Family 6S event in the backyard to prepare for spring gardening and summertime fun!
Family 6S event in the backyard to prepare for spring gardening and summertime fun!
The weather has been so nice in Seattle lately (especially for March!) that the family decided to do an early 6S event in the backyard. Our backyard, like most backyards, consists of a lawn and is pretty private. Somehow we lucked out and also have a pool, which is currently inoperable – an issue we hope to address before summer! Backyards may also have play areas, patios and patio covers, decks, gazeebos, and BBQs.
Per the usual 6S Success process, the family gathered to discuss the primary purpose of the backyard, the activities that we enjoy while in the backyard, and the items required to complete those activities. We determined that the primary purposes of our backyard are:
- Family bonding
- Friendship
- Enjoyment of food
- Play
The corresponding activities include:
- Outdoor Play
- Spring, Summer and Fall BBQ and Dining
- Social Gathering
- Fire
Some of our key outdoor play interests in the summer include some variety of kiddie pool as well as water based toys to keep the girls cool. I received a sweet Weber grill last year for Father’s Day so I proudly grill all kinds of tasty treats during fair weather. We also like to combine our grilling with social gathering. We have also considered building a sandbox and/or playset. We may include some gardening goals in the very near future but haven’t done family gardening for several years – it’s about time to get that going again!
We quickly documented the items necessary to enjoy the identified activities. The necessary items for the backyard included:
- BBQ
- Kiddie Pool
- Outdoor Toys
- Patio Furniture
So, how many toys and how can we manage the outside toys? We’ll figure that out based on frequency of use and storage opportunities discovered during our 6S Audit.
Backyard 6S Audit Results
I hadn’t mowed the lawn or tended to the backyard really any way since September. In fact, the backyard was more disorganized and cluttered because there was trash from “Limpy” the raccoon that lives in a pine tree near the side of the house, cardboard boxes and other containers from diapers, christmas presents, and other things that wouldn’t quite fit in the recycling bin. The grass was patchy and there were rocks and other debris in parts of the lawn where there a repair team had to dig up the drain under the lawn. Oh, and there were fallen dead leaves everywhere!
Here is the modified 6S Audit Form that we used for the backyard. We used the same scoring key as is used in the standard 6S Audit.
| Scoring Key | ||||
| Very good (0 problems or not applicable) = 4 Points | ||||
| Good (1-2 problems) = 3 Points | ||||
| Okay (3-4 problems) = 2 Points | ||||
| Poor (5-6 problems) = 1 Point | ||||
| Very Poor (7 or more problems) = 0 Points | ||||
| 6S Activity | Common Issues | 03/06/10 | 03/13/10 | 06/06/10 |
| Sort | Non-essential items | 0 | ||
| Broken or obsolete items | 0 | |||
| Unneeded furniture and appliances | 3 | |||
| Missing items | 3 | |||
| Ground are free of items | 0 | |||
| Straighten | Items are in effective positions | 2 | ||
| Items are clearly marked/labeled | 0 | |||
| Storage areas are organized and labeled | 0 | |||
| Paperwork is arranged for easy management | 4 | |||
| Wires and hoses are out of way | 4 | |||
| Shine | Surfaces and tables free of dirt | 0 | ||
| Storage area are free of dirt and debris | 0 | |||
| Ground are free of dirt and debris | 0 | |||
| Walkways and equipment in good condition | 0 | |||
| Area is organized to maintain cleanliness | 0 | |||
| Standardize | Cleaning standards are known and visible | 0 | ||
| Roles and responsibilities are assigned | 0 | |||
| 6S has been completed in area in the past | 0 | |||
| Cleaning and organization info is posted | 0 | |||
| Area designed for purpose | 2 | |||
| Sustain | Cleaning is habitual and voluntary | 0 | ||
| 6S audits and events are scheduled for area | 0 | |||
| Household is reminded of standards | 0 | |||
| Cleaning and organization standards followed | 0 | |||
| Red tag procedures are followed | 0 | |||
| Safety | Tripping dangers are removed | 2 | ||
| Walkways are unobstructed | 0 | |||
| Emergency plans and exits are established | 0 | |||
| Fire extinguishers/hoses are present | 4 | |||
| Household understands potential dangers | 1 | |||
I really need to get better at remembering to take some quick before pictures. Usually the family gets so excited that we don’t remember to perform the audit or take before pictures. So, I forgot to capture before pictures this time. What you would have seen with before pictures you would have seen a lot of trash, unrecycled boxes, sad looking toys, dead leaves, branches, rocks, and other unecessary items. I am going to commit to not only before pictures but a brief video for before and after.
We have a pretty nice collection of outdoor furniture and it is place nicely around a metal fire pit, so we got some good scores for furniture. Unecessary and broken items were everywhere. Many toys and other items had spent the frosty winter face down in the backyard. So we recieved an average score of 1.2 for Sort, showing little to no effort in maintaining the area with only necessary items.
The necessary items we do have in the backyard are in pretty good spots. The real issue identified during the Straighten audit was that we do not have effective storage options and appropriate visual controls for outdoor toys, BBQ items, and yard care equipment. So we score a little better in Straighten – a 2 – showing minimal effort in straightening the necessary items in the backyard.
I really let the backyard go over the past 5 months. Our shine audit results were a ZERO – a goose egg – a donut – mmmmm donuts. This result showed that there was no effort in keeping the area shined over the winter and there were certainly no seasonal cleaning and prep activities as summer ended. Dirt and debris everywhere. Dirt was caked on tables, furniture, and pretty much all surfaces. Dead leaves and branches covered all walkways and boxes and bags of trash sat in our stairwell. Certainly there is an opportunity to keep the backyard better organized and consistently cleaned.
Issues and Opportunities
The big opportunities identified with the 6S Audit Form were:
- Organize and store toys
- Always pick up toys and store after use
- Wipe down furniture and surfaces
- Clean up sofas and chairs
We filled two big plastic boxes with toys and other items that were strewn across the yard. Over fifty items from hotwheels cars to fire pokers. From plastic boats to water spray toys. Most of these toys and other items ere in extremely yucky condition – muddy, dirty, grimey, gooey.
I will update the post with a list of the unecessary items gathered. Many were necessary but in bad condition. We’ll definitely need to analyze the toys to determine their frequency of use and how we can maintain their cleanliness ond organiztion. The final list of necessary items includes:
- BBQ
- BBQ Tools
- Sofa
- Chairs
- Table
- Fire Pit
- Outdoor Toy Bin
- Outdoor Yard Cleaning Equipment
We are planning our Straighten activity in the backyard for this weekend. Keep posted and I will make sure to update with the following results!
Straighten activity results
Shine activity results
“Ideal State” After Pictures
List of Identified standards and activities for organization and cleaning
List of required cleaning items and each items location
List of storage standards and information for target area
Sustain activities
6S event summary
Lessons Learned
- What went well?
- What didn’t go so well?
- What should be done differently?
