Big or small, every company in industries such as manufacturing or logistics need proper management. Their entire business depends on efficient management. But despite investing all their money in the best manager or applying the fundamental framework of 5S, they fail somehow. 

The reason for a 5S failure could be many. Therefore, the key to smooth management and auditing lies in applying that 5Ss strategically and intelligently. If you’re new to the 5S framework, just know that it is structured to run your business in an organized way by reducing errors…

This article sees some quick and effective ways to implement 5S in your auditing for incredible inspection and management output.

What does the 5S model stand for?

The 5S model stands for the following: 

1. Sort: eradicate which is not needed.
2. Straighten: arrange what remains after sorting and labeling.
3. Shine: clear out and inspect the work area.
4. Standardize: write standards for 5S.
5. Sustain: apply the 5S standards consistently.

5S activities are the creation (and maintenance) of efficient and effective work areas to build the discipline needed for substantial and continuous improvement.

Smoothly handling your business can be challenging; the term “smooth” and business hardly go together. Sometimes, you may find yourself struggling with basic tasks, and no matter what you do, there’s this constant worry of silly mistakes that could affect your day at work.

This brings us to: 

7 Quick and Effective 5S Auditing Suggestions

So, let’s learn about seven quick and practical suggestions for 5S auditing to make your job easier and save some time:

#1. Plan or schedule your audits

You can always begin with an audit schedule once your workstation is optimized—there’s no need to scramble. After optimizing your workplace, the scheduled audits will take care of your workplace and its condition. So don’t get stressed about planning or optimization; it’s just making sure that you compute your audit once a month. 

This practice will make sure to keep everything in check, plus it’ll help simplify the work for workers. 

#2. Assign an auditor

Who do you think can get your auditing done? Of course, it’s often a supervisor who makes sure things are going right, and if not, they’re always there to get things done with feedback. 

However, some businesses conduct surveys or peer-to-peer reviews to gauge any loss or problem. 

Bonus Tip: Just create a survey or questionnaire, send it across, and review it later, in case you are supervising. 

#3. Use 5S audit forms

A 5S audit form is a tool you use to complete your auditing process based on the framework. 5S audit forms rank and provide feedback to your operators and supervisors. 

It depends on the Ss you’re ensuring. The scores range from 1 to 3 on a typical 5S Audit form. Here’s how you would be scoring:

1 = Not completed

2 = Partially completed

3 = Completed

There are many templates available on the internet; try using one. 

Bonus tip: Try using a digital 5S audit form; you’ll be able to capture photos for a better data presentation along with the context. It comes in handy (installed on your phone or tablet) for quick reference.

#4. 5S Audit reporting

Good 5S audit reporting indicates execution broken down by staff, workstation and lines—so that you can know if someone is underperforming. Then, with the insight in hand, you can train them again or demand better performance with proof. 

It also helps you retain the right employees or lay off those you think are no longer needed. However, consider choosing to retain employees instead of firing them. You can always give it a second thought. 

Quality 5S audit reports provide workstation, employee, and line performance breakdowns, so continuous improvement managers can improvise on specific issues. 

#5. Apply the 30-second rule

The “30-second” rule is a quick evaluation that allows you to access and compare optimization while auditing. Here, you simply measure how long it takes for a worker to find a tool. 

If they can find a tool within 30 seconds, it’s alright. If they do not, it is discarded. You can arrange or sort out things later in a way you could find it later.

#6. Align 5S 

After following the 5 steps, ensure that your team knows what to look for while conducting an audit. Even though your team may not conduct an audit, making them aware of it helps. 

This will make sure that your people know the importance of being organized. If not organized, they’ll be conscientious about what goes where. 

Such awareness makes things fall into place beforehand and eases your auditing process. 

#7. Total 5S audit score

This is an essential suggestion. You can find the total 5S audit score by simply dividing the sum of the audit by 5. This ensures that your S’s and their standards are upto the mark. 

For instance, if you scored each “S” a 4 (great score), the total score of the audit will be 4 (4+4+4+4+4) / 5.

This score shows you the mode in which your audit stands. 

No matter how simple it may seem, setting time for frequent auditing can be challenging if you have a fast-paced business. The key here is to have a digital tool that can do it for you to make this task easier. 

You can also conduct an audit at your convenience. For example, some businesses conduct audits every four days and even two weeks. So auditing and its frequency can be relative depending on the nature of your business.If you don’t know where to start, we suggest you check out Pulse. It’s an ideal tool designed for smart and digital auditing. It keeps paperwork at bay, encourages quick issue resolution, and saves your most precious resource – time! So, get in touch with us today!