Most people talk about 5S. Fewer people actually live it in every corner of a space.
Henrique Zapparoli Marques, who runs lean training at Terra Ideal Cooperativa Educacional, gave a behind-the-scenes look at how he sets up his classroom before students arrive. It wasn’t filmed for an audience. That’s exactly why it’s worth watching. Every detail in this walkthrough is a standard someone follows because it works, not because it looks good on camera.
The Name Tag and Number System
Students get a name tag and a number the moment they walk in. There’s a clear standard for how to fill it out, fold it, and place it so the name shows no matter which way it flips. That same number follows them for the whole week, on their name tag, their cup, and their locker.
One number, used consistently across the whole environment, removes any guesswork about whose is whose.
A Clean Area With a Real Standard
Before students enter the classroom, they swap their shoes for sandals. This is a clean area, and the team runs 3S in it every single day.
There’s a marked spot for every pair of shoes, tied to the same number system. No pile of shoes by the door. Every item has a home, and everyone can see at a glance if something is out of place.
Kanban Everywhere, Even the Coffee Station
The coffee break area runs on kanban the same way a production line would.
- Sugar has a kanban card that triggers a reorder when it runs low
- Coffee bottles are tracked the same way
- Inventory in the break area is visible and managed, not guessed at
This is a small detail, but it’s the point. A kanban system isn’t just for the shop floor. It works anywhere you need to know when something needs replenishing before it runs out.
Cups, Trash, and Total Responsibility
Students write their number on their cup and place it in the matching spot. Only coffee, water, and fruit are available through the day, and the trash bins are labeled and organized.
Henrique calls this total responsibility. Someone owns this area, and it shows.
Inside the Classroom
The classroom itself runs on the same principles.
- Kanban cards mark what needs to be replaced during teaching, so the team knows at a glance what’s running low
- Three banners cover the core lean concepts taught in the course
- The three-day schedule is broken down into 15-minute blocks, visible for everyone to see
- A task board tracks what needs to get done to keep the process improving
Every part of the room supports the class instead of getting in the way of it.
The 5S Kit and Daily Reset
Each morning, students grab a 5S kit to reset the classroom before the day starts. There’s a standard for exactly how to organize the space, so the reset takes minutes, not guesswork.
This is standard work in its simplest form. A clear, repeatable process that anyone can follow without needing to ask what comes next.
Standards for Every Area, Down to the Bathroom
Every area in the space has its own map with an identification sign, making it easy to know exactly where things belong and easy to clean the floors when needed.
Even the bathroom has a name attached to it. A sign states who’s responsible for keeping it clean, with a simple standard: leave it better than you found it. Inside, everything needed to clean it is on hand, spray, paper, a mop, so there’s no excuse and no delay.
Key Takeaway
None of this is complicated – a name tag standard, a shoe placement standard, a kanban card on a sugar jar. What makes it work is that every single detail has an owner and a standard, with nothing left to chance.