Unit of competency details

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

1

Organise an appropriate environment for 5S

1.1

Ensure managers and other key stakeholders support and understand 5S

1.2

Arrange for team leaders to develop/maintain skills required for 5S

1.3

Ensure team leaders are developing/maintaining skills required in their team members

1.4

Ensure procedures and work practices reflect 5S needs and regulatory requirements

1.5

Practise 5S in own work

1.6

Eliminate roadblocks to 5S

2

Audit 5S implementation

2.1

Undertake spot checks of compliance

2.2

Review workplace and records for indicators of compliance/non-compliance

2.3

Encourage all levels of the workforce to routinely suggest areas for improvement

2.4

Discuss 5S routinely with team leaders to seek ideas for implementation of improvement suggestions and encourage identification of non-conformance

3

Improve 5S

3.1

Negotiate solutions to non-conformances

3.2

Implement agreed solutions

3.3

Work with team leaders to develop opportunities for improvements

3.4

Provide necessary resources for improvements

3.5

Ensure procedures and practices change to reflect improvements

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

Required skills include:

• communicating with stakeholders on aims and objectives of 5S program in the organisation
• mentoring and monitoring team leaders in their skills and knowledge of 5S and the organisations objectives for 5S
• conducting formal and informal meetings and explaining 5S and related concepts
• reviewing regulatory requirements for implications for 5S implementation
• facilitating team goals, activities and communications and accessing resources
• problem solving 5S poor performance and problems to root cause
• identifying requirements and negotiating resources for 5S implementation across the organisation
• planning and prioritising activities of teams
• identifying problems in 5S implementation caused by gaps in skills and/or knowledge and developing options to address them

Required knowledge 

Required knowledge includes:

• organisation operations and structure
• principles of efficient workplace organisation
• purposes and methodology of 5S
• operation procedures relevant to jobs in the organisation
• relevant regulatory requirements
• processes for identification of skill gaps
• methods of addressing skill gaps
• ways of encouraging team leaders and operators to find and suggest areas for improvement
• methods of making/recommending improvements
• methods of accessing required resources
• non-conformance, what they are, assessment of severity and action to be taken

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence of the ability to:

• encourage and monitor a systematic approach to implementing 5S
• analyse areas and records for evidence of 5S conformance/non-conformances
• manage non-conformances in implementation of 5S
• lead and motivate others in achieving 5S outcomes and making improvements to the 5S systems.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Assessment of performance must be undertaken in a workplace using or implementing one or more competitive systems and practices.

Access may be required to:

• workplace procedures and plans relevant to work area
• specifications and documentation relating to planned, currently being implemented, or implemented changes to work processes and procedures relevant to the assessee
• documentation and information in relation to production, waste, overheads, hazard control/management
• reports from supervisors/managers
• case studies and scenarios to assess responses to contingencies.

Method of assessment 

A holistic approach should be taken to the assessment.

Competence in this unit may be assessed by using a combination of the following to generate evidence:

• demonstration in the workplace
• workplace projects
• suitable simulation
• case studies/scenarios (particularly for assessment of contingencies, improvement scenarios, and so on)
• targeted questioning
• reports from supervisors, peers and colleagues (third-party reports)
• portfolio of evidence.

In all cases it is expected that practical assessment will be combined with targeted questioning to assess underpinning knowledge.

Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.

Guidance information for assessment 

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate and appropriate to the oracy, language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Competitive systems and practices 

Competitive systems and practices may include, but are not limited to:

• lean operations
• agile operations
• preventative and predictive maintenance approaches
• monitoring and data gathering systems, such as Systems Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Materials Resource Planning (MRP) and proprietary systems
• statistical process control systems, including six sigma and three sigma
• Just in Time (JIT), kanban and other pull-related operations control systems
• supply, value, and demand chain monitoring and analysis
• 5S
• continuous improvement (kaizen)
• breakthrough improvement (kaizen blitz)
• cause/effect diagrams
• overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
• takt time
• process mapping
• problem solving
• run charts
• standard procedures
• current reality tree

Competitive systems and practices should be interpreted so as to take into account:

• the stage of implementation of competitive systems and practices
• the size of the enterprise
• the work organisation, culture, regulatory environment and the industry sector

Procedures 

Procedures may include:

• work instructions
• standard operating procedures
• formulas/recipes
• batch sheets
• temporary instructions and similar instructions provided for the smooth running of the plant
• good operating practice as may be defined by industry codes of practice (e.g. good manufacturing practice (GMP) and responsible care)
• government regulations

Procedures may be:

• written, verbal, computer-based or in some other format

Roadblocks 

Roadblocks include:

• all factors which are inhibiting the smooth implementation of 5S

5S 

5S is a system of work organisation originally developed in Japan based around housekeeping principles. A close translation of the five stages in the housekeeping approach is:

• sort
• set in order
• shine
• standardise
• sustain

Sort 

Sort involves keeping only what is absolutely necessary for the processes in the work area. Sort includes:

• clearing the work area of all non-essential equipment and materials

Non-essential items include:

• those not required to either produce product, conduct process or operations or make required adjustments to equipment during process or operations

Set in order 

Set in order includes:

• assigning required equipment and materials appropriate locations in the work area (locations should be clearly marked and labelled to show the item and proper location)

Shine 

Shine includes:

• keeping the work area clean at all times. This should be carried out to a regular daily schedule against allowed time and, on most occasions, at the end of a job

Standardise 

Standardising includes:

• activities that help maintain the order and the housekeeping standards
• using procedures and checklists developed from a procedure

Sustain 

Sustain includes:

• making sure that daily activities are completed every day regardless of circumstance
• undertaking inspections, including:

• informal inspections carried out often, at least weekly
• formal inspections carried out at least monthly

Specific actions should be followed up to generate continuous improvement

Items in work area 

Items in work area may include:

• tools
• jigs/fixtures
• materials/components
• plant and equipment
• manuals
• personal items (e.g., lunch boxes and posters)
• safety equipment and personal protective equipment
• other items which happens to be in the work area

Unit sector

Competitive systems and practices