// Tool 03
5S Audit & Sustainment Board
5S doesn't fail at the cleanup day. It fails three months later.
Order & safetyWhat it is and when to use it
5S almost always starts strong with one big cleanup day, then slides back because nobody owns keeping it. This board turns 5S from a one-time event into a management habit — a weekly score per area, with a visible trend and a named owner — so a decaying area gets caught before it's dirty again.
Worked example
Click or tap the plate to enlarge it.
Download the blank template (PDF)One page. Print it and fill it in with your own numbers.
What goes on the sheet
- Area/zone, audit date, auditor
- The 5 categories (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain), each with 3-5 concrete checkpoints, scored yes/no or 0-5
- Score per category and total/percentage
- Photo evidence field (current state)
- Comments, corrective action, owner, commitment date
- Trend row: score by week/month, visible on the physical or digital board
In a business like yours
- Contractor's van: every tool has a place, so nobody drives back to the shop for a missing bit.
- Hair salon: stations set up the same way, so any stylist can work at any chair.
- Warehouse corner: marked floor spots show at a glance what is missing or out of place.
Illustrative examples, not client cases.
// Talk to David
This is one of the 19 tools in our loss diagnostic.
In the diagnostic we pick the ones that fit your leak and put a dollar figure on what it costs you. 30 minutes to see if it makes sense.
// Order & safety
