5S Audit

How to use the 5S Audit

A 5S audit scores how well an area follows Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardise and Sustain, so progress can be tracked over time.

1. Pick the area and the auditor; ideally rotate auditors from other teams.
2. Score each question from 0 to 5 with a short note or photo for anything below 3.
3. Post the score in the area and turn low scores into actions with owners.

Worked example

A maintenance store scores 46%: unlabelled shelves (Set in order) and obsolete spares (Sort) are the main gaps. After a red-tag event and shadow-board labelling, the next monthly audit scores 74%.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Auditing your own area only.
• Scoring without photos or notes, so actions are vague.
• Running 5S as a one-off clean-up rather than a monthly routine.

Frequently asked questions

What are the 5S steps?

Sort (remove what is not needed), Set in order (a place for everything), Shine (clean and inspect), Standardise (make it visual) and Sustain (audit and keep it up).

How often should 5S audits be done?

Weekly by the area team and monthly by a cross-area auditor works well for most sites.

What is 6S?

5S plus Safety, used by some companies to make safety checks part of the same routine.