Application
This unit of competency covers the skills and knowledge required by an office employee to apply 5S procedures to their own job or to assist in a cooperative 5S implementation for a larger office area. The unit includes the skills required to adapt a traditional 5S approach to the particular issues and needs in an office implementation.
This unit applies to an individual in an office environment who is required to apply the structured approach known as 5S.
While covering the traditional 5S skills, the unit also requires the application of skills associated with planning and organising, problem solving and self-management in order to identify and implement 5S practices in an office environment.
The office environment for 5S may include administrative, transactional or service-based processes in, or attached to, a manufacturing organisation, within their value stream or similar environments, such as health care, education, financial, construction or Defence services.
No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. | ||
1 | Prepare for implementation of 5S | 1.1 | Identify own functions in the target work area in terms of internal and/or external customer requirements. |
1.2 | Identify how own and office team tasks contribute to the office functions. | ||
1.3 | If required, assist with process mapping to identify any gaps or clarification of customer expectations of office functions. | ||
1.4 | Confirm arrangements for assistance and reporting for 5S implementation. | ||
2 | Sort needed items from unneeded | 2.1 | Identify all items in own and wider office area. |
2.2 | Distinguish between essential and non-essential items. | ||
2.3 | Place any non-essential item in an appropriate location other than the work area/space. | ||
2.4 | Regularly check that only essential items are in the work area. | ||
3 | Set the workplace in order | 3.1 | Identify the best location for each essential item. |
3.2 | Place each essential item in its assigned location. | ||
3.3 | After use immediately return each essential item to its assigned location/state or condition. | ||
3.4 | Regularly check that each essential item is in its assigned location/state or condition. | ||
4 | Shine the work area | 4.1 | Keep the work area clean, tidy and organised at all times. |
4.2 | Conduct regular ‘shine’ activities during shift. | ||
4.3 | Ensure the work area is neat, clean, tidy and organised at both beginning and end of shift. | ||
4.4 | Report any malfunction, damage and/or safety risks that require immediate attention. | ||
5 | Standardise activities | 5.1 | Follow procedures. |
5.2 | Follow checklists for activities, where available. | ||
5.3 | Keep the work area to specified standard. | ||
6 | Sustain the 5S system | 6.1 | Clean up/organise workspace after completion of job and before commencing next job or end of shift. |
6.2 | Identify situations where conformance to standards is unlikely and take actions specified in procedures. | ||
6.3 | Inspect work area regularly for conformance to specified standard. | ||
6.4 | Recommend improvements to lift the level of conformance in the workplace. |
Evidence of Performance
Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy the requirements of the elements and performance criteria and include the ability, in one (1) or more allocated areas, to:
implement and sustain 5S in own workplace
identify the scope of the services and/or functions supplied by the office and the deliverables expected by customers
identify own tasks and responsibilities as they relate to the organisation and customer requirements
contribute suggestions for improvement.
Evidence of Knowledge
Must provide evidence that demonstrates knowledge relevant to their job role sufficient to fulfil their job role under routine only supervision, including:
5S concepts and procedures as applied to an office environment, including:
meaning and application of 5S to own job and to office
purposes of 5S
standard office procedures for own activities and of others in team
identifying office waste (muda)
procedures for recommending improvements.
Assessment Conditions
The unit should be assessed holistically and the judgement of competence shall be based on a holistic assessment of the evidence.
The collection of performance evidence:
should occur over a range of situations which include typical disruptions to normal, smooth operation of the workplace
will typically include a supervisor/third-party report focussing on consistent performance and problem recognition and solving. A supervisor/third-party report must be prepared by someone who has a direct, relevant, current relationship with the person being assessed and who is in a position to form a judgement on workplace performance relevant to the unit of competency
must include the application of 5S procedures in an office setting where 5S has not previously been undertaken, or, demonstration of sustaining 5S principles in an office that has already undergone prior 5S procedures
will typically include the use of appropriate tools, equipment and safety gear requiring demonstration of preparation, operation, completion and responding to problems.
Assessment should occur in operational workplace situations. Knowledge evidence may be collected concurrently with performance evidence (provided a record is kept) or through an independent process such as workbooks, written assessments or interviews (provided a record is kept).
Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.
Conditions for assessment must include access to all tools, equipment, materials and documentation required, including relevant workplace procedures, product and manufacturing specifications associated with this unit.
Foundation skills are integral to competent performance of the unit and should not be assessed separately.
Assessors must satisfy the assessor competency requirements that are in place at the time of the assessment as set by the VET regulator.
The assessor must demonstrate both technical competency and currency.
Technical competence can be demonstrated through:
relevant VET or other qualification/Statement of Attainment AND/OR
relevant workplace experience
Currency can be demonstrated through:
performing the competency being assessed as part of current employment OR
having consulted with an organisation providing relevant environmental monitoring, management or technology services about performing the competency being assessed within the last twelve months.
Foundation Skills
This section describes those required skills (language, literacy and numeracy) that are essential to performance.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Range Statement
This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. | |
Competitive systems and practices include one or more of: | lean operations agile operations preventative and predictive maintenance approaches 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. |
5S includes all of: | sort set in order shine standardise sustain. |
Items in work area include one or more of: | office supplies materials paperwork furniture storage systems and cabinets lighting, wiring, plumbing and other services designed to support a working environment in the office manuals personal items (e.g. bags, phones, lunch boxes, clothing, photos and ornaments) safety and personal protective equipment (PPE) any other item which happens to be in the work area. |
Appropriate places include areas designated for one or more of: | recycling rubbish removal staff room/lunch room/kitchen office supplies, filing and other storage functions, such as printing/copying holding until status is confirmed. |
Target work area includes a physical or virtual workspace for one or more of: | use by a person, a team or a cross-functional group common to part/s of a process or value stream (already defined) shared by people who undertake a defined procedure or set of procedures needed to support a particular function. |
Best location includes one or more of: | changes to the layout of furniture arrangement of equipment provision of services location of personnel. |
Sort includes all of: | separating necessary from unnecessary items (equipment and supplies) keeping only what is absolutely necessary for the work processes that comprise the job disposing of (or relocating) all other items. |
Set in order includes all of: | assigning required equipment and materials appropriate locations in the work area consideration of frequency of use, ergonomics and work health and safety (WHS) provision of facilities to maintain the locations. |
Shine includes one or more of: | keeping the work area clean at all times which should be carried out to a regular daily schedule against allowed time, usually at the end of the day or of a particular process keeping work area, including virtual work area, organised noting any signs of wear, damage, leakage, safety risks or other issues that require immediate attention. |
Standardising includes one or more of: | activities that help maintain the order and the 5S standards using procedures and checklists developed from a procedure. |
Sustain includes one or more of: | making sure that daily activities are completed every day regardless of circumstance undertaking inspections, including: informal inspections that should be carried often, at least weekly formal inspections that should be carried out at least monthly. |
Procedures (written, verbal, visual, computer based, etc.) include one or more of: | work instructions standard operating procedures (SOPs) safe work method statements formulas/recipes batch sheets temporary instructions any similar instructions provided for the smooth running of the plant. |
Sectors
Not applicable
Competency Field
Competitive systems and practices