21 July 2009                www.strategosinc.com

5S Fast & Simple

5S is really pretty simple. It need not be hyper-complexified with a copius plethora and profusion of tags, forms, procedures, committees, coordinators, nomenclature and theories (Like This Sentence, for example).

At Strategos our bias is for simplicity and action:

• Teach a few simple, effective concepts

• Put them into practice--NOW

• Internalize the behaviors

• Build on the basics later

For example, in a one-day Kaizen Event we train up to five teams and fifty people. The teams then implement about 70% of the SORT, SHINE and SET portions of 5S.

Or, in a two-day Kaizen Event, we implement 80%-90% of SORT, SHINE and SET while training and facilitating a Steering Committee to STANDARDIZE and SUSTAIN. Later, an Advanced 5S Kaizen Event adds tools and techniques for in-depth analysis and further improvement.

These Kaizen Events are challenging and satisfying. Participants go from interest to enthusiasm, confusion and chaos. Then, magically, it all comes together at the end.

But, it is not really magic and you don't need Strategos to do it. You will need a strong and experienced facilitator; one who can tolerate, and guide apparent chaos. Our new pages on 5S implementation and 5S training explain the approach.

If you are contemplating 5S for your operation, check out these pages for useful ideas. If you think we might help, please call me to talk further.

Best Regards,

Quarterman Lee

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