What does 5M1E mean?

There’s an explanation on Baidu Baike! The following is reprinted from Baidu: 5M1E Analysis Method The 5M1E analysis method (People, Machines, Materials, Methods, Environment, Measurement) There are mainly 6 factors that cause fluctuations in product quality: a) People/Manpower: The operator’s understanding of quality, level of technical skill, physical condition, etc ； 　　b) Machine: The precision of machinery and tools, as well as their condition in terms of maintenance, etc ； 　　c) Material: The composition, physical properties, and chemical properties of the material, etc ； 　　d) Method: This includes processing techniques, tool selection, operating procedures, etc ； 　　e) Measurement: Whether the methods used for measurement are standard and correct ； 　　f) Environment: Temperature, humidity, lighting, and cleaning conditions at the workplace, etc ； 　　Since the first letters of the English names of these five factors are M and E, it is commonly abbreviated as 5M1E. If any one of the 6 elements changes, it is necessary to recalculate. Analysis of various factors in 5M1E and control measures 　　1. Operator factors 　　Defects that occur in processes where the operator plays a key role can generally be attributed to errors made by the operator. The main reasons for such errors include a lack of quality awareness ； Carelessness during operation ； Failure to follow operating procedures ； Low operational skills, lack of proficiency, and boredom resulting from simple, repetitive tasks. 　　Error-prevention control measures: (1) Strengthen quality awareness education with the principles of \"quality first, customers first, and the next processing stage represents the customer,\" and establish a sound quality responsibility system ； 　　(2) Develop clear and detailed operating procedures, strengthen specialized training for the relevant processes, and issue operation qualification certificates ； 　　(3) Strengthen inspection work and appropriately increase the frequency of inspections ； 　　(4) Eliminate operators’ boredom through methods such as personnel adjustments between different job types and enhancing work experience ； 　　(5) Widely carry out QCC quality control circle activities to foster self-improvement and the ability to make self-enhancements. 　　2. Machine and equipment factors The main control measures include: (1) Strengthening equipment maintenance, regularly checking the key accuracy and performance parameters of machinery and equipment, and establishing a daily inspection system for critical parts of the equipment, with focused control over the equipment at the quality control points in the production process ； 　　(2) Use first-article inspection to verify the adjustment amount of the positioning or quantitative device ； 　　(3) Where possible, develop automatic display and recording devices for positioning data to reduce reliance on workers to adjust work reliability. 　　3. Material factors The main control measures include (1) clearly specifying quality requirements in the raw material procurement contracts ； 　　(2) Strengthen the inspection of raw materials upon arrival at the factory, as well as the inspection of processes and finished products for components manufactured in-house ； 　　(3) Reasonably select suppliers (including “outsourced manufacturers”) ； 　　(4) Improve the collaborative relationship between factories, and supervise and assist suppliers in carrying out quality control and quality assurance tasks. 　　4. Factors related to process methods Process methods include the arrangement of the manufacturing process flow, the coordination between different processes, the selection of processing methods (such as the choice of processing environment conditions, processing equipment, and process parameters), as well as the preparation of guiding documents for processing operations (such as process cards, operating procedures, work instructions, and process quality analysis sheets). The impact of process methods on process quality arises mainly from two aspects: first, the correctness and rationality of the selected processing methods, process parameters, and processing equipment; second, the seriousness with which these process methods are implemented. 　　Error prevention and control measures for the processing method: (1) Ensure the accuracy of the positioning device, carry out strict inspection of the first piece, and guarantee that the positioning center is accurate, in order to prevent the distribution center of the processing characteristic values from deviating from the specified center ； 　　(2) Strengthen technical training to enable operators to become familiar with the installation and adjustment methods of positioning devices, and install devices for displaying positioning data wherever possible ； 　　(3) Strengthen the grinding and management of fixed cutting tools or blades, and implement a mandatory replacement system ； 　　(4) Actively implement control chart management to enable timely measures to be taken for adjustment ； 　　(5) Enforce strict process discipline, and conduct inspections and supervision over the implementation of operating procedures. 　　(6) Strengthen the management of tools, fixtures, and measuring instruments, and ensure proper periodic inspection of fixtures and molds as well as periodic calibration of measuring instruments. 　　5. Factors in measurement The main control measures include: (1) Determining the measurement task and the required accuracy, and selecting testing equipment that possesses the necessary accuracy and precision capabilities. 　　(2) Regularly verify, calibrate, and adjust all measurement and testing equipment. 　　(3) Specify the necessary calibration procedures. Its contents include the equipment type, number, location, calibration cycle, calibration method, acceptance method, acceptance standards, as well as the measures to be taken in case of problems. 　　(4) Save calibration records. 　　(5) When it is found that the measurement and testing equipment is not calibrated, the validity of previous measurement and testing results shall be assessed immediately, and this shall be recorded in the relevant documents. 　　6. Environmental factors The term \"environment\" generally refers to factors such as temperature, humidity, noise interference, vibration, lighting, indoor air quality, and the level of pollution at the production site. 　　In addition to ensuring that the products meet the specific requirements regarding environmental conditions, it is also necessary to maintain proper organization, order, and cleanliness at the workplace, and to promote civilized production in order to create the conditions for consistently producing high-quality products.

Thank you. I just assumed someone on the forum would know, so I didn’t bother searching properly. I’ll make sure to search first next time