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Question list · 5S and visual management

5S audit questions: 58 to choose from, and why you ask each one

Short answer

5S audit questions are the checks an auditor scores on a walk through a work area, grouped by the five S's: Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain. Each one describes a condition you can see, so two auditors give the same area the same score.

A 5S audit asks the same questions on every visit and scores each one, so the area's score can be compared from audit to audit. A good question describes one condition you can see, such as whether every tool is in its marked home right now, and is written so the best condition gets the top score. This page lists 58 questions: ten or eleven for each S and six for safety if you audit 6S, each with the reason it is asked. Nobody scores all 58. Pick five per S that fit the area, keep them the same so the trend means something, and write a finding for every low score. The free 5S audit checklist has 25 checks, five per S, scored 1 to 5 for a total out of 125. The five S's are named here as the US EPA's lean guidance names them: Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.

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How to use this list

This is a bank to choose from, not one audit. A 5S audit works because the questions stay the same from visit to visit, so choose five per S that fit the area and keep them. A welding bay and a packing line need different Shine questions. They can share most of the Sustain ones.

The 58 questions in six groups

  1. Questions 1 to 10

    Sort

    Check that only what the work needs is in the area, and that doubtful items have a way out.

  2. Questions 11 to 21

    Set in order

    Check that every item has a marked home near where it is used, and is in it.

  3. Questions 22 to 31

    Shine

    Check that cleaning is routine, reaches the hidden places, and is used to spot faults.

  4. Questions 32 to 41

    Standardize

    Check that the right condition is written down, visible, and the same on every shift.

  5. Questions 42 to 52

    Sustain

    Check that audits happen, findings get closed, and the team owns the result.

  6. Questions 53 to 58

    Safety (6S)

    Check for the hazards that disorder creates, for plants that add safety as a sixth S.

Five groups follow the five S's. The sixth is for plants that audit safety as part of 6S.
  • Score what you see today, not what the area looked like last week or what you are told it usually looks like.
  • Use the written scale, and write a finding for every score of 3 or less. A low score with no finding cannot be acted on.
  • Audit with someone from the area. They know which drawer to open, and they hear the reason for each score first hand.
  • Photograph each finding. A photo ends the argument about what the auditor saw.
  • Change a question only when the area changes. If the questions move every month, the trend line means nothing.

The 5S audit checklist has 25 checks, five per S, with the 1 to 5 scale, a score summary and an action list. Use it as the starting sheet and swap in questions from this page where they fit the area better. If 5S itself is new to the team, the 5S guide explains each step with floor examples and how red tagging works.

Score the area on the 5S audit checklist

25 checks, five per S, scored 1 to 5, with a score summary and an action list. Free, after one short form.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

See what is on each sheet on the 5S audit checklist page.

Sort questions

Sort asks whether each item earns its place by being used, not whether the area looks neat. Open a cabinet and a drawer before you score any of these. The audit of a tidy area with full cupboards starts here.

  1. 1

    Is everything in the area needed for the work done here this week?

    Why: Sort starts from use, not tidiness. A neat shelf of things nobody uses still fails.

  2. 2

    Is the area free of tools and fixtures for jobs that no longer run?

    Why: Obsolete tooling hides the tooling in use, and it gets picked up by mistake at a changeover.

  3. 3

    Is the quantity of each consumable limited to what the shift needs?

    Why: Five boxes of gloves at one bench means another bench has none. Excess also hides the point at which someone should reorder.

  4. 4

    Are personal items in the place provided, off the work surface?

    Why: Phones, cups and jackets on a bench are the first sign that the rules of the area are optional.

  5. 5

    Are the tops of cabinets, machines and shelves free of stored items?

    Why: Flat surfaces above eye level collect the things nobody decided to keep.

  6. 6

    Is the floor free of items with no marked place?

    Why: Anything on the floor without an outline was put down, not put away. It is also a trip hazard.

  7. 7

    Are red tags in use on items nobody is sure about?

    Why: The tag lets the team move a doubtful item out without an argument. No tags in an area full of doubtful items means Sort has stopped.

  8. 8

    Was the red tag area emptied on its last review date?

    Why: A red tag area that is never cleared becomes a second storeroom. Read the date on the oldest tag.

  9. 9

    Have out-of-date documents, labels and samples been removed?

    Why: An old revision on the wall can still be followed. Sorting applies to information as well as objects.

  10. 10

    Is broken equipment tagged and removed, not parked in the area?

    Why: A broken cart in the corner takes up space and tells everyone that reporting a fault changes nothing.

