Sort
Sort is the first stage in the 5S process. The goal of the sort stage is to remove all non-essential items from the workplace.
Plan
Before you can begin sorting, it's important to answer the following questions:
- What are the boundaries of the 5S implementation?
- How will an item be classified as essential or non-essential?
- Who is responsible for this classification?
| Question | Justification |
|---|---|
| What are the boundaries of the 5S implementation? | It's important to know how far the implementation will reach. A successful implementation does not have to encompass the whole company, but can be applied to a specific department or space. |
| How will an item be classified as essential or non-essential? | Different industries will have different tools and equipment. The frequency of use for certain items may be very low (once or twice a year), so it is important for each company to come up with its own definition of how an item is classified as non-essential. |
| Who is responsible for this classification? | The person who is most likely to utilize the item is the one who knows best whether the tool is needed. However, if they are hanging on to an item 'just in case', it may be necessary to persuade them it is no longer needed. |
Do
At the beginning of the Sort phase, you may find it easy to identify non-essential items. Anything that resembles traditional waste should be promptly disposed of. As the stage progresses, it becomes more difficult to distinguish between items that create value and items that create waste.
A unique aspect of Lean is that inventory and excess space are viewed as forms of waste. The ideal Lean environment is one that has everything necessary to complete the job and nothing more. As you continue to sort through essential and non-essential items, it will be important to have a way of handling items that may be essential.
The primary technique used in the Sort phase is a Red-Tagging System. Red tags are attached to items that are deemed non-essential, which are then put in a local storage area. After a short period of time (no more than a week), if an item has not been claimed, then it goes to a central storage area. The item stays in this central storage area for a longer period of time, after which it is resold, donated, or trashed.
Check
After completing the implementation of the red-tagging system, take some time to reflect on the difficulties of the process. Where did your team struggle most? What types of things were people reluctant to remove?
Act
The workplace should now be free of non-essential items. If it is, then it's time to move on to the Shine stage. If the workplace is still cluttered, then take some time to re-evaluate the classification criteria and go through the sort phase again.