What is 6S? Starting The Garage Project Published Oct. 17, 2008 By Micah Garbarino Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- Editor's note: This is the second in a series of articles on 6S. Saving time and working more efficiently should be the goal of any large organization, especially one trusted with the nation's safety and tax dollars. To live up to their own high standards, the Air Force enacted Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century. Part of AFSO21 is 6S, a model that encourages order in the workplace for a variety of reasons, benefiting efficiency. In an effort to easily explain the process, we will apply the steps to a fictional model called The Garage Project. This week we'll look at the first three steps in the process: sort, straighten and shine. The garage is a mess. Bikes, lawn mowers, old cabinets, disorganized toolboxes, seasonal decorations and things that haven't been seen for years, are all thrown together in a puzzle of epic proportions. Nothing can be found. If it is found, it may be unreachable through the mess. If it is reachable, it may be broken or too old to use. The mess is overwhelming. Where to start? What does 6S say? Sort: This is where the mess gets pulled out, taking stock of everything that has piled up. The boxes of files that have been sitting there for 15 years? Shred them. The old bike tires that should have been patched last summer? Recycle them. That tool for the kitchen sink? Set it aside. Label items that are needed for the future. It will make it easier to find and put away when the garage is finally organized. Keep only necessary items. Basically, this is where tough decisions need to be made, separating the necessary from the unnecessary. Recycle, have a yard sale or give to charity. Straighten: Now that all the junk has been cleared out of the garage, it's time for the part that a "Type A" would love: organize, label and shelve. Remember that tool needed for the kitchen sink? Label it and put it in a tool box. Once the other things are in the toolbox, on the shelves and the floor-space is organized and labeled, take a step back and look at where to put the big stuff. Think about how you move around the garage, where to put the things that you use most often. The organization should be visual and intuitive. Think about making things easy for other family members to find and use if you're not around to help them. Shine: So now that all the junk is gone and all the usable stuff is out of the way, it's easy to see how filthy the place has become. There are cobwebs hanging in the corners, empty drink bottles are on the floor along with dust and bolts and pieces of wood and metal. After a good sweeping, things are looking better, but there are other things that need attention. The windows need cleaning, sawdust has encrusted parts on the table saw, the shelves could stand a new coat of paint. Once the place has had a face lift, it's easier to take pride in and make sure it stays that way. So, the garage is looking quite a bit better, but the project is only halfway through the 6S's. Next week there is time to standardize, sustain and focus on safety. In the meantime, how does The Garage Project relate to work areas? The project is just a simple example of the steps, but all the steps are vital to streamlining the workplace and it is important to fully grasp just how they should be implemented in a common-sense way. If workers can do this, then the concepts can be used in efforts both large and small. Correction: The 6Ss used in last week's overview were not the standard AFSO21 model. Separate and Simplify should have read Sort and Straighten.