Set in order questions

Set in order is tested mid-shift, when the tools are in use, not at the end of the day when everything has been put back. The questions ask two things: whether a home exists, and whether the home works well enough that things return to it.

  1. 11

    Does every tool have a marked home, such as a shadow outline or a labelled hook?

    Why: With an outline, a missing tool is visible at a glance. Without one, nobody knows it is gone until it is needed.

  2. 12

    Is every tool in its home right now?

    Why: Empty outlines in the middle of a shift usually mean the home is too far from the point of use.

  3. 13

    Are the most-used items within arm's reach of where they are used?

    Why: Frequency of use decides location. A tool three steps away costs that walk on every part.

  4. 14

    Are shelves, bins and drawers labelled with what belongs in them?

    Why: Labels let a relief operator find things without asking. Test it by looking for one item yourself.

  5. 15

    Are minimum and maximum levels marked where stock is kept?

    Why: The marks turn a stock check into a glance, and they show overstock as clearly as a shortage.

  6. 16

    Are the floor markings complete and unbroken?

    Why: Worn tape gets ignored. Once one pallet sits across a faded line, the rest follow.

  7. 17

    Is everything inside its marked area?

    Why: Markings only work if crossing them is abnormal. Count the items over a line.

  8. 18

    Do the floor marking colours follow the plant standard?

    Why: If yellow means aisle in one area and scrap in another, people stop reading the colours.

  9. 19

    Are work in progress, finished goods and scrap in separate, labelled locations?

    Why: Mixed locations are how a rejected part ends up in a finished container.

  10. 20

    Can a person from another area find a named tool or document without asking?

    Why: This is the real test of Set in order. Pick an item and ask a visitor to find it.

  11. 21

    Are heavy or awkward items stored between knee and shoulder height?

    Why: A heavy die on the bottom shelf is a strain every time it is lifted.

Shine questions

Shine is cleaning as a form of inspection. A clean machine shows a new leak, a loose bolt or a cracked guard on the day it appears. Look under, behind and inside before you score, because the visible surfaces are always the cleanest.

  1. 22

    Are machines free of built-up oil, dust and swarf?

    Why: On a clean machine a new leak or a loose bolt shows the same day. Under a layer of grime it shows when something fails.

  2. 23

    Is the floor clean and dry, including under benches and behind machines?

    Why: The places a broom does not easily reach show whether cleaning is a routine or a show.

  3. 24

    Are leaks marked, reported and contained, not just wiped?

    Why: Wiping a leak every shift hides a failing seal. A tag sends it to maintenance.

  4. 25

    Have the sources of dirt been identified, and is someone dealing with them?

    Why: Shine is finished when less dirt is made, not when more cleaning is done.

  5. 26

    Is cleaning equipment available, in good condition and in its marked place?

    Why: Nobody cleans with a broken broom borrowed from another department.

  6. 27

    Does the cleaning schedule say who cleans what, and when?

    Why: Without names and times, cleaning falls to whoever minds the mess most.

  7. 28

    Was today's cleaning done and signed off?

    Why: A signature next to a dirty machine is a finding about the signature.

  8. 29

    Are gauges, sight glasses and displays clean and readable?

    Why: An oil level nobody can read does not get checked.

  9. 30

    Are the lights working and their covers clean?

    Why: Poor light hides defects and dirt alike.

  10. 31

    Are bins emptied before they overflow?

    Why: An overflowing bin spreads to the floor within a shift.

Standardize questions

The first three S's change the area. Standardize writes the result down so that anyone can tell normal from abnormal without asking. If there is no posted standard, every question in this group scores low, and that is the correct result.

  1. 32

    Is there a posted standard with photos showing how the area should look?

    Why: Without one, every auditor scores against a private idea of tidy.

  2. 33

    Does the area match the photo today?

    Why: Each difference is either a slip or an improvement that nobody added to the standard. Both are worth writing down.

  3. 34

    Are labels, signs and colours the same as in the rest of the plant?

    Why: People who move between areas should not have to relearn what a red bin means.

  4. 35

    Are 5S duties written into the daily routine for each role?

    Why: Tasks that sit in a separate 5S document get done when there is time, which is rarely.

  5. 36

    Does everyone in the area know their own 5S tasks?

    Why: Ask two people. If both point at the team leader, the duties have not been shared out.

  6. 37

    Is the end-of-shift checklist used on every shift?

    Why: Compare the sheets for the last three shifts. One shift that skips it undoes the work of the other two.

  7. 38

    Can abnormal conditions be seen at a glance, without opening anything?

