The 5S workplace organization technique is a prevalent methodology that companies can use to improve operations. The intent is to improve efficiency, minimize waste, and generally optimize how things are run. The 5S technique is most often used in manufacturing and warehousing organizations, but it can significantly benefit almost any industry. Learning the principles of 5S will help your organization gain its benefits and implement it with great success.

It is difficult to underestimate the potential to transform your organization through a dedicated effort to achieve continuous improvement. Of course, that’s much easier said than done, but with leadership and consistency, the possibilities are limitless.

Whether you are just getting started with continuous improvement or need to get more out of an existing program, these six tips can help you get more people engaged, complete more projects, and demonstrate significant impact.

We are lucky to have the chance to work with many companies looking for ways to deploy, enhance, and maintain a continuous improvement model for their organization. Many companies come to us with the same group of basic questions, so we thought it might help to share the answers to those we are asked most often.

What is the way of thinking behind continuous improvement?

The continuous improvement model is based on an idea called Kaizen. It is the philosophy of always looking for ways to improve operations and, therefore, results. Central to the approach is the belief that every part of an organization’s operations and processes can be improved and that the workers who are most closely involved are best positioned to identify opportunities for improvement.

If you are new to the idea of a structured approach to continuous improvement, this post is perfect for you. We will lay out the basics of some of the most common tools used to grease the skids for improvement efforts. We'll also include links to more complete content on each one, so you can dig in more to the ones that catch your attention. There are no rules about what tools you must use, and not every tool is right for the job, but this overview should help you get started finding out what will work best for your organization.

Organizations that strive to improve continually can stay ahead of the competition, regardless of their industry. From manufacturing and engineering to healthcare and education, the effort dedicated to consistent, positive change in an organization directly tied to sustainability and success.

If you take a look at the measurements usually used to track an organization's success, you'll probably find a robust reporting framework in place. Financial metrics are probably the most obvious indicator of a company's health, and there isn't a company in the world that doesn't meticulously monitor them.