5S audit checklist: questions, scoring and a template

These descriptions keep two auditors close. Adapt the wording to your area, but keep one line per level.

1. 0

   Not started

   The practice is absent.

   For example, no marked homes for tools.

2. 1

   Started

   The practice exists in a few spots.

   For example, labels on one bench out of five.

3. 2

   Partly in place

   The practice covers most of the area but has gaps.

   For example, floor outlines that no longer match the equipment.

4. 3

   In place

   The practice covers the whole area and matches the standard on the day of the audit.

5. 4

   Sustained

   The practice is in place and there is evidence it has held.

   For example, two previous audits at 3 or above and a team check sheet kept up to date.

The 0 to 4 scale above suits a program that wants to track a trend, but it is not the only option. Pick the method that fits how mature your 5S program is.

An office 5S checklist is shorter because offices have fewer physical tools. The focus shifts to desks, shared drives, files and supplies.

A warehouse needs its own checklist. Its spaces are large and shared, and it can look tidy from a distance while problems hide in the racks. Write the expectations by zone, and walk the routes pickers and forklift drivers actually use.

Busy periods may need temporary staging. Allow it under a rule, such as a marked overflow lane with a time limit, so uncontrolled overflow still shows up on the audit.

1. 1

   Agree the route and the checklist before you start. Tell the area team when you are coming, and make clear the audit is about the area, not about individuals.

2. 2

   Walk the area in the same order each time, such as clockwise from the entrance. Scan the whole area first, then check each question.

3. 3

   Score each question as you go, and write one line of evidence for any score below 4. A note such as "no label on shelf 3" is more useful than a bare number.

4. 4

   Take photos of both good practice and problems. Photos make the debrief concrete and let you compare against the next audit.

5. 5

   Hold a short debrief with the area team at the end. Share the score, point out what is working, and agree on the findings together.

The walk is similar in spirit to a gemba walk, where you go and see before you judge.

A one-page form is enough. These ten fields make one audit comparable with the next and keep the follow-up attached to the finding.

1. 1.

   Area or zone: the cell, line or warehouse zone audited.

2. 2.

   Date and shift: so results can be compared across shifts.

3. 3.

   Auditor: one name, or the names of the audit pair.

4. 4.

   Score by S: one score for each S, plus the total.

5. 5.

   Finding: the condition seen, such as "no label on shelf 3".

6. 6.

   Action: what will change.

7. 7.

   Owner: one name per action.

8. 8.

   Due date: when the action will be done.

9. 9.

   Status: open, in progress or closed.

10. 10.

    Closure evidence: a photo or note that shows the fix was checked, not just ticked.

Copying a checklist from another site saves time, but the final version should match your work, layout and words. A machining cell, a cold store and an office need different questions. Walk the area with the people who work there and ask what they search for, what goes missing and what is hard to clean.

1. 1

   Define the audit area: one cell, one line, one zone or the whole site.

2. 2

   Write what good looks like for tools, materials, documents, cleaning, labels, flow and safety access.

3. 3

   Turn each expectation into a question you can see, not one that needs a guess about intent.

4. 4

   Pilot it. Have two or three people audit the same area and compare their scores.

5. 5

   Rewrite any question that two auditors score differently.

6. 6

   Set the frequency by risk, how often the area changes and its past results.

7. 7

   Review the trend for repeat findings, not only one-off misses.

Weak question: is the area organized? Strong question: are all torque tools in labeled locations, so a missing one is visible within 30 seconds? The strong version describes something an auditor can check.

The format matters less than whether people use it every week. Each option has a place.

Choose by behavior, not features. A simple format people use beats a capable system they avoid.

Here is an example result for one assembly cell, with invented scores. Sort 15 of 20, set in order 14, shine 13, standardize 11 and sustain 9, for a total of 62 of 100.

The pattern is common: the first three S score better than the last two, because sorting and labeling happen during the event, while the routines that hold them take longer to build.

Top findings, each with an owner and a date: the weekly team self-check has been skipped for three weeks (team leader, restart this Monday), no photo of the standard state is posted (area lead, by Friday), and two shadow board outlines no longer match the tools (day shift operator, within a week).

Over three months the cell's total might move from 62 to 70 to 76, with most of the gain in sustain. A flat score with the same findings every month usually points to a missing routine or missing time, not to careless people.