5S and Gemba are closely linked concepts, but they serve different purposes. One focuses on building and sustaining daily habits, while the other provides a structured way to observe and assess how work is actually happening at the point of use.
Understanding the difference between 5S and Gemba helps organisations apply each approach more effectively.
5S and Gemba: The Difference in Regularity
5S is a daily, ongoing discipline. It focuses on maintaining an organised, efficient, and safe workplace through consistent habits.
The 5S methodology is based on five elements:
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Sort – remove what is not needed
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Set in order – organise what remains
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Shine – keep the area clean
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Standardise – define consistent methods
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Sustain – maintain the discipline over time
Together, these steps support continuous housekeeping and help teams work more efficiently by keeping the workplace organised and predictable.
Gemba, by contrast, is not a daily housekeeping activity. A Gemba Walk typically takes place weekly, monthly, or at defined intervals.
During a Gemba Walk, leaders and teams go to where the work happens to observe processes in real conditions. The scope is broader than 5S and may include safety, quality, delivery, performance, and problem-solving. While 5S can form part of a Gemba Walk, it is only one element being reviewed.
How Visual Management Boards Support 5S and Gemba
Visual management boards play an important role in both approaches. They make performance, targets, and status visible in real time.
Daily management boards, Gemba boards, and 5S boards all support evaluation by showing how processes are operating right now. This visibility allows teams to identify issues quickly and discuss them using shared information.
Because visual management boards provide an at-a-glance view of performance, they act as natural checkpoints during a Gemba Walk.
The Difference Between 5S Boards and Gemba Boards
5S boards focus specifically on the 5S strategy. They support daily housekeeping activities, standard work, and sustaining workplace organisation.
Gemba boards, on the other hand, provide visibility across multiple processes. They typically display a wider range of information, such as safety metrics, quality indicators, KPIs, actions, and issues.
While both board types are visual, their purpose and scope are different.
What 5S and Gemba Have in Common
Despite their differences, 5S and Gemba share a common goal: improving how work is done.
Both approaches sharpen focus, highlight opportunities for improvement, and support better decision-making. Showing targets, standards, and results visually strengthens both strategies by making expectations clear and performance easy to assess.
When combined with visual management boards, 5S and Gemba become more effective and easier to sustain.
Final Thoughts
5S and Gemba are complementary, not interchangeable. One builds strong daily habits, while the other provides structured observation and review.
Used together and supported by visual management, they help organisations maintain standards, identify issues, and continuously improve performance at the point of use.
Supporting Gemba Walk process
Visually work through Gemba, Kaizen, 5S and more
Make real time updates. Show how your process is right now.
Choose which processes to make visual
Use daily tracking to sustain the 5S habit and make it visual.
Be instantly clear: use visual status indicators
Further examples
5S Management Board with dry wipe
5S magnetic counters and dispensers
Production Area 5S Noticeboard
5S board with status counters
5S & Safety Audit board
5S board with document holders
5S board
Performance with 6S
5S Noticeboard
KPI board with modular 5S magnetics
5S Audit Board
5S Board with status counters
5S Noticeboard
5S Scoreboard
KPI board with modular 5S magnetics
6S audit board
6S board
5S board
Red Tag procedures
5S dry wipe status
Document holders for visual standards
5S Production board
Red and green status counters
5S board with red and green holders
5S Sustainment board
Signs to support 5S
5S Scoreboard
5S Audit daily tracking pyramid
5S Before & After
Show your 5S visual standards
Signs to support 5S
5S Performance Board
5S Scoreboard
5S Sustainment Status board
Track 5S and Safety
6S Communications
6S visual standards and audit board
Show your 6S visual standards
Update visual standards easily
Spell put your 5S vision
Define 5S terms for your team
6S Noticeboard
Track your progress with status meters
6S Communications with dry wipe status
Add card and document holders
Add document holders
6S Performance Tracker
Before & After for 5S
Create a 5S task list
Chart progress with status meters
6S board with status meters
5S Noticeboard for manufacturing
Status meters 5S board
Dry wipe status 5S board
Make 5S visual
Dry wipe updates for 6S
Dry eraze updates for 5S
Use status meters to show 5S progress
5S Sustainment Board
Record 5S progress
5S Audit and Results board
Dy wipe update daily metrics
Status meters provide visual snapshot
Show your 5S audit and visual standard
Show current status with meters
Show status for each 5S metric
Red Tag station board
Triple shift pattern for 5S
Add document holders to your 5S board
Dry wipe status and document holders
Use dry wipe for easy updates
Status meters and dry wipe
Update with dry wipe pens
Use colour in your 5S design
Show your visual standards
Make your 5S board modular
Icons for 5S
Add status dials to your 6S board
Magnetic needle for your status meters
5S on a Kaizen board
6S option
Integrate 5S with Kaizen
Dry wipe status on your 5S board
Magnetic labels for visual status
Manufacturing 5S board
Add document holders to your 5S board
SQD/5S with magnetic status faces
Mark your floor for safety
Works everyday of the month
Instant updates with status dials
Our Approach
We create visual management boards everyday. As a result we have plenty of experience. We work for organisations in food production, the power industry, national rail, pharmaceuticals, education, healthcare, packaging and distribution.
Our team works with a simple idea or sketch and creates a professionally designed layout. This is then turned into a highly functional visual management board.
We offer customised options because we want to create the perfect board for you. So, here are a few examples. We can add magnetic areas or a dry-wipe finish (for use with whiteboard pens). Furthermore, you can choose Red/Green sliders or R.A.G. (Red, Amber, Green) status dials so you can quickly and visually update your board. These are just a few examples of the ways in which our boards can be tailored to meet your needs. You may also be interested in whiteboard overlays that can be used on top of an existing magnetic board.
