Idea bank · 5S and visual management
5S ideas and examples: 50 practical changes for every step
Short answer
5S examples are small, concrete changes that make an area easier to work in and easier to keep that way. Below are 50 5S ideas, ten for each of the five steps: sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. Each one names the problem, how much effort it takes and the free template that helps you put it in place. Filter by step, by the kind of area or by effort.
Last reviewed:
These are common shop-floor practices, not results from any one plant, so we give no savings figures. Take a photo before you start so that you can show what changed.
Where the 50 ideas sit
| Step | Production line or cell | Maintenance and tool crib | Warehouse and dock | Office | Any area | Ideas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sort (seiri) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| Set in order (seiton) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | none | 10 |
| Shine (seiso) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Standardize (seiketsu) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| Sustain (shitsuke) | 2 | none | none | none | 8 | 10 |
The same 50 ideas by effort
- Low effort: 40 ideas
- Medium effort: 10 ideas
A grid of the 50 ideas counted by step and by area. Sort (seiri): 10 ideas. Set in order (seiton): 10 ideas. Shine (seiso): 10 ideas. Standardize (seiketsu): 10 ideas. Sustain (shitsuke): 10 ideas. By effort: 40 low effort, 10 medium effort.
Step
Effort
Showing 50 of 50 ideas
Sort (seiri) (10)
Ideas to take out what the work does not need, so what is left is easy to see.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- Items nobody can name an owner for stay at the stations because nobody is sure they can be thrown out.
- Idea
- Tag anything unused with a red tag and the date, move it to one marked area and decide each week whether it is kept, moved or removed.
- Low effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- Stations hold every tool and fixture that was ever used there.
- Idea
- Split the items into used every shift, used weekly and not used in a month, and keep only the first group within reach.
- Low effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- Boxes of gloves, labels and fasteners pile up beside the line.
- Idea
- Keep one shift of supply at the station, and put the rest in a store where the refill is triggered by a card or a bin.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- Boards and walls are covered in outdated notices, so the current ones are missed.
- Idea
- Take everything down, put back only what is current and give each board an owner and a review date.
- Medium effort
- Maintenance and tool crib
- Problem
- The crib holds parts for machines that left years ago and lacks parts for machines that run today.
- Idea
- Match the stock to the equipment register, tag items for machines no longer on site and make sure the critical spares are there.
- Low effort
- Warehouse and dock
- Problem
- Storage looks full, so the answer seems to be more racking.
- Idea
- Count what is old, slow or damaged first, decide what to dispose of, and only then ask whether the storage is short.
- Low effort
- Maintenance and tool crib
- Problem
- Cabinets hold three brands of the same fastener and opened tins of dried-out product.
- Idea
- Take everything out, remove what is expired, duplicated or unlabelled and put back only what is needed.
- Medium effort
- Any area
- Problem
- A big clear-out is always going to happen next month.
- Idea
- Pick a date, tell people what to expect, supply tags and bins, and let the area team decide what stays.
- Low effort
- Office
- Problem
- Desks and lockers fill with personal items and old paperwork.
- Idea
- Agree what may stay on the desk and what goes in a drawer, and check it as part of the office audit.
Set in order (seiton) (10)
Ideas for a place for everything, with the most-used item closest to the hand.
- Low effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- Operators walk to a shared toolbox or search for a tool during the shift.
- Idea
- Hang each station's tools on a board with an outline for each, so a missing tool is obvious.
- Medium effort
- Maintenance and tool crib
- Problem
- Tools are tipped into drawers and the right size is never found first.
- Idea
- Cut foam to fit each tool so every tool has one place and the drawer shows at a glance what is missing.
- Low effort
- Warehouse and dock
- Problem
- Carts and pallets are left wherever the last job finished.
- Idea
- Mark a home position on the floor for each cart, pallet and bin and label it with what lives there.
- Low effort
- Warehouse and dock
- Problem
- Pickers search shelves because labels are missing or the wrong way round.
- Idea
- Label the shelf, the bin and the part with the same code, and put the label where a person can read it at the height they stand.
- Low effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- The item used every cycle is stored the furthest away.
- Idea
- Rank each item by how often it is used and place the most frequent between waist and shoulder height, closest to the operator.
- Low effort
- Maintenance and tool crib
- Problem
- Two similar-looking oils are in the same cabinet and one of them can destroy the gearbox.
- Idea
- Give each lubricant a colour on the container, funnel and grease gun, and put the same colour on the machine point.
- Low effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- The line stops for gloves, labels or fasteners that ran out.
- Idea
- Use two bins per item, and when the first is empty it triggers the refill while the second is in use.
- Low effort
- Office
- Problem
- Nobody knows which plug is which until something breaks.