    Why: An empty outline, a level under the minimum mark and a pallet over the line all tell you something is wrong from across the aisle.

  8. 39

    Is the red tag procedure posted, with a named reviewer?

    Why: People tag items only if they know what happens next and who decides.

  9. 40

    Was the standard updated when the layout or product last changed?

    Why: Check the date on it. A standard that shows last year's layout cannot be audited against.

  10. 41

    Do all shifts work to the same standard?

    Why: If the day and night tool boards differ, the tools move twice a day.

Sustain questions

The US EPA's guidance on 5S calls Sustain often the most difficult S to put in place. These questions are about the routine around the area: whether the audit happens, whether its findings are closed, and whether anyone in the area would notice if it stopped.

  1. 42

    Was the last scheduled audit done on time?

    Why: A skipped audit is the earliest sign that the area is slipping.

  2. 43

    Are the last score and its findings posted in the area?

    Why: A score kept in a spreadsheet belongs to the auditor, not to the team.

  3. 44

    Does every finding from the last audit have an owner and a due date?

    Why: Findings without owners come back word for word on the next audit.

  4. 45

    Were the last audit's findings closed on time?

    Why: Go and look at two of them. Closed on the list and closed on the floor are not always the same thing.

  5. 46

    Is the score trend flat or rising?

    Why: A falling line across three audits says the routine has broken, whatever today's score is.

  6. 47

    Is the area free of findings repeated across the last three audits?

    Why: A repeat means the fix was a tidy-up. It needs a cause, such as a missing home or too little space.

  7. 48

    Do supervisors and managers take part in audits here?

    Why: An audit done only by the 5S coordinator becomes the coordinator's project.

  8. 49

    Are new starters trained in the area's standard in their first week?

    Why: Every new person either learns the standard or dilutes it.

  9. 50

    Has the team made a 5S improvement of its own since the last audit?

    Why: A new shadow board or a moved rack shows that the team owns the area.

  10. 51

    Are before and after photos displayed?

    Why: They remind people what the area used to look like, which is the best argument for keeping it as it is.

  11. 52

    Does the team review its 5S score in a regular meeting?

    Why: Two minutes a week in a meeting the team already holds is enough to keep the score in view.

Safety questions, if you audit 6S

Some plants add safety as a sixth S and give it its own set of checks. If yours does, score these the same way as the others. If it does not, the hazards still need checking somewhere. The 5S guide compares 5S and 6S.

  1. 53

    Are fire extinguishers, eyewash stations and electrical panels marked and unobstructed?

    Why: They get blocked first, because the space in front of them looks empty.

  2. 54

    Are walkways and exits clear and marked?

    Why: A walkway used as overflow storage is a trip hazard today and a blocked exit in an emergency.

  3. 55

    Are machine guards in place and undamaged?

    Why: A guard that is cracked or held on with tape has already been taken off once.

  4. 56

    Are chemicals labelled and stored in the marked cabinet?

    Why: An unlabelled bottle is a Sort problem and a safety problem at once.

  5. 57

    Is the required protective equipment posted at the entry and worn in the area?

    Why: The sign tells a visitor what to wear. The people in the area tell you whether the sign means anything.

  6. 58

    Are cables, hoses and air lines routed off the floor?

    Why: On the floor they trip people, and carts damage them.

How to score a 5S audit question

Each question is scored from 1 to 5 on the scale printed on the checklist. The table shows the scale applied to one question from the list: does every tool have a marked home? The right-hand column is our example of what an auditor would see at each level.

The 1 to 5 scale applied to one question

Example numbers

  1. 1Not in place

    Tools are kept in drawers and on benches. Nothing is outlined or labelled.

    Write a finding

  2. 2Started, major gaps

    One shadow board is up for hand tools. Most tools still have no home.

    Write a finding

  3. 3In place, some gaps

    Boards cover the area, but several tools have no outline and some outlines are unlabelled.

    Write a finding

  4. 4In place, minor gaps

    Every tool has an outline. Two labels are worn and one new tool has not been added yet.

    No finding needed

  5. 5Fully in place and sustained

    Every tool has a labelled outline, and the board has been complete for the last three audits.

    No finding needed

A score of 3 or less gets a written finding, so the area knows what to fix. With five questions per S, each S is scored out of 25 and the audit out of 125. Divide by 125 for a percentage.

A yes or no audit is quicker, but it cannot show an area that is getting better without being finished. The five levels can, which is why the checklist is scored. Agree what a 3 and a 4 look like for the area before the first audit, or two auditors will give the same bench two different scores.

