Skip to content

Free template

Updated

5S audit checklist template

A 5S audit checklist is a scored list of checks for each of the five S's (sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain) that an auditor works through in one work area. Each check gets a score from 1 to 5, the scores add up to a total out of 125, and the lowest-scoring S shows where the area needs work first. This template has 25 checks, five per S, with fields for the area, date, auditor and shift, a score summary, and space for the actions that follow.

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

Page 1 of the 5S audit checklist templateHeader fields for area, date, auditor and shift, the 1 to 5 scale, and the Sort, Set in order and Shine checks with scores to circle.
25 checks, 5 per S1-5 scoring guideScore summaryBlank 5S chartAction listSign-off

When to use it

When to use a 5S audit checklist

  • On a fixed schedule in every area that has a 5S standard, for example weekly by the area team and monthly by someone from outside it.
  • Right after a 5S event, to set a baseline, and again in the weeks after to check the area holds.
  • When conditions slip, to see which of the five S's is falling back.
  • To compare areas with the same checks, as long as every auditor scores the same way.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Fill in the header

    Area, date, auditor and shift. Audit the same area boundary every time so the scores can be compared.

  2. 2

    Walk the area with the sheet

    Score each check on the floor, not from memory: 1 is not in place, 5 is fully in place and sustained. The scoring guide is printed on the sheet.

  3. 3

    Write down what you saw

    For any score of 3 or less, note the finding and where it is. A low score without a finding cannot be acted on.

  4. 4

    Add up the scores

    Each S is out of 25 and the total is out of 125. The Excel version adds them up, works out the percentages, names the lowest S and draws the chart for you.

  5. 5

    Agree the actions

    Pick the lowest scores, agree an action with the area team, and give each one an owner and a due date. Check them at the next audit.

  6. 6

    Post the result and keep the trend

    Put the score up in the area. The direction of the score from audit to audit tells you more than any single number.

What's on the checklist

The 25 checks on the 5S audit checklist

Five checks per S. On the sheet each one is scored from 1 (not in place) to 5 (fully in place and sustained), with space for what you saw.

Sort

Remove what is not needed

  1. 1Only items needed for current work are in the area
  2. 2Unneeded items are red-tagged or removed
  3. 3No unused equipment, tools or materials on the floor, benches or shelves
  4. 4Aisles, exits and safety equipment are clear
  5. 5Red-tagged items are dealt with by their due date

Set in order

A marked place for everything

  1. 6Every item has a marked, labeled home
  2. 7Items are in their home when not in use
  3. 8Floor markings for aisles, WIP and storage are clear and intact
  4. 9Tools and fixtures are stored at the point of use (for example on shadow boards)
  5. 10Minimum and maximum quantities are marked for materials and supplies

Shine

Clean and inspect

  1. 11Floors, walls and work surfaces are clean and free of oil, dust and debris
  2. 12Machines are clean; leaks and damage are easy to see and are tagged
  3. 13A cleaning schedule with names is posted and followed
  4. 14Cleaning materials are available and stored in their place
  5. 15Sources of dirt and leaks are known and have actions against them

Standardize

Write the standard down

  1. 16A written 5S standard for the area, with photos, is posted
  2. 17Labels, color codes and markings follow the plant standard
  3. 18Checklists and cleaning schedules are current and in use
  4. 19Anyone can tell normal from abnormal at a glance
  5. 20Improvements from earlier audits are still in place

Sustain

Keep it up

  1. 215S audits are done on schedule and results are posted in the area
  2. 22Actions from the last audit are closed on time
  3. 23Everyone in the area is trained on its 5S standard
  4. 24Leaders check 5S during regular walks or meetings
  5. 25The score has held or improved since the last audit

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

A monthly audit of an assembly cell.

The example audit, score by S

  1. 1Sort21 of 25
  2. 2Set in order16 of 25
  3. 3Shine19 of 25
  4. 4StandardizeLowest14 of 25
  5. 5Sustain15 of 25

Bar chart of the example audit: Sort 21 of 25, Set in order 16, Shine 19, Standardize 14, Sustain 15. Total 85 of 125, 68 percent. Standardize is lowest.

Total 85 of 125 (68%). The shortest bar is where to act first: Standardize, 14 of 25.
  • Sort 21 of 25: a few unused fixtures under a bench, red-tagged during the audit.
  • Set in order 16 of 25: three tools missing from the shadow board and worn floor markings at the WIP location.
  • Shine 19 of 25.
  • Standardize 14 of 25: no posted photo standard, so operators disagree on what a clean, organized cell looks like.
  • Sustain 15 of 25: two actions from last month's audit are still open.

Total 85 of 125 (68%). The weakest S is Standardize, so the first action is a posted photo standard for the cell, then replacing the missing tools, repainting the WIP markings and closing last month's actions.

Common mistakes

  • Scoring from the office

    An audit done from memory measures what people remember, not the area. Walk it every time.

