Case Study - 5S Pilot at the Department of Human Services (Victoria)
Article by Chris Baker, Principal Consultant at Kallista Consulting, Nov 2009
In 2009, The Doing Business Better team at the Department of Human Services in Victoria, conducted a pilot implementation of 5S across a small work area over an 8 week period to evaluate the potential benefits of 5S within their environment. The aim was to measure the benefits associated with the implementation of the five processes from which 5S derives it's name, Sort, Set In Order, Shine, Standardise and Sustain.
Supported by Chris Baker, principal consultant at Kallista Consulting, who provided training, materials and coaching, the team targeted their own four desks and the surrounding area for their evaluation. They proceeded in stages;
- Identifying metrics to record savings
- Removing unneeded items from the workplace and retaining only those items required for their work
- Establishing appropriate storage systems, signage and visual cues for their equipment and materials
- Providing simple mechanisms to manage waste paper and other rubbish wherever the waste was generated
- Observing work flow and movement to identify opportunities to standardise tasks
Apart from an immediate push on the Sort principle as a launch activity, most of the implementation work was conducted in between existing work demands. The immediate results were soon obvious as their Red Tag Area quickly filled and expaned into the surrounding area.
As a result of the Sort process, the team removed a huge quantity of unused office equipment and materials from their immediate workplace, including a staggering 236kg of paper. This reduced clutter significantly and created a far more pleasant work environment in itself, but that was only the starting point.
By creating standard filing protocols for hard copy and electronic information, they calculate savings of over 140 hours per year in lost time alone due to no longer having to spend time searching for or re-creating documents that can’t be located quickly. 5S also freed up floor space, reduced holdings of consumables and helped standard processes to flow more efficiently through the office. Visual cues now help other staff requiring their services to quickly locate the team and find the information they need as well as highlighting the correct location, use and maintenance of office equipment.
Each benefit was evaluated as a fiscal saving and the savings soon began to add up. Implementation of standard email archiving procedures alone reduced the email server storage bill by almost $3000 per annum. After just 8 weeks, the overall total savings were estimated by the Doing Business Better team to be more than $20,000 per annum. And remember that’s across just 4 desks! Based on these numbers, the potential of a broad implementation within a large department cannot be ignored.
Getting started in 5S does require a training commitment and to get the best results it is important for all employees working in areas targeted for 5S to receive training in the principles and methodologies. The training commitment is comparatively light. A day of training, which can be broken into staged half day sessions, depending on your needs and staff availability, generally provides all of the tools and theory needed to make the initial gains and begin documenting savings and improvements. It is also a good idea to nominate several 5S Champions to get additional training on supporting 5S implementations and drive the process internally. Ongoing independent review and coaching is also recommended to support ongoing maintenance of new standards and continuous improvement.
More information regarding implementing 5S;
An Overview of 5S Visual Workplace Management
5S Visual Management Training Workshops
5S Visual Management Auditing & Assessment Services
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