5S Workplace Productivity Facilitator s Guide Learn how powerful 5S is by playing some fun games designed to open the eyes of the lean skeptics. A step by step guide to presenting Gemba Academy s 5S course to lean learners in all positions. This guide includes key points, discussion items, quiz questions and answers, and helpful tips. Using Gemba Academy s online learning content, any facilitator can use this guide to get teams of people started with 5S. June 2017
Preparation and Lesson Plan Resources Video: 5S Numbers Game (8:10) 5S Numbers Game printout Video: 5S Letter Factory (4:43) Lean Learning Workbook Prepare for a Successful Training Event Watch the video and complete the game on your own at least one day before the session. Read this guide thoroughly two times before the session. Decide whether the games will be played with or without the video. If played with the video, simply follow the instructions Ron gives and pause the video at the appropriate moments. If played without the video, follow the instructions given in this guide. Prepare a suitable training room for your participants If playing with the video, prepare a computer with internet access and a projector or large screen Have your Gemba Academy username and password ready: U: P: Print copies of the game to distribute to participants. The game.pdf file can be found at www.gembaacademy.com on the 5S Workplace Productivity page. For the 5S Numbers Game, you will need a pen or pencil for each participant, a copy of slides 1-4 from the 5S Numbers Game Template.pdf for every player, the scoresheet from the template, and a timepiece capable of measuring seconds (if playing without the video). For the 5S Letter Factory, you will need a flat surface such as a table or desk, at least three sets of toy letters (available wherever toys and games are sold), a timepiece capable of measuring seconds, and a whiteboard or flip chart where you can record time. Game Plan If playing the games with the video, start video for the group. Follow Ron s instructions and pause the video at the appropriate times. If playing the games without the video, lead the group through each game. Explain how the game will go and what will happen during each round. Step 1: Session Overview Introduce the topic. This module is a break from our traditional teaching topics to have some fun. 1
5S Course Explain what to expect during this session. In this session we will: Play the 5S Numbers Game (8:09) Play the 5S Letter Factory (4:43) Witness the power of 5S in action Have fun! Step 2: Start the 5S Numbers Game If playing with the video, start it now. Follow Ron s instructions and pause the video when prompted. If playing without the video, read the following text to the players: Round 1 Let s say you ve been hired by a company for an unusual position. Your job is to draw a horizontal line through the numbers 1 to 50 on the paper in front of you in the correct sequence. For example, you would start 1, 2, 3, all the way to 50. Your shift for this job is 20 seconds. Place a copy of slide one face down in front of each of the players. This first slide represents the current pre-5s workplace at the company. When I say go, start crossing out the numbers one to fifty with horizontal lines. crossed out. This is their score for that round. Record the numbers and circle the lowest score. Explain that this represents the company s performance for that round: after all, we re only as good as our slowest process. It s probably safe to say at this point that nobody scored a 50, and the process could definitely be improved. Luckily, 5S can help us here. Round 2 In this next round, the company s begun to implement 5S in the workplace, starting with the Sort step. In the next slide, the numbers from 51 to 100 have been Sorted out, since we re only interested in 1 to 50. Place a copy of slide two face down in front of the players. Some improvement has probably been made from the last round, but there s still room for more. Round 3 In this round, Straighten and Sweep have been implemented. The numbers in slide three have been organized into different sections in ascending order. For example, 1 is in the lower left box, 2 is in the middle left, 3 is in the upper left, 4 is in the bottom middle, and so on. The numbers have also been 2
reoriented vertically, and the red grime has been cleaned off. Place a copy of slide three face down in front of the players. Things have probably improved considerably from the last round, but still aren t quite as efficient as they could be. Round 4 In this round, the Standardize and Sustain steps have been applied. The numbers in slide four are all in their own boxes and arranged in a logical order. With this arrangement, it would be very clear if a number was missing, and it s very easy to sustain workplace excellence." Place a copy of side four face down in front of the players. After the Game Have a look at how things have improved from round to round. Take time to notice where the biggest improvements took place. What round was it, and why do you think this was? Of course, although there s probably no company where people cross out numbers for a living, the principles in this game apply to our companies no matter what they are. Step 3: Play The Letter Factory Before you begin Choose one of your participants to be the assembler for the game. You can select someone yourself or have them volunteer for the game. You will need to come up with a word or phrase for your assembler to spell out during this exercise. Discuss possibilities with your participants and come to an agreement. Keep in mind that longer phrases work better in a classroom setting. Round 1 For this round, dump the letters onto the table or desk in a big messy pile. Ask your participant to spell out the word or phrase and time how long it takes them to finish. Record their time for this round. Round 2 For this round, have your participant Sort out any letters they don t need for their word or phrase. For example, if the phrase is Go Gemba, they can remove any letter that isn t g, o, e, m, b, or a. Have your participant spell out the word or phrase and time how long it takes them to finish this time. Record their time for this round. Round 3 For this round, have your participant Straighten the letters by organizing them however they want. 3
They may choose to group all like letters together, separate the letters according to the order they appear in, or something entirely different. Encourage them to use their creativity. Have your participant spell out the word or phrase and time how long it takes them to finish this time. Record their time for this round. After the Game Have a look at how things have improved from round to round. Take time to notice where the biggest improvements took place. What round was it, and why do you think that was? Discuss with your team. How do they think the concepts in this game apply to the work they do? Can they see any room for improvement? End of Session 4