5S is no longer a new concept in many workspaces, yet many still struggle with the implementation. Before I settle down into my 5S training sessions I like to first take the temperature of the class, “What do you know about 5S?” Sometimes people can rattle off the 5S’s: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, & Sustain. Most often I get a general reduction to housekeeping activities like sorting and cleaning. This is as good an opportunity as any to highlight what the takeaway of the training should be. If you remember anything at all, the objective of 5S is not just housekeeping but to establish and then elevate the baseline to which work is performed. Its simplicity is culpable of its misrepresentation. 5S sounds a lot like housekeeping but its full benefits can only be reaped if you are critical of the process and not just going through the motions.
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Deciding on the appropriate level of response for a Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) is not always straight forward. The most idealistic solutions are often not the most realistic. There are always other factors that come into play such as capital constraints, insufficient labor, or geographical barriers to name a few. Furthermore, as many CAPAs require cross-functional support, it brings the complexities of priority conflicts, corporate communications, and general office diplomacy.
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Poka-Yoke is a fundamental in today's product design. It is a term that is generally distilled to "idiot-proofing". Poka-Yoke can be used in Lean Manufacturing wherever there is operator intervention in a process step.
The picture above is an everyday example of Poke-Yoke, an alternative Egg Timer that takes the guess work out of making a hard/soft boiled egg. Other examples include the various ports for cables for your TV or computer. These cables are not interchangeable and only fit in one orientation (i.e. USB/HDMI/Serial cables are all unique and cannot be put in backwards or upside down).
Poke-Yoke should be considered when determining CAPAs and during 5S activities. It is a method to bring control to a process that is historically variable. There are many creative solutions but here are some good places to start:
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