Probably Not Meant to be an Illustration of “5S”

If it is not labeled "5S", "Lean" or any other specific wording it will sustaine and embedded in the cultural DNA of the work.

not my own desk, but in my toolshed I do this. Not because it is shared, but because I'm a slob AND cannot stand having to search for things. The outlines help me discipline myself to tidy up afterwards.

I have a desk behind me that I use for a laminator. I have a bracket around it to locate the specific spot it belongs on the desk so that upon exit the items do not fall off the end off the desk. It serves as a reminder before I use it to make sure it is positioned correctly.

Here at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, we encourage similar rules. Tape is a must for shared supplies/areas, but not required if it's your personal desk. On my desk, I share the card reader, so I taped that off. Nothing else is taped.

I label things on my personal desk if there is a purpose, of if I have a history of leaving something out.
For example, I have a spot marked for my microphone. It helps me make consistent recordings. My calculator and my portable recorder have labeled locations because I don't want to be looking for them when I need them, and it helps remind me to put them away after using them.

I don't understand you folks who put tape around stuff on your own desk. It seems maniacal or moronic. Do you REALLY need to make sure your microphone is exactly in the right spot? I just don't understand.

I think stuff like that gives real lean a bad name, honestly.

We do the same with our coffee area in our break room!! It's great!! Everyone knows where things are suppose to be (sugar, cream, ect. ) we also have a step by step procedure on how to make coffee! The coffee is always consistent and everyone loves it.

To the last anonymous commenter – I can completely understand why you would do this in a shared space (like a team break room). I've helped people set up 5S and even a kanban system to make sure they didn't run out of creamer, for example.

I like your use of standardized work.

But this is altogether different than one guy's individual desk, I'd say.

OUCH! This could just be a comic attempt to reflect the clearing of the desk rather than an anal character!

I wince everytime I see anything remotely 5S like this in desk based industries. It just reminds me of all the bad stories i've seen and heard about manufacturing Lean experts broadly applying tools they've learned without every challanging the tools. The UK accounting firm was but one example in recent years.

You 5S-ers should remember. the office's primary tool is the PC. User Interface design or UX design should be the primary focus for 5S – making their processing tool quick, intuitive to use and easy to train. As should folder structures, knowledge management and process management.

Badly designed systems can easily become the biggest source of waste in service industries.

We have been doing a lean course at work. 4 of us share the same desk, through a 24 hour roster. One idiot has decided to put tape around everything on the desk. He has not consulted with any of the rest of us, and has decided to set it up just the way he likes it. I know at least 2 of us prefer a different set up. Thanks to the course this is probably going to stick, and it feels even worse than being micro-managed.

I spend 12 hours at a time in this office, and now just looking at my desk depresses me.

If this is going to be the outcome of the lean training we are getting then I think I will find another employer that is interested in delivering real value to their customers rather than just going through the motions in the belief that it is “lean”.

Hi guys,
There’s an interesting chapter in “Who’s Counting” by Jeff Solomon about a company implementing Lean and in particular Lean Accounting methods. The “Implementer” mentions that he goes way overboard by applying 5s to everything on his desk. He admits that it’s overkill but it’s to show everyone that he “walks the walk”.

Only recently I’ve done the very same thing at my own desk, which has also been converted to a stand-up desk and with great results.
But everything on my desk is included, taped, shadow-boarded etc.
Sure, my staff had a laugh about it at first and our relationship is good enough that they can tell me I’m a nut job and know I won’t take offence (!). But one of our supervisors came to me and said that he was actually quite embarrassed by his own personal workspace as it had paper all over the place. 24hours later, he’s improved it dramatically and now his staff can find drawing specifications, Bills of Material etc without having to sift through other piles first.
While it would’ve been easy to simply order him to “tidy up his desk” , I’ve learned to be patient with lean at times and ultimately the results will stick.
We’re still in the very early stages but it’s the little gains like that which help to infuse simple ideas and improvements.