5s is a systematic corrective action technique to clean up, get organized and make this the way you do business. In service organizations, the problems identified in 5S not only rob your organizations’ productivity but also your customers.
Service environments are especially prone to this waste. Often it is blamed on the lack of standardization. Every job is different. However, how much time is spent searching for misplaced files or sifting through piles of paperwork on desks? This work is often hidden in the digital world, as we blame technology when we cannot find anything. How much blame is put on computers and software because of the lack of organization and cleaning?
The video is a little fuzzy, this is the slide deck that was used.
When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the first thing, he did was, in essence: 5s the Standard Work. He Sorted, Straightened, Shined, Standardized and built a Sustainable group of products. To this day, the Apple advantage is in simplicity. You can continue to put all their products on a single table.
Thanks for the great post, Joseph. Your 5S process presentation is a very valuable resource. I like the process you outline. I've used 5S many times, and it's definitely a solid way to help a company uncover problem areas and set a strategy for making improvements.
I noticed in your presentation that you used post-it notes to document the actions/reactions during the phases. From my experience with 5S continuous improvement and journey mapping in general, I've found that the "sticky-note” mapping method leaves a lot to be desired. It's not lasting (you can't leave a wall of sticky notes up indefinitely, & they tend to lose their stick after moving them around on the grid), it's not easy to share with others, etc.
I'd like to recommend that you check out the web-based Touchpoint Dashboard customer experience mapping tool as a more efficient, automated and user-friendly alternative to using post-it notes for 5S documentation or journey mapping. You can test drive the tool at TouchpointDashboard.com – we'd love to get your feedback.
Thanks again sharing all of your great information!