Some people don't know about 5S.

“Curmudge, I’ve been reading your mind again.”

“Well if anybody can, it’s you, Jaded Julie.”

“If we are going to continue talking about nursing and Lean, at some point you’ll mention 5S. Some people don’t even know what 5S is.”

“Gosh, I must have forgotten to introduce it. But 5S is such a household word around Affinity, how could anyone be unacquainted with it?”

“It’s certainly not a household word in my household. Whenever I try to explain 5S to my husband, he gets up off the couch and leaves the room on the second S.”

“I sympathize; that happens in our house, too. So anyway, 5S is most easily understood when we envision its ultimate result: a place for everything, and everything in its place. 5S is needed because people—in fact, all of nature—exhibit a tendency toward disorder. The scientific term for this is entropy.”

“Hey, Curmudge! Please, no thermodynamics.”

“Okay, especially for you, we’ll name the scientific term Ross, my 20-month old grandson. Every night after Ross goes to bed, his dad puts all of his toys back in the toy box. By the end of the next day, the toys are scattered all over the house again. Why? Because Ross has been doing what comes naturally.”

“I get it. People in the hospital are a bit like Ross, and they have a tendency to put stuff down without returning it to its proper place. We use 5S to reverse the resulting disorder, and it can be applied to storage and supply areas, to desks, and virtually anywhere. So what, specifically, does ‘5S’ mean?”

“Like most of Lean, 5S is based on Japanese words—in this case, five of them. There are several English translations; here is one set:
· Sort. Keep what is needed, and get rid of what is not needed or almost never used.
· Straighten/Simplify/Set in order. A place for everything, and everything in its place.
· Scrub/Shine/Sweep. In health care, cleanliness is essential.
· Standardize. Make the organization of a room or drawer identical with that of all other rooms or drawers used for the same purpose. Also, make the first 3 S’s a standard.
· Sustain. Develop the self-discipline to make the first four S’s a habit and part of the organization’s culture.”

“The concepts are not so tough, Curmudge, but making it happen could be a challenge.”

“5S’ing a room or an area is usually a team event. Fortunately, the Kaizen Promotion Office has prepared a 5S Resource Guide that should help one organize a 5S activity.”

“It seems, Curmudge, that several aspects of Lean are not truly natural and have to be taught. Recall our discussion on May 8 about Leadership and Character.”

“Many people here at Affinity will need to learn 5S, which is somewhat unnatural, just as Ross has yet to encounter toilet training and putting away his toys.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem here, Curmudge. Our colleagues have all passed potty training, so 5S should be a slam-dunk.”

Affinity’s Kaizen Curmudgeon