- Idea
- Label each cable at both ends and each breaker or switch with what it runs, and keep a simple key on the cabinet door.
- Low effort
- Office
- Problem
- Stationery and printer supplies are stacked at random and re-ordered by mistake.
- Idea
- Group by use, mark a minimum level on each shelf and name the person who reorders.
- Medium effort
- Maintenance and tool crib
- Problem
- People guess at what a pipe carries and which way a valve is open.
- Idea
- Mark each pipe with its contents and flow direction, and each valve with its normal open or closed position.
Shine (seiso) (10)
Ideas that make cleaning an inspection, so problems show before they stop the line.
- Low effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- Cleaning is seen as a job for someone else, and defects hide under the dirt.
- Idea
- Have the operator clean the machine while looking for leaks, cracks, loose parts and wear, and tag each one found.
- Low effort
- Maintenance and tool crib
- Problem
- Operators notice a leak or loose bolt while cleaning and say nothing.
- Idea
- Hang a tag on each one with the date and a short note, log it and track it to the repair.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- Everybody assumes someone else cleans the shared area.
- Idea
- Post a schedule that shows what is cleaned, how often and by whom, and review it at the huddle.
- Low effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- The broom and cloths are in a cupboard two aisles away, so cleaning does not happen.
- Idea
- Keep a small cleaning kit at each station, with a shadow board outline, so cleaning takes seconds.
- Medium effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- The same spot is swept every shift because chips, coolant or dust keep landing there.
- Idea
- Add a cover, a splash guard or a tray at the source, and stop cleaning up what could be prevented.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- People do not believe a clean-up made a difference.
- Idea
- Take a photo before and after each clean-up, post both on the area board and use them as the reference for the audit.
- Low effort
- Warehouse and dock
- Problem
- Dirty or failed lights make labels hard to read and hide hazards.
- Idea
- Add the lights to the cleaning schedule and report any dim or failed fitting through the same tag system.
- Low effort
- Warehouse and dock
- Problem
- Dust and packaging build up on beams and at the dock door and hide damage.
- Idea
- Add racks, trucks and the dock to the cleaning schedule and inspect for damage as they are cleaned.
- Low effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- The next shift starts by clearing up the last one's mess.
- Idea
- Set a fixed time at the end of every shift to clean and put everything back, and check it at the start of the next shift.
- Low effort
- Office
- Problem
- Keyboards, phones and shared equipment are never cleaned.
- Idea
- Add a short weekly clean to the office routine and log it on the audit.
Standardize (seiketsu) (10)
Ideas that turn a good state into the way every team and every shift keeps the area.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- Different people judge different things as tidy.
- Idea
- Put a photo of the agreed standard on the area board and the audit sheet, so everyone compares against the same thing.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- The audit is a general form, so it misses what matters in each area.
- Idea
- Adapt the checklist to the area, keeping the questions short and specific, and agree it with the team who use the area.
- Medium effort
- Any area
- Problem
- Yellow means walkway in one area and hazard in another.
- Idea
- Agree one colour code for floors, labels and tags, publish it and apply it area by area.
- Medium effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- Every line has a different board, so people moving between lines lose time.
- Idea
- Use the same board layout for stations that do the same work, so a person who moves can find a tool without asking.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- Cleaning instructions exist only in someone's head.
- Idea
- Write what is cleaned, with what, how often and what good looks like, on one page at the machine.
- Low effort
- Office
- Problem
- The same document has five names and nobody finds the latest one.
- Idea
- Agree a short naming rule and a folder map, and show them at the top of the shared drive.
- Low effort
- Warehouse and dock
- Problem
- Nobody knows how much of an item is too much or too little.
- Idea
- Mark the minimum and maximum quantity on each shelf or bin, and tie the minimum to a reorder card.
- Low effort
- Maintenance and tool crib
- Problem
- Operators read a pressure gauge but do not know what the right reading is.
- Idea
- Mark the normal range in green and the limit in red on each gauge, so an abnormal reading is obvious at a glance.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- New people learn the standard by watching someone cut a corner.
- Idea
- Put the area standard and the photo into the onboarding plan and sign it off with the trainer.
- Medium effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- One cell gets a good set-up and nobody else sees it.
- Idea
- Photograph and describe the layout, share it at the plant meeting and offer to help the next area adopt it.
Sustain (shitsuke) (10)
Ideas that keep the habit going after the first clean-up fades.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- The area is tidy after the big clean-up and slips within a month.
- Idea
- Have the team score their own area every week against the checklist, and post the score and the photos.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- People are used to their own area and stop seeing the problems.
