The 5S Method
The 8 Wastes
Visual Management
Value & Continuous Improvement
Spot the Waste
100
This pillar focuses on removing dirt, grime, and dust while establishing regular cleaning procedures.
What is Shine?
100
This acronym helps you remember the eight wastes: Defects, Over-production, Waiting, Non-Used Talent, Transportation, Inventory, Motion, and Extra Processing.
What is D.O.W.N.T.I.M.E.?
100
This Lean tool communicates expectations, performance, standards, and problems using visual cues that are easy to understand.
What is Visual Management?
100
According to Lean principles, this is the opposite of value.
What is Waste?
100
An employee cannot begin assembling a product because the next batch of components has not arrived.
What is Waiting?
200
This first step involves removing unnecessary items from the workplace and keeping only what is needed.
What is Sort?
200
Producing more than the customer will buy or more than the next process can handle is an example of this waste.
What is Over-production?
200
These boards use outlines or silhouettes to show where tools belong and make missing tools immediately obvious.
What are Shadow Boards?
200
In Lean, this person or group ultimately defines what is considered valuable in a process.
Who is the Customer?
200
An operator must repeatedly retrieve a material located behind them.
What is Motion?
300
Labels, color codes, visual aids, and documented procedures help maintain consistency.
What is Standardize?
300
Movement within the workstation to locate tools, supplies, or materials is an example of this waste.
What is Motion?
300
This visual control uses minimum and maximum stock levels, reorder indicators, and replenishment cards to prevent shortages and excess inventory.
What is Kanban / Min-Max Levels?
300
This is a mindset and practice of consistently identifying, learning from, and improving processes to increase value and reduce waste over time
What is Continuous Improvement?
300
A completed product must be reworked or scrapped because it was not identified as not meeting specification.
What are Defects?
400
This pillar involves arranging necessary items so anyone can easily find them and return them to their proper location.
What is Set in Order?
400
A production area has excessive work-in-process materials and struggles to find the parts needed to complete an order. Which waste is present?
What is Inventory?
400
These floor markings and designated areas help control material locations, maintain clear aisles, and establish these boundaries.
What are Floor Taping / Area Boundaries?
400
Lean categorizes activities within a process as Value-Add (VA), Non-Value-Add (NVA), and this (BVA).
What is Business Value-Add?
400
Individual orders are moved to the next processing step in a different area of the facility immediately upon completion.
What is Transportation?
500
A department performs daily five-minute cleaning activities, provides regular training, and conducts quarterly audits to ensure 5S continues. Which pillar are they demonstrating?
What is Sustain?
500
An employee has valuable skills and ideas for improving a process, but management never involves them in problem-solving or improvement activities. Which waste is this?
What is Non-Used Talent?
500
A workstation uses identical tool placement across production lines, designated storage locations, and labeling to aid visual management. What is a Lean benefit that may be achieved?
What is the ability to distinguish normal from abnormal conditions at a glance?
500
A lean management visual tool used to diagram, analyze, and improve the flow of materials, people, and information required to deliver a product or service to a customer.
What is Value Stream Mapping?
500
A production line continues manufacturing parts even though the next process is already backed up and cannot handle additional work. These are the two primary wastes.
What are Over-production and Inventory?