Weak 5S audit questions, and how to rewrite them

A weak 5S question asks for an opinion. Two auditors answer it differently, and the area cannot tell what to fix. Each one below is rewritten into a question from the bank that describes something you can see.

Weak 5S audit questions and better ones

  • Weak question

    Is the area tidy?

    What goes wrong: Tidy means something different to every auditor.

    Rewrite

    Does the area match the photo today?

  • Weak question

    Are tools organised?

    What goes wrong: It gets scored from the doorway. Nobody opens a drawer.

    Rewrite

    Is every tool in its home right now?

  • Weak question

    Is the area clean?

    What goes wrong: It passes after a quick sweep before the audit.

    Rewrite

    Is the floor clean and dry, including under benches and behind machines?

  • Weak question

    Is there any unneeded material?

    What goes wrong: Yes is the bad answer, so the sheet reads backwards.

    Rewrite

    Is everything in the area needed for the work done here this week?

  • Weak question

    Is 5S being sustained?

    What goes wrong: It asks for an opinion about the whole programme.

    Rewrite

    Were the last audit's findings closed on time?

  • Weak question

    Are standards followed?

    What goes wrong: Nobody knows which standards are meant.

    Rewrite

    Is the end-of-shift checklist used on every shift?

A good 5S question names the thing to look at and what right looks like.

Worked example: one audit of a packing line

Illustrative example: the plant, the line and the scores are made up to show how answers become findings. A supervisor from another department audits a case packing line with the line's team leader. They score five questions per S. The table shows the total for each S and the question that scored lowest.

One 5S audit of a packing line: scores, lowest questions and actions

Example numbers

  • Sort: 21 of 25

    Lowest question
    Was the red tag area emptied on its last review date? Scored 3.
    Finding and action
    Four tags are more than 30 days old. The supervisor reviews them at Friday's meeting.

  • Set in order: 17 of 25

    Lowest question
    Is every tool in its home right now? Scored 2.
    Finding and action
    Six of 22 outlines are empty mid-shift. The board is 12 metres from the case packer, so the team trials a second small board at the machine.

  • Shine: 19 of 25

    Lowest question
    Are leaks marked, reported and contained, not just wiped? Scored 3.
    Finding and action
    A gearbox leak is wiped every day and has no tag. A maintenance tag is raised during the audit.

  • Standardize: 15 of 25

    Lowest question
    Does the area match the photo today? Scored 2.
    Finding and action
    The photo shows the layout before a new bench was added. The team leader retakes the photos this week.

  • Sustain: 12 of 25

    Lowest question
    Were the last audit's findings closed on time? Scored 1.
    Finding and action
    Five of seven findings are still open and have no owner. Each gets an owner and a date before the auditor leaves.
The lowest question in each S becomes the action, so the next audit has something to check.

The total is 21 + 17 + 19 + 15 + 12 = 84 of 125, or 67 percent. The number matters less than its shape. The line is good at clearing out and cleaning, and weak at the two S's that keep it that way. The next audit will show whether the five open findings were closed, which is the Sustain question that scored 1.

What to do with the scores

Post the score and the findings in the area on the day of the audit. Give each finding an owner and a date, and start the next audit by checking the last one's findings before scoring anything new.

A 5S audit scores the condition of an area. It does not check that the process is being run correctly, and it does not explain why a standard is hard to keep. For the first, use the layered process audit questions. For the second, use the open gemba walk questions.

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FAQ

Questions about 5S audit questions

  1. Questions about conditions you can see, grouped by the five S's. Sort asks whether everything in the area is needed. Set in order asks whether every item has a marked home and is in it. Shine asks whether the area and equipment are clean and leaks are reported. Standardize asks whether the right condition is posted and the same on every shift. Sustain asks whether audits happen and findings are closed.

  2. Five per S, 25 in total, is what the 5S audit checklist uses. It is enough to cover each S and short enough to finish in one visit. If you audit 6S, add five for safety.

  3. Score each question from 1, not in place, to 5, fully in place and sustained. With five questions per S, each S is out of 25 and the whole audit is out of 125. Write a finding for every score of 3 or less, and compare the total with the last audit of the same area.

  4. Often enough that the area cannot drift far between audits. A common pattern, and the one in the checklist's example, is weekly by the area team and monthly by someone from outside the area. Keep the day fixed so a skipped audit is noticed.

  5. Scored is more useful for 5S. A yes or no answer cannot show an area that is improving but not finished, and a 1 to 5 scale can. Use yes or no questions for process checks such as a layered process audit, where a control is either in place or not.

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