- Idea
- Pair teams so each audits the other's area on a rota, and give the findings back in person.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- Nobody sees how 5S is going, so it is nobody's priority.
- Idea
- Show the trend of each area's score on the area board and at the tier meeting.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- Supervisors walk past a drifting area every day and say nothing.
- Idea
- Add one 5S question to the leader's walk, such as asking an operator to show where a tool lives.
- Low effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- 5S comes up only at audit time.
- Idea
- Spend two minutes at the start of the shift on the area score, one thing to fix and who will do it.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- The best area is always the same one, and the others stop trying.
- Idea
- Recognise the area that improved most, not only the one with the highest score.
- Medium effort
- Production line or cell
- Problem
- 5S happens only when production lets it.
- Idea
- Set a fixed slot for 5S in the shift plan and protect it the same way as a changeover or a break.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- Scores slip and the response is to tell people to try harder.
- Idea
- Ask why the standard was not kept, whether it was a missing bin, a poor layout or no time, and fix that.
- Low effort
- Any area
- Problem
- Audit findings go on a sheet and are forgotten.
- Idea
- Turn every failed line into an action with an owner and a date, and review them at the tier meeting.
- Medium effort
- Any area
- Problem
- The layout and the checklist stay the same while the work changes.
- Idea
- Review each area's standard, photos and checklist once a year with the team and update what no longer fits the work.
How to use this list
- 1
Pick one area and take a photo
Start where the team feels the pain. Photograph it before any change, so the before and after are on record.
- 2
Work through the steps in order
Sort first, because it is hard to arrange what you do not need. Then set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. Skipping to a clean-up or a floor marking without sorting makes a tidy mess.
- 3
Let the team decide
The people who use the area choose what stays, where it lives and what good looks like. An area designed by someone else is not kept.
- 4
Audit it, then fix the cause of any slip
Score the area against the checklist every week. When the score drops, ask why and fix the cause instead of asking people to try harder.
Low effort
The team can do it within its own area in a day or two, with little or no spending.
Medium effort
A few weeks, a small budget or help from another department, such as maintenance or engineering.
What each area means
- Production line or cell
- Stations, cells and lines where product is made.
- Maintenance and tool crib
- The workshop, crib, spares and lubricant store.
- Warehouse and dock
- Receiving, storage, picking and shipping.
- Office
- Desks, files, shared drives and supply cupboards.
- Any area
- Ideas that work the same way wherever they are used.
Templates for running 5S
Free templates for auditing an area, logging red-tagged items and planning boards and floor marks.
- 5S audit checklist template25 checks, five per S, scored 1 to 5, with a score summary and a chart of the five S's.
- Office 5S audit checklist25 checks written for offices and shared areas, five per S, scored 1 to 5, with a score summary and actions.
- 5S red tag log and red tagsA log of every red-tagged item with its decision, and six printable red tags to cut out.
- Shadow board plannerTool inventory with fetch time, a layout planned from each tool's outline size, a month of daily checks with 5S audit evidence, and a missing tool log.
- Floor marking color guideA floor marking color standard with swatches, marks and line widths to fill in, and a floor marking check with a layout sketch.
Read next: the 5S guide, the 5S and visual management topic and autonomous maintenance examples.
More idea banks: 120 kaizen ideas by department, workplace safety ideas and cost saving ideas.
Running these ideas in LeanSuite
- 5S audit softwarePuts the scored 5S checklist on a tablet, requires a photo for each check, turns every failed line into an action with an owner and due date, and shows scores by area.See 5S audit software
- Idea ManagementCollect ideas from frontline teams in one place, review them quickly and turn the best ones into improvement projects.See Idea Management
FAQ
5S ideas and examples: common questions
Red tagging items that are not needed (sort), shadow boards and labelled bins (set in order), cleaning a machine while checking it for leaks (shine), photo standards and one checklist per area (standardize), and a weekly audit by the area team (sustain). This page lists 50, ten for each step.
Sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. They come from the Japanese words seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke. Some companies add a sixth S for safety.
Start with one area where the problem is obvious to the people who work there, take a photo, and begin with sort. Do not roll 5S out to the whole plant at once. A single area done well is easier to copy than ten done halfway.
Yes. The same steps apply to files, shared drives, supply cupboards and cables: remove what is not used, give each item a place, keep it clean, agree a standard and check it. The free office 5S audit checklist is a starting point.
Usually because the sort and clean-up get done and the audit does not. Without a regular check, a visible score and a fix for the cause when the score drops, the area drifts back. The sustain ideas on this page are aimed at that.
Score each line of a checklist in the same way every time, for example pass or fail with a photo, and show the result by area. The free 5S audit checklist gives a scoring layout, and the 5S guide shows a worked score.
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