By Pankaj Agarwal, QC Head, Arvindo Hitech
The 5S methodology is a system adopted by our organization for handling workplace performance. It includes 5 steps known as the 5 S’s that turn organization into a step-by-step system for people to follow. The acronym 5S refers to the five steps of this methodology: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. These steps entail going through everything in a space, deciding what is and isn’t necessary, organizing, cleaning, and establishing procedures for performing these tasks on a regular basis. When there is a plan in place to make 5S an ongoing effort rather than a one-time event, it can be sustained over time.
The five key practices involved in 5S are following:
1. Sort (Seiri): This action entails examining all of the contents of a workspace to determine which are required and which can be removed.
2. Set in order (Seiton): Organize all items left in the workplace in a logical manner so that workers can complete tasks more easily.
3. Shine (Seiso): Proactive efforts to keep workspaces clean and orderly to ensure purpose-driven work.
4. Standardize (Seiketsu): this is where the first three S’s are implemented and guidelines are established into standard operating procedures.
5. Sustain (Shitsuke): Maintain discipline by sticking to new practices and conducting audits. This implies that the previous four S’s must be maintained over time.
To conduct the 5S audit efficiently, Group Arvind has appointed an auditor leader and co-leader for a monthly inspection, these auditors shuffle or change every month to eliminate bias. Different audit zones have been created in the workspace, the auditor and the co-auditor conduct inspection on each zone on a weekly basis and store the score/data in google forms for different zones. A flow monitoring chart stores all the data recorded in different audit zones and then management teams discuss these data during executive meetings.
The organization has acknowledged and cross-checked the benefits of implementing 5S, using this systematic approach at work ensures that any possible problems and issues can be revealed at their early stages. This is why it is important to keep the place organized because in the opposite environment you would not be able to notice anything.
