will be responsible for a specific area of the company, auditing in the first cycle the points relating to the 3 first senses. At the end of the audits, all auditors have the responsibility for preparing the report so that it is possible to guarantee the quality and reliability of the audit cycle and disclosure of points positives and negatives to the audited areas.

i) Disclosure of the results of 5S audits and awards to best performances.

The dissemination of audit results can be done through emails, internal newspaper and management tables visible throughout the company. A display of results is necessary so that all employees know the performance achieved by their respective sectors, and also functions as encouraging the search for increasingly better results.

j) Preparation of action plans.

After carrying out the audits, the problems found must be addressed through meetings to develop an action plan in the Format 5W2H with the definition of the actions, deadlines and responsibilities necessary for the solving identified problems and maintaining benefits acquired after the implementation of 5S in the company.

Required Tools

At this stage you must decide how you will record the measurements. Whether in spreadsheets, emails, printed or electronic forms, etc.

There are tools on the market with ready-made models that facilitate the implementation and execution of quality improvement plans.

To carry out a 5s inspection with Infocapta , simply select the ready-made model, which has the 5 senses with all related indicators and distributed between the sections.

The ready-made model already has an initial section where you can record the date of the inspection, the manager and also the departments in your company where you intend to carry out the verification. The departments, as well as the indicators and scores, are customizable and you can also create your own model, suited to your needs.

You will be able to mark whether the items are in compliance, take photos of conflicting items as proof and make observations of details that you observe. Everything will be recorded in the departmental 5s report. Still as a plus , the tool allows different analyses, tabulation of results, presentation in graphs and visualization of audited units on geographic maps.

More than a simple 5s questionnaire, Infocapta provides the possibility of creating several checklists necessary in the checking and evaluating phases of PDCA results. It also opens up the opportunity to replace printed forms in all areas of the organization, bringing tasks that were previously performed with paper and pen to the palm of their hands, on employees' devices.

Tool Highlights

• Organizational Structure and Departments;
• Customizable electronic checklist ;
• Records photographic evidence;
• Register comments and pending issues;
• Action Plans;
• Collect electronic signature;
• Issues report with photos, observations and compliance;
• Analytical Artificial Intelligence;
• Graphs and reports;
• Spreadsheets;
• Activity in Offline mode;

The tool helps managers monitor PDCA cycles, automatically sending checklists to auditors, transforming PDCA cycle checking tasks into a continuous process.

The auditor can customize several checklist approaches , with data types ranging from simple text to multiple-choice answers. The answers have weights, which in turn generate audit scores. The results are transformed into indicators that can feed the planning and checking processes in the PDCA cycles.

The auditor can also collect evidence of problems through photos that make up the audit report and everything will be recorded for later analysis and comparison.

In addition to these features that are so important in quality processes, it includes the convenience of analyzing indicators in graphs and even viewing them on geographic maps, a very useful feature for organizations that have units distributed in different cities, states or regions.

To use the application, you must create an account and install the compatible app on your cell phone or tablet . There are accounts suitable for the size of your company and you can do a tasting, without obligation.

You can learn more about the benefits of Infocapta here

Conclusion

Well folks, the steps presented above may give the impression of complexity to the process, but even with the simplest concept tools, such as 5S, it is necessary to adopt a well-structured implementation so that the results are solid and, above all, lasting.