Standardization and 5S

Deliver more timely, consistently, efficiently, and with higher quality with standardization and 5S

Standardization is the process of establishing or complying with a standard. Simply put, standardization means to create processes to ensure that tasks are completed consistently and in the best possible manner. Each task should be done in the same amount of time and should be done right the first time. Standards are referred to in many ways, for example, standard operating procedures (SOP), norms, or best practices.

To achieve standardization, there is a process improvement methodology commonly utilized called 5S. 5S is a methodology to systematically clean and organize a workplace and sustain the cleanliness and organization. Beyond that, it is a way to reduce waste, reduce variation, and promote visual management. In addition to organizing the workplace, 5S also aims to organize the workflow.

5S is a Japanese concept, and so you may see different translations.

1. Seiri (Sort) – Sort means to put things in order; to go through the workplace and discard anything considered unnecessary. If there are items that are required, but only used rarely, store them out of the immediate work area. Sorting leads to less clutter and can make the workplace more productive.
2. Seiton (Straighten) – Straighten means proper arrangement for ease of use. This can mean the arrangement of supplies, tools, the workplace layout, and even the order of the tasks in the workflow to promote efficiency. Consider “a place for everything and everything in its place.”
3. Seiso (Shine) – Shine is to sweep and clean and look for ways to keep the workplace neat and clean. Shine can be accomplished by incorporating systematic cleaning practices into the daily work and making it easy to identify where everything should go.
4. Seiketsu (Standardize) – In 5S, standardize means to maintain the first three steps. Through standardization of work processes, it is possible to maintain the cleanliness after cleaning. With standardized work processes, everyone should know what their responsibilities are. The order of the workplace should reflect the process of the work.
5. Shitsuke (Sustain) – Sustain means commitment to maintain the standards. To sustain the improvements, maintain a focus on the new way of doing things. While this is implied with standardization, often without a sustaining mechanism, the workplace or work processes revert to the way they were. This is often accomplished by assigning ownership of the process or accountability for monitoring and maintaining the new standard.

After going through 5S, there should be self-discipline and pride to maintain the environment. Elements of visual management are often incorporated into the workplace during standardization, such as key performance metrics. Visual management and visual control mean that in the work environment, all activities and indicators are in view so everyone involved can understand the status of the process. Visual control facilitates the principle that if every employee can see the status of an activity, he or she will be able to take appropriate action. Without visual management, you cannot achieve standardization. It now becomes possible to look for ways to improve.

To standardize a process, follow the steps:

1. Identify the process to be standardized.
2. Identify the best practices.
3. Document the tasks and procedures to the process.
4. Implement the new standard.
5. Implement methods of monitoring and control.

There is much to be gained by standardization. Benefits include:

• Improved productivity and morale
• Reduced training cycle for new associates
• Improved information sharing and quality of communications
• Increased safety
• Consistent delivery and execution
• Improved predictability of processes and process output
• Improved quality of product and service

In the context of process improvement, standardization is necessary to consistently deliver high quality process output and sustain the gains made through process improvement efforts. Once standardized, processes are only changed when an alternative method can produce more desirable results. Standardization also provides a baseline of operational performance that allows for the measuring and evaluation of process performance and the identification of problems as they arise.