6S Success!

0.00 Principles of 6S

What is 6S?

• Poor house conditions lead to waste such as extra motion to avoid obstacles, time spent searching for things, and delays due to defects, machine failures, or accidents. 
• 6S is a simple starting point that helps us improve and standardize a basic living condition for safer and effective living.

What does 6S provide?

• Method of creating a home in which family members
  • Have the information they need to organize and clean the home
  • Know where to find and place items in the house
  • Understand their role and how they contribute to the overall success of the household
• The principles underlying 6S appear at first to be simple and common sense
  • So simple in fact that many households believe it is not critical to the success of the home

How does 6S impact what we do?

6S supports everyone in the house.

6S empowers household members to:

• Reduce wasted time searching for things
• Create and maintain organization and cleanliness
• Improve daily activities
• Reduce appliance and equipment downtime
• Reduce costs
• Improve household communication
• Simplify the home environment

What can 6S improve?

• Communication of cleaning and organization standards for the home
• Organized areas, equipment and storage
• Elimination of wasted time searching for things
• Standard cleaning and organization practices
• Safer home

Why do 6S?

• People spend 50% or more of their time looking for things – that could be 20-40 years of your life searching for things!
• Often we do not immediately see or recognize waste
• 6S methodology is not an expensive management tool, nor is it difficult to implement
• Clean and organize smarter, not harder
• “Can uncluttered minds with fresh ideas function in cluttered places?  The answer is obvious and the solution so simple.” – Norman Bodek, “The Godfather” of Lean Manufacturing

How was 6S developed? – The Origin of 6S

• Created based on Toyota method of organization and housekeeping
• System contained five activities – all starting with the letter S
• Japanese word – English translation – 6S term

What were the results of 6S at Toyota?

• No grease, oil, scrap material, waste or dirt anywhere in the factory
• Floors were spotless
• Machines were shined
• Tools were in their proper places and readily available for use
• Safety records were perfect

What results can most homes expect by implementing 6S?

• Reduce expenses
• Improved organizational effectiveness
• Improved family cohesion
• Improved safety
• Improved storage space

Why is 6S critical to organization and housekeeping?

• Once 6S is implemented, standard cleaning practices can be developed
• No more spring cleaning
• If household members can buy in to the benefits of organization and orderliness, they will be more likely to buy in to other improvement efforts
• Extraordinary acts cannot succeed in a home that is cluttered, disorganized, or dirty

Common Failure Modes of 6S in Many Households

• Many household members fail to understand the significance of implementing 6S first
• If an household can’t do the basics correctly, chances are it won’t get the more complex tasks right

What are the 6 S’s?

• Sort – Allow only necessary items in the each area of the home
• Straighten – Arrange the home with the necessary materials
• Shine – Clean the home and keep it that way
• Safety – Keep a sanitary, pollution-free and safe home environment
• Standardize – Use standard methods to sort, straighten and shine
• Sustain – Maintain the gains through empowerment, commitment, and discipline

What are the signs that an area of the home needs 6S?

• Living space is crowded with stuff
• Areas of the home are dirty and unorganized
• Too many “things” packed into storage spaces
• Living areas used as storage spaces instead of living spaces
• Accidents are just waiting to happen
• Nobody knows what, when or how to clean and organize the different areas of the house based on that area’s intended primary function of the living area.