A Leaner 2019
Over the holidays I was reading an old article on Lean, and it has prompted me to recommend a New Year’s resolution. Let’s all try and use the 6S process on a personal basis! 6S is probably the most important lean tool for the home and also one of the easier ones to start.
Sort... The first component of 6S will scare most of us at work or at home: the dreaded activity of going through the closets, cupboards, basement, or garage and sorting out everything that has not been used lately. Just as in business, having unnecessary “stuff” sitting around makes it more difficult to find and get to what you do need. As you go through the treasures you have collected it is easy to want to keep everything, but just keep in mind the saying: “When in doubt, move it out.” This is a good opportunity to donate the stuff you have sorted out to a charity like Goodwill or St. Vincent De Paul.
Set in Order... Time to organize what’s left for easy access. Use the “a place for everything and everything in its place” concept. The right place is usually where the item is used; you keep your pots and pans close to the range, not in a cupboard across the kitchen. You could even go to an extreme and label where things belong to provide more visual organization.
Shine... Now that you can see the back of the closets, and cupboards and the garage has room for a car…it’s time to give the areas a good old fashioned top-to-bottom cleaning.
Standardize... Create a cleaning checklist, including required cleaning supplies (which are kept in specific locations!), required interval between cleaning, and who is responsible.
Sustain... Schedule a monthly cleaning of the areas…keeping the garage clean is going to be a much easier task if it’s done on a regular basis.
Safety... Do you have fire extinguishers? Do they still have an up to date charge? Are they in the right place and easy to get to? Do you regularly check your smoke alarms? Is there at least one carbon monoxide detector on each level of the house? Do you have a first aid kit, and it is stocked? Are emergency phone numbers posted? Do you have a communication plan to get in touch if something happens when everyone’s not at home? These are all key aspects of good safety practices for our families.
Wishing you a 6Sfull 2019