What this checklist covers
The 5S Office Area Checklist is a 15-point scorecard for desk organisation, document control, file storage, cable management, meeting rooms, and shared workspaces. Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on what the auditor sees on the day, and every gap goes into an action plan with an owner and a close date.
AutoSmart tip: Office 5S is easy to deprioritise in dealership environments where workshop and showroom standards receive more attention. However, administrative efficiency — finding a file quickly, accessing a document without asking three colleagues, running a meeting without a 10-minute setup — has a direct operational impact. Treat office 5S as the support structure that enables customer-facing processes to run smoothly.
The checks
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Desk organisation and document control
- Are individual workstation desks free from unnecessary items, personal clutter, and documents unrelated to current work?
- Are active documents on desks limited to current tasks, with completed documents filed or scanned rather than accumulating as a permanent desk stack?
- Is a clear-desk policy in place for end-of-day, with desks cleared of non-essential items before staff leave?
- Are document naming and filing conventions consistently followed by all staff, so any colleague can locate a document without asking the original owner?
File storage and cable management
- Are physical files stored in labelled, organised filing systems — cabinets, drawers, or shelving — with no files left on floors, windowsills, or stacked on top of cabinets?
- Are retention periods applied to physical files, with out-of-date documents disposed of securely on the defined schedule rather than accumulated indefinitely?
- Are power and data cables managed — routed and tied rather than loose across floors and desks — reducing trip hazards and improving the visual presentation of the workspace?
- Are unused equipment items (redundant monitors, old printers, obsolete peripherals) removed from the office rather than stored under desks or in corners?
Meeting rooms and notice boards
- Are meeting rooms left clean and reset after each use — chairs returned, whiteboards cleared, equipment powered off — without requiring a separate cleaning pass?
- Are notice boards current — displaying relevant, dated information — with no outdated notices, expired memos, or superseded documents remaining on display?
- Are communal areas (kitchen, break room, printer station) maintained to the same 5S standard as individual workstations, with a shared responsibility assignment? SHARED WORKSPACES & GOVERNANCE
- Are shared resources (printers, scanners, stationery) stored in clearly labelled locations, with consumables restocked before running out rather than after?
- Is a 5S audit of office areas conducted on a defined schedule, with results shared with all office staff and improvement actions tracked?
- Are digital workspace 5S standards (shared drives, email folders, desktop files) reviewed alongside physical workspace standards, not treated as a separate discipline?
- Is there a named 5S champion or zone leader for the office area, accountable for maintaining standards and addressing deviations?
How to run it
How the scoring works
Before the visit, fill in the dealer or centre, the auditor, the date and the audit cycle. Then score each of the 15 checks from 1 to 5 on what you see on the day, not on what the site aims for, and add them up out of 75.
- 1Not in place
- 2Attempted
- 3Defined
- 4Managed
- 5Fully sustained
- Green60–75 · 80–100%Compliant. Keep the standard.
- Amber38–59 · 50–79%Improvement needed: a structured action plan within 30 days.
- Red0–37 · Below 50%Priority intervention, escalated to regional management.
Then close every gap
Each gap goes into the action plan tracker and moves through four stages until the auditor closes it.
- 1PendingOwner and close date set
- 2In progressWork under way, evidence gathered
- 3CompletedEvidence submitted for review
- 4ApprovedVerified and closed by the auditor