  • Every auditor scoring differently

    Use the written scale, and now and then have two auditors score the same area together to agree how strict to be.

  • Scores with no findings or actions

    A low score should always come with what was seen and who will fix it by when, or the audit changes nothing.

  • Treating the score as the goal

    Teams judged only on the number learn to tidy up before audit day. Track closed actions as well as the score.

  • Rewriting the checklist every month

    Keep the checks stable long enough to see a trend. Add checks for your area rather than replacing the core ones.

In LeanSuite

Use this as a Lean Studio board

The same method is one of the 30 ready-made board templates in Lean Studio, LeanSuite's whiteboard: 5S Audit Board, score and track workplace organization across the five S disciplines.

  • Start from the 5S Audit Board template: a scoring table for the five S's and a chart of the score over time.
  • Enter each audit's scores; the chart shows the trend and the lowest S.
  • Add a sticky per finding with an owner and clear it at the next audit.

Worked example · sample data

The sample board covers four weekly audits, weeks 34 to 37, of one cell. Sort has held between 21 and 23 out of 25 throughout. Set in order climbed from 16 to 21 after the finding that three tools were missing from the shadow board was closed. Shine moved from 19 to 20. Standardize rose from 14 to 19 but is still amber, with the finding that no photo standard is posted. Sustain rose from 15 to 19, held back by two actions still open. The total moved from 85 to 102 out of 125 in four weeks. At the week 37 review the team leader took the photo standard as the one action for the coming week, since it was the lowest S and the finding was already known.

The five S's scored out of 25 over four weeks, coloured by score, with a finding next to the low rows. Sample data.

Open this board in LeanSuite

5S Audit Board is one of the 30 ready-made boards in Lean Studio, LeanSuite's whiteboard. Try LeanSuite in your browser, or run it on your own lines for 90 days.

What Lean Studio is

How to run a 5S Audit Board session

  1. 1Agree the scoring sheet: five checks per S, scored 1 to 5, so each S is out of 25 and the area out of 125. Post a copy of it at the area.
  2. 2Audit weekly at first, with someone from outside the area alongside the team leader, 15 to 20 minutes on the floor.
  3. 3Score what you see, not what is explained. Take a photo of anything under 3 and write it as a finding with an owner.
  4. 4Enter the scores so the chart shows the trend and the lowest S. Discuss the lowest S at the next huddle.
  5. 5Move to fortnightly, then monthly, once the score holds above the agreed level for a quarter. Never stop; sustain is the fifth S.

Common mistakes

  • Scoring generously for your own area. Audit in pairs with an outsider.
  • Auditing without findings. A score without a list of what to fix changes nothing.
  • Stopping the audits when the score is good. The score falls within months.
  • Twenty checks nobody agreed. Post the sheet and keep it stable so the trend means something.
  • Fixing findings for the audit rather than for the shift.

Where it goes next in LeanSuite

  • The 5S checklist is built in Lean Creator with points per answer and a pass mark, scheduled in Daily Standard Work to a person or role, and completed on a phone or tablet with photo evidence; each report shows its score and pass or fail. Audit Management
  • A finding can raise an issue tag with an owner and a due date for the maintenance or support team. Daily Issue Management
  • The audit score can be a KPI with a target and RAG ranges, so the trend sits on the tier board. KPI Dashboards

Download the template

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

Run this template in LeanSuite

In LeanSuite you build any audit checklist, schedule it, complete it on a phone or tablet with photos as evidence, and turn every non-conformance into a tracked action with an owner.

See it in a 45-minute demo

FAQ

5S audit checklist template: common questions

  1. A common rhythm is a weekly self-audit by the team that works in the area and a monthly audit by someone from outside it. What matters most is a fixed schedule and the same checklist each time, so the scores can be compared.

  2. There is no universal benchmark, because the score depends on the checklist and on how strictly it is applied. Take a baseline, set your own target from it, and judge progress by the trend and by the lowest-scoring S rather than by one number.

  3. The area team can audit itself between formal audits. Formal audits are usually done by a supervisor, a manager or a rotating auditor from another area, which keeps the scoring honest and spreads the standard across the plant.

  4. Yes. The 25 checks are general ones that fit most production areas. Replace or add checks for your area, such as specific tools or safety equipment, and keep five checks per S if you want the totals to stay comparable.

  5. A 5S audit checks workplace organization in one area against its 5S standard. A layered process audit checks that key process steps and controls are being followed, with short checks done by several levels of the organization on a set schedule. Many plants run both.

More free templates

All templates
Browse all 199 templates

Can't find the template you need?

Tell us what you're looking for. We'll make it and send it to your inbox, free.

A shift handover sheet, a red tag log, a changeover checklist for one machine: if your team uses it on the floor, ask.

By sending this form you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Pass it on

We want LeanSuite to be the best place on the internet for lean help. If this was useful, send it to someone on your team or in your network who needs it.