Large team or Large cleanings

HOW TO DELEGATE TASKS TO A LARGE TEAM 

1) Do a walkthrough (perhaps with the client) and bring a phone for notes or a piece of paper. Not all cleaners have to come on this walkthrough, unless you think the client would feel more at ease with that. It might be best to get everyone else started on a task immediately to avoid wasting time. Good things to get people started on are, vacuuming bathrooms and high dusting. 

2) After your walkthrough, leave your note on the kitchen counter so all cleaners can see their assigned rooms, estimated time, and check off completed areas.

3) When assessing the kitchen, compare the total time required versus the time frame your team is assigned to this cleaning. For instance, if the kitchen will take 4 hours but your team is only scheduled for 2.5 hours because it's a big team of like 4 or 5 people, then you need to assign 2 people to start in the kitchen right away.  

4) Assign and complete rooms like bedrooms that no one else is going to walk through. Then those rooms can be closed, lights turned off, and marked as completely done, which will make it easier for you to track progress. 

5) Assess how many vacuums and mops you have. If you only have 1 vacuum, ensure someone starts vacuuming ASAP, and have them clean hard floors first because they might not even have time to mop. 

6) If you have 2 or more sets of supplies, assign tasks so that 1 person is responsible for everything a room needs. Tasks get missed if multiple people work in the same room. 

7) You're not expected to be cleaning every single minute. You're going to need to spend time managing and delegating things and checking work. 

8) If you have multiple sets of supplies, be extra careful about returning them to the correct caddy, vacuum, and bag. 

9) If the client(s) is home during the cleaning it might get kind of crazy with a big team. The best way to keep the client out of your way is to lead the conversation and tell them your plan. For instance, "I'm going to have 2 people start in the kitchen, so they should be done by 11:30 a.m. And I'm going to have the rest of us work on the 2nd floor, until that's all done. So if you'd like to work down here, we'll come tell you when the 2nd floor is finished, and then we could trade spots with you so that we stay out of your way" (Aka, so you stay out of our way, haha!) 

10) The hardest part can be wrapping things up, collecting supplies, double checking work, talking with the client and putting supplies away. A few tips are: Choose who is going to drop off supplies at the office, and send some of the others home early. (These cleans usually happen at the end of the day.) And, if the weather permits, pick a spot outside to collect supplies, and personal affects. This will allow you to clean out of the space efficiently without stepping on freshly mopped floors or causing more of a mess. 

HOW TO ESTIMATE THE TIME REMAINING NEEDED

1) Use the estimate sheet to check off completed rooms. Then add up the remaining time needed compared to the time you have left. (I always use minutes per person as the best common denominator)

2) Or, if you have everything assigned. Ask each cleaner how much time they will need to complete their assignments. 

3) I’ll add more to this section later :)