What this checklist covers
The 5S Workplace Audit Checklist is a 15-point scorecard for Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain across all dealership areas. 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: 5S audits are most reliable when unannounced. A dealership that prepares for 5S visits by cleaning and organising before the auditor arrives is demonstrating compliance theatre rather than embedded standards. The true test of 5S is whether the standard is maintained every day — not whether it can be achieved in 30 minutes of pre-audit preparation.
The checks
Tap Yes, No or Maybe to try it: your answers stay in this page and clear when you refresh. For a detailed walkthrough, download our PDF or book a demo.
Sort and set in order
- Are unnecessary items, tools, or materials removed from all work areas — showroom, workshop, parts, office — with a red-tag or disposal process in place for items awaiting decisions?
- Do all tools, equipment, and materials have a clearly designated location marked with a shadow board, label, or visual indicator, and are items returned to their location after use?
- Are all shelving, storage, and filing areas labelled with location identifiers, consistent across all departments?
- Is nothing stored on the floor except items on legs, wheels, or approved pallets, across all operational areas?
Shine
- Are all work areas — workshop bays, parts counters, reception desks, customer areas — clean and free from dust, debris, oil, and waste at the time of audit?
- Is a cleaning schedule posted and current in each zone, with responsibilities assigned to named individuals rather than left as a shared assumption?
- Are equipment, tools, and workstations free from grease, rust, and accumulated grime, with cleaning integrated into the daily routine rather than done only before inspections?
- Are waste and recycling containers available at the point of use in each zone, with waste segregated correctly and removed on the defined schedule?
Standardize
- Are visual standards (photos, diagrams, or reference examples) posted in each zone, showing what the area should look like when 5S is correctly applied?
- Is the same 5S standard applied consistently across all areas — with no zone maintained to a visibly lower standard than others in the same dealership?
- Are audit findings from the previous 5S cycle actioned and closed, with evidence that standards were corrected and sustained rather than temporarily improved for the audit?
Sustain and governance
- Is a 5S audit or self-assessment conducted on a defined frequency, with results recorded and reviewed rather than 5S being treated as a one- time implementation?
- Are staff trained on 5S principles and their specific zone responsibilities, with awareness verified through spot checks rather than assumed from a one-time briefing?
- Are cleaning logs, daily checklists, and previous audit records available as evidence of ongoing maintenance between formal audits?
- Is 5S performance reviewed by management as part of the regular operational review, with improvement actions tracked and recognition given for high-performing zones?
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
