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Lean Thinking, Muda, and the Four Ls • 187

Sort Straighten
(Seiri) (Seiton)
Figure out what you Create an orderly
need. Eliminate arrangement of
the rest Sustain needed items

(Shitsuke)

Standardize Shine
(Seiketsu) (Seiso)
Make the process Keep a clean
into a habit work place

Figure 10.1
The five Ss.
Sort: Clearly distinguish between components that are needed in a
work area and components that are not, thereby eliminating sources
of clutter and unwanted items.
Straighten: Place items in the work area in a logical arrangement, and
establish intuitive use guidelines; make the location visible and self-
explanatory, so everyone knows what goes where.
Shine: This refers literally to the cleanliness of floors, tools, machines,
and equipment in the workplace, and incorporates cleanliness into
regular work duties.
Standardize: Defines the standard activities, procedures, schedules, and
persons responsible for keeping the workplace clean and organized.
As project managers, we’re familiar with our tools for this, such as
a work breakdown schedule (WBS), a schedule, and a responsibility
assignment matrix (RAM).
Sustain: Make 5S an ingrained habit, spread the program to other func-
tional and physical areas, and make it a company-wide routine.

Again, 5S is one of the many Lean methods favored by organizations.
Refer to Table 10.3 for a survey of the many others, and we urge you
to understand how your organization uses these in the larger sense for
operations.