Lean Tool - Use Spaghetti Mapping and 5S to Increase Practice Efficiency

Oct 26, 2026

Lean workspace efficiency guidance for an eye care clinic explains how spaghetti mapping and 5S reduce wasted motion, improve patient flow, and create an organized environment. Spaghetti mapping tracks staff and patient movements to identify repetitive or unnecessary steps, then supports targeted workspace changes. The 5S method covers sorting, straightening, shining, standardizing, and sustaining with team-based workshops, data-driven experiments, and continuous improvement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

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Lean Workplace Efficiency

What is Spaghetti Mapping?

What is 5S?

Symptoms of an Inefficient Workspace

5S Workshop Roles and Team Process

STEP 1: Create Your Spaghetti Map

STEP 2: Assemble the Eye Care Team to Do a 5S Workshop

STEP 3: Do a COVID-19 Reopening/Recovery Spaghetti Mapping and 5S Exercise

Lean Tool—Use Spaghetti Mapping and 5Sto Increase Practice Efficiency Create Lean Workplace Efficiency An organized space reduces wasted “motion” in your clinic. Lean employs two very simple tools—spaghetti mapping and 5S— to determine the most effective work layout and efficient organization of your practice’s equipment and supplies. What is Spaghetti Mapping? Spaghetti mapping traces the movement of staff and patients in your practice. It provides valuable data for your eye care team to assess how best to create the optimal workspace layout. Look for unnecessary or repetitive steps that add more time to the process and diminishes patient flow. What is 5S? 5S is a method of organizing the physical workplace so that everything you need is exactly at hand. 5S creates an environment centered on doing value-added work with as little waste as possible. For the lean ophthalmic practice, this means arranging the exam room, front desk or other workspace in the clinic so that everything is exactly in the right place at the right time. The five components of 5S are: 1. Sort Separate the necessary items from those that are unnecessary and clear out the clutter in the workplace. 2. Straighten Organize what items remain so they are readily accessible to the staff person doing the work. 3. Shine Clean everything to promote pride and attention to the environment. 4. Standardize Maintain the changes through formal job responsibilities and policy.(See standard work in Module 5.1) 5. Sustain Promote a long-term commitment to workplace organization and continuous improvement. Symptoms of an inefficient workspace include: • Closets or supply rooms where unneeded items are stashed. • Hoarded supplies in individual desks or drawers. • Boxes of materials stored in hallways. • Materials that are inconsistently available in the exam rooms or other patient care areas. • Cabinet drawers in exam rooms that are cluttered or not stocked according to the clinic’s needs The power of 5S is that it can be applied anywhere in the clinic. This tool provides a means for the eye care team to gain an early win and practice conducting quick experiments to trial a change. During the 5S Workshop, team members will: • Use data from the spaghetti map to evaluate their own work areas and tasks. • Identify areas where there is waste in the process. • Brainstorm potential solutions to improve clinic flow. STEP \#1: Create Your Spaghetti Map 1. Obtain a copy of the floor plan (or sketch the floor plan or room lay out) where you will be conducting your observations. 2. Select the patient to be observed and follow the patient during the entire patient’s visit. ( Be sure to observe different appointment types such as new patients, annual examinations, injections, etc., as there may be variations in their movements. ) 3. For observation of staff, follow the staff person and draw the actual flow of his or her movements on the map. Movement includes staff walking and reaching for equipment and supplies. 4. If a movement is repeated or the person walks the same way more than once, make another line on the map. The finished spaghetti map should have a line for every movement made. Spaghetti Mapping of a Patient Walk. (Image excerpted from AAOE’s The Lean Practice: A Step-By-Step Guide To Running An Efficient And Profitable Ophthalmic Practice.) STEP \#2: Assemble the Eye Care Team to Do a 5s Workshop 1. Workshop members should evaluate their own work areas and tasks. Members should also create spaghetti diagrams of the motions involved in performing their tasks. 2. The goal of the 5S Workshop is to organize the workspace so that the lines on the spaghetti map are shortened or eliminated—and thus motion is decreased. 3. Ultimately, the workspace organization should promote efficiency, healthy ergonomics and an improved patient experience and instill a culture of relentless improvement on the care process. 5S Te

FAQs

What is spaghetti mapping in a clinic setting?

Spaghetti mapping traces the movement of staff and patients during their visits. It provides data to help the eye care team create an optimal workspace layout and reduce unnecessary steps that slow patient flow.

What are the five components of 5S?

The five components are Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. Together they organize the physical workplace so needed items are at hand and waste is minimized while improving the patient care environment.

How does a 5S workshop use data from the spaghetti map?

Team members evaluate their own work areas and tasks and create spaghetti diagrams of motions. The workshop goal is to shorten or eliminate lines on the spaghetti map, decreasing motion and improving efficiency, ergonomics, and patient experience.

Oct 26, 2026

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