5S Is Not Just Housekeeping

The test of 5S is not whether the area looks better. The test is whether the work is easier to do correctly. Cosmetic cleanup hides waste A cleanup can make a space presentable while leaving the process unchanged. Boxes move from the aisle to a back room, old files move from the desk to a shared drive, and tools move into a drawer. The waste is still there; it is just less visible to the visitor. Lean practice starts with the work, so a 5S effort should ask what the area makes people do: search, reach, wait, recheck, ask, step…

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