The Fourth S: An Inflection Point for Success

When it comes to 5S, whether it’s on the manufacturing floor or in the home, I think that most people basically “get” the first 3 S’s.  Get rid of stuff you don’t need, organize the stuff you do need, and clean up.  This is the focus of much 5S activity, from kaizen events to spring cleaning.  I think people even get the 5^th S, at least to some extent.  (Although Sustaining is often viewed as simply repeating the first 3 S’s over and over as needed.)

But I believe that where we miss the boat in terms of long term success is with the fourth S.  This key step – call it Standardizing or Stabilizing or whatever – is the bridge between simply cleaning up and actually creating a sustainable system of organization.  On the shopfloor we try to do this by putting tape on the floor so people know where to walk and where the trash cans go.  And we label our raw material inventory shelf locations.  And we may even write some new documentation on how workstations should be organized.  All of these things help, but the key question to ask is, “What is going to prevent the mess you just cleaned up from ever being created again in the first place?”

Consider some examples from off the shopfloor.  Ever have a colleague (or yourself) who spends a whole day every 6 months or so thoroughly cleaning out and organizing their cubicle, only to have it look like a dumping ground again in a few weeks?  How about your garage?  How often do you have to devote a weekend to getting it back into order?

The reason for this phenomenon is a lack of standardization.  Take the cubicle example.  Every day, multiple time per day, another piece of paper crosses your desk.  Without a defined standard for exactly how and when that piece of paper is processed it simply becomes another piece on the pile.  One or two may not seem like much, but the lack of standardization allows them to breed at an ever increasing rate until you no longer have any control over the situation.

Personal standardization can take many forms: 

·         A taped out spot on your desk labeled “work in process” with a stated limit to how much can be there.  (Too shopfloor?)

·         Color-coded file folders on the desk (not hidden in a drawer), one for each project that you’re working on.

·         A simple rule that states, “I will not leave at the end of the day before all paperwork has been put away in a designated location.”

·         An expiration date for files.  Nothing gets kept longer than XX months.

·         A clearly labeled inbox to prevent people from cluttering your space with requests.

·         Clear expectations on the length of time it will take you to respond to any given request.

I’m sure there are a lot more things you could do, but the point is that we need to do something.  Without that critical 4^th S, the first 3 are just a spring cleaning exercise and the 5^th can never be truly realized.