A 5S walk on a clipboard gets re-entered in the evening, or never. A walk on a phone is filled in while walking and creates a gap as soon as an answer is “no”. The difference isn’t the tool, it’s the form: short, by zone, with one thing to look at per question.
Rules for a checklist people actually fill in
- Twelve questions maximum. Beyond that, people tick boxes without looking.
- One question = one visible observation (not “is 5S respected?”).
- Yes / no first, a number when needed, free text only as a comment.
- Every “no” opens a gap pre-filled with the question and the photo.
- Two questions feed an indicator (5S non-conformities, PPE): the walk feeds the board with no re-entry.
The checklist
| # | Area | Question | Answer | If no |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Workstation | Is the workstation clear of unnecessary items? | yes/no | 5S gap · photo |
| 2 | Workstation | Is every tool in its marked spot? | yes/no | 5S gap |
| 3 | Workstation | Number of tools missing from the shadow board | number | Indicator |
| 4 | Floor | Floor dry and clear under the machines? | yes/no | Safety gap · maintenance |
| 5 | Floor | Floor markings legible? | yes/no | 5S gap |
| 6 | Safety | Protective guards in place? | yes/no | Safety gap · blocking |
| 7 | Safety | PPE worn by the whole team? | yes/no | PPE indicator |
| 8 | Material | Bins labeled, FIFO respected? | yes/no | Quality gap |
| 9 | Material | Cold room temperature | number | Out of tolerance → gap |
| 10 | Standard | Is the workstation standard posted and up to date? | yes/no | Methods gap |
| 11 | Standard | Is the last 5S action completed? | yes/no | Action follow-up |
| 12 | Closure | Workstation photo | photo | — |
Cadence and owner
Daily for the team leader (5 minutes), weekly for the shop floor manager, monthly for plant management as a Gemba walk. A walk not done doesn’t disappear: it stays displayed, in grey, until it’s done. That grey is what holds discipline, not reminders.
Frequently asked questions
How long to build the walk in Daystream?
About ten minutes: questions are entered one by one, with their answer type and the indicator they feed.
Does the walk work offline?
On the floor, there are zones without network (cold rooms, basements). Answers already entered are kept when you leave a walk in progress, and you resume it later.
Who sees the results?
The team on its board, and the next meeting if the walk is attached to a ritual.
See Daystream on your cases, not on a generic demo
Thirty minutes: a floor walk, a gap, a team meeting on the big screen. A human replies within one business day.
To train first: theLean Academy is free, in four languages.