Standardize is to establish standard processes and clear rules to maintain work place order. Review your rules continually so you can revise them to eliminate waste as customer focus/needs change. Standardization reduces variation; increase yields & give us predictable results. Standardization leads to Process Control and make it easier to teach, learn, remember, measure, test, document, change, grow. Standardization makes you flexible.

This standardization includes the 5S’s procedure.

1. Review and document the sorting activities and insure that:
   1. Criteria have been established and are adequate?
   2. Insure a holding area has been set up?
   3. Is there a tagging and review procedure established?
   4. Are surplus items reviewed before they are surplused?
2. Review and document the simplifying activity
3. Review and document the sweeping activities. Did you get both visual and physical sweeping activates that insure a safe and clean work place.
4. Review and make sure that a schedule has been established.

This standardization can be in the form of a standard procedure, check sheets or what I call run rules. Many times, we write procedures that are usually length to cover all the information. But what I feel is also needed are run rules. These run rules are “cheat Sheets” for running things. They are usually one page long and cover the key requirements of doing a good job in the area. Some times you will see them at a cashier in a store that just it taped to the cash register and says “Smile” or “Have a Nice Day”. They are for sure very important in insuring you are creating value for your customer.

Well there you have Standardize of the 5S’s . It, like Sweep, is short but an extremely important step, so do not forget it. Remember that the 5S’s are not a one and done. You should do this on a regular basis (That is why we standardize). Many companies create a dashboard for the 5S’s so a department knows how well they are doing. If you have questions or comments please leave them here or send me an Email.

Bersbach Consulting
Peter Bersbach
Six Sigma Master Black Belt
http://sixsigmatrainingconsulting.com
peter@bersbach.com
1.520.829.0090

Tags: 5S's, Five S's, Method

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