5S and the Great Yard Sale
I am an advocate of the 5S method as a basic part of a system of management. 5S provides a way to clear out the clutter that accrues over time. In safety/risk management, it reduces physical issues that create loss producing conditions or increase risk of injury or damage. I decided that if I advocate 5S, then I should use it myself. I began with my office bookcase and gave a considerable number of books away. I am moving into the next phase in my office.
To recap, 5S is a process for organizing. What are the Five S’s?
“Use the following links to learn more about 5S
- Sort – the first step in making things cleaned up and organized
- Set In Order – organize, identify and arrange everything in a work area
- Shine – regular cleaning and maintenance
- Standardize – make it easy to maintain – simplify and standardize
- Sustain -maintaining what has been accomplished”
Source: http://www.graphicproducts.com/tutorials/five-s/index.php; a Google search will turn up numerous sites and links.
Shift to personal life – My wife decided we needed to hold a yard sale. This intersected with my need to do a larger 5S
experiment. So this past weekend, we held a great yard sale. The basement was purged of all unneeded and unnecessary things (well, some stuff is still there) – old clothes, tools, furniture, and so forth. Many of these items were still good and just unused. We hauled a ton of stuff around the house into the garage, put signs out and then…it rained.
So we postponed the sale until Sunday. Lesson learned was never have a yard sale on Sunday – people are at church, Sunday dinner, watching football, not cruising around looking for yard sales.
What has this got to do with 5S you may ask?
A further lesson was learned. There is resistance to doing anything and to letting go. After all, the stuff had been there awhile and I might just need something. However, the place had to have action taken given the space taken up by unused items. Besides, the wife said a yard sale would happen. Period.
Letting go is a major issue that must be taken into account with regard to establishing a 5S effort. There is a psychological barrier out there either you or your employees will hit. In trying to purge my office I hit the same barrier – books need to go that are unused or I have already internalized what they offer. I’ve given many away but need to continue the process.
The things designated for the yard sale were items that we no longer needed. Who was the one who pulled items out of the yard sale? Me. I saw two items that I really “needed” and pulled them out and took to my office. Which degraded my office 5S…
Lesson: Make sure you setup a “red tag” area where things with some value can go for reevaluation and may have potential for reuse. Set up discussions, reviews and communications that work to overcome the resistance that will surely arise. The goal/objective is to reach a level of standardizing and sustaining the 5S process. Determine what is it you’re trying to sustain and first mentally work back through the 5S. What is it you’re trying to achieve? Make sure you and your employees understand the “why” of your doing 5S.
This next weekend, we get our garage back.
Nathan Crutchfield
Crutchfield Consulting, LLC
