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5S is a methodology designed to maintain a clean, safe and well-organised
factory. It has been adopted by other sectors such as construction.
Is 5S universally applicable then?
5S
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Sort
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Set
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Shine
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Standardise
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Sustain
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5S is about:
- Arrangement and Sorting out, well, all the mess in our
workplace
- Setting things in order so that we know where everything
is when we need it
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- Keeping the workplace clean and cleared so that the mess does
not return, or if it does, then in a "less messy" way
These the things you do to make 5S happen, then there are the things
you do to make sure 5S stays happening:
- Standardising the procedures to maintain order, and
- Sustaining the effort
and discipline through a corporate framework of continuous improvement.
Sounds okay so far, and clearly this methodology will make a difference
in a factory or a construction site, but what if you don't have a factory
or a construction site - will 5S still work? We have put 5S to a series
of stringent tests to see whether the methodology is extensible. Our
results are shown below.
We tested it in an everyday activity: baking bread, a colleague at Greenfile
Developments is an amateur baker and this is his tale of 5S for bread making:
"... the first time
I made bread, I didn't have things ready and I was rushing
around: get a bowl to proof the yeast, another to hold the
flour, yet another for water. I didn't have the right tools
ready for use and my hands (as well as half the kitchen)
were covered in dough. My sleeves started to slip down and
then the phone rang....
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After a lot of clearing
up, I got hold of a book on baking and the author suggested
that 'mise en place' was something every baker (whether
amateur or not) should pay attention to.
Well, 'mise en place' literally means 'everything in its place'
... not too far off 'Sorting out and Set in
Order' to us 5S practitioners... hmm.
So 'mise en place' it is - the bowls all ready, thermometer
switched on, salt, flour, yeast all measured out and having the right
tools for the job (in this case: dough cutters and dough scrapers).
Suddenly everything was easier, all the tools were to hand, in fact,
my hands hardly needed cleaning afterwards (well, quite a bit of cleaning...
but much less than before!).
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Bread home-made the 5S Way
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Oh, and the Cleaning and clearing up time was cut
from 45 minutes to about 10 minutes because I clear up at every stage
of the bread making.
Now I always wear a white lab coat
with a sleeves rolled up half way up my forearms, I have
a remote headset for the phone and I have a process flow
chart for the baking process (just kidding, it's actually
the recipe in a time-line format). That took care of the Standardising my
procedures and ensured my discipline is Sustained...
and the bread tastes fine!"
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Now you can understand why Greenfile Developments' productivity is
so high- we get fed fresh bread baked in accordance to 5S methodology!
What if you don't bake bread? Well, do you apply for interesting jobs?
We explored 5S in the preparation of job application and interviews.
We believe you may benefit from a 5S makeover on your CV/Resume and
interview techniques.
Let's have a look at 5S and your CV/Resume:
Set
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Do all the details match the job applied for?
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Sort
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Can the employer collect the required information easily from
your CV/Resume?
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Shine
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Is your document easily readable with no spelling and grammatical
errors?
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Standardise
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Is everything in your document clearly laid
out and understandable, with no ambiguities and confusion?
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Sustain
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Can you make sure that the information is consistent, coherent,
up-to-date and you have a logical answer for everything you wrote?
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Let's say you meet the prospective employer, and
they say: 'tell me something about yourself'.
So how about your 1-minute/ 5-minute/ 15-minute presentation
about yourself?
(Do you have one of these ready?)
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Set
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Do you have all the necessary information and do
you have any unnecessary information you should get rid of?
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Sort
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Is your presentation in order, in some sort of sequence and
is easy for the listener to collect information?
Is your delivery logical and segued smoothly from one stage of your career
to another?
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Shine
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Is your delivery polished, clear and shows that you are well-prepared?
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Standardise
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Have you practised your presentation recently?
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Sustain
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Do you update your presentation and check its relevance to
specific employers?
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Looking at 5S this way, it becomes not just a housekeeping tool but
a tool to "get you ready". 5S helps factories and construction sites
to be ready for productive work, 5S helps our colleague to get ready
to bake bread. 5S can help you prepare for the moment when you meet
a potential employer, or even a chance encounter with the top boss.
It's no good being at the right place at the right time if you are
not ready. The way opportunities come about, being "ready" is probably
as important as being there. "Doing a 5S" on yourself can get you ready
to make the most of opportunities.
Click here to find out
more about 5S.
For those of you interested in baking
bread - our colleague recommends:
'The Bread Baker's Apprentice' by Peter Reinhart, Ten Speed Press; (December
2001)
ISBN: 1580082688 |
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