Concept Generation

Many suggestions and ideas may come from our customers on a day-to-basis. Customers may write to complain about a particular service, or make suggestions for its improvement or replacement. Ideas may come in the form of suggestions to staff during the delivery of the service. The front line staff usually have good ideas about what customers like and do not like. They may have gathered suggestions from customers or have ideas of their own as to how the service could be developed to meet the needs of customers more effectively, or how a gap could be filled in the service range.

Advantages of using Contracting Cleaning Service Providers

* No requirement to pay for annual holiday entitlements.
* Holiday relief will no longer be required as the contract will be covered by a network of operatives.
* Hourly rates of pay are generally less.
* No sick pay required as this cost will be covered by the contract through a network of operatives.
* Material costs may be lower due to negotiated rates.
* Administrative costs are lower as responsibility is transferred to the service provider.
* Staff is trained in all aspects relating to Health & Safety issues on your premises
* Staff is trained in the safe use of all equipment.
* Ongoing staff training is the responsibility of the service provider.
* In the event of mechanical failure of equipment a rapid replacement to prevent any loss in cleaning standards is provided.
* Support services such as carpet, upholstery, high level cleaning, floor care and window cleaning is provided.
* Through a management system controlled by the Operations Director to ensure daily cleaning is managed and supervised daily.
* Service Providers are available daily during normal working hours. The Contract Manager has the ability to deal with all administrative and financial queries relating to all contracts and acts as an interface between the directors and the Area Manager for your contract.
* Once a contract requires three or more persons, a site supervisor will be appointed. He/She usually ensures that all staff are timely, effective and properly trained and equipped to perform all duties asked of them. He/She is also the initial point of daily contact for the contract.
* You don't have to worry about your office being cleaned.
* Your office building will be even more healthy for you and your staff.
* It will impress your clients!

Why carpets need to be properly maintained

Carpets need to be vacuumed once a week and more often in areas of high traffic. Frequent vacuuming prolongs the life of your carpet by preventing a build up of gritty particles that can cut carpet fibres.
When carpets are properly maintained, clean carpets can improve your health, indoor air quality and act as a filter holding soil, debris and other contaminants, while preventing them from contaminating the quality of air. Routine carpet cleaning is part of a healthy lifestyle. This will ensure that high traffic areas are under control throughout the year.

Why do operations fail?

* The overall design was faulty or because its facilities (machines, equipment and buildings) or staff fail to operate as they should.
* Faults in the information inputs to the operation
* Failures caused by the actions of customers.

The principles of Business Process Re-engineering (BPR)

* Rethink business processes in a cross-functional manner which organizes work around the natural flow of customers. This activity would typically focus on outcomes of a process rather than the tasks which go into it.
* Strive for dramatic improvements in the performance by rethinking and redesigning the process.
* Check to see if all internal customers can be their own supplier rather than depending on another function in the process of supplying them.
* Put decision points where the work is performed. Do not separate those who do not work from those who control and manage the work.

Financial advantages of using contract cleaning services

* No requirement to pay for annual holiday entitlements.
* Holiday relief will no longer be required as we'll cover your contract through our network of operatives.
* Hourly rates of pay are generally less.
* No sick pay required as we'll cover your contract through our network of operatives.
* Material costs can be lower, as we take the administrative function from you.

The role of the project manager

All projects need a project manager and their role is to achieve the specified project objectives. This is done by planning and controlling the project from initiation to conclusion, trying to bring order to complexity and reducing the level of uncertainty. Many of their activities are concerned with managing human resources. Personnel need to work effectively with a clear understanding of their roles in the temporary organization and should take the responsibility for effective communication.

Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

Step inside our friendly world where the customer becomes our sole priority in order to achieve success. Marvel at our commitment and creative spirit and ultimately join in on the conversation! See you there at www.facebook.com/hanovercs.

Important characteristics of a project manager

• Background and experience which are consistent with the needs of the project.
• Leadership and strategic expertise, in order to maintain an understanding of the overall project and its environment.
• Technical expertise in the area of the project in order to make sound technical decisions.
• Interpersonal competence and the people skills to take on such roles as project champion, motivator, communicator, facilitator and politician.
• Proven managerial ability in terms of a track record of geeting things done.

Keeping drains odour free

Run very hot water through it after each use and about once a week, throw in a handful of bicarbonate of soda, followed by hot water.  Try pouring a cup of vinegar, let it stand for 30 minutes, then run very hot water through the drain.

Taking care of your sink

Remove stains from a porcelain sink by filling it with lukewarm water, add 2 tablespoons of bleach and let stand for about an hour.  Stubborn stains should be treated with saturated paper towels and let stand for 8 to 10 hours.

Avoid abrasive cleaners when cleaning a stainless steel sink.  Simply splash with sudsy water and clean and polish with glass cleaner or a bicarbonate of soda paste.

Carefully rub scratched or pitted areas with very fine steel wool, then buff to a sheen with a soft cloth.

Cleaning your bathroom in 5 minutes

Armed with a spray bottle of disinfectant, wipe down all bathroom surfaces.  Work from the mirror to the floor covering the basin, bath and toilet along the way.  Proceed to sponge down the bath, shower and basin with a liquid disinfectant cleaner at least once a week.

Hard water spots and soap scum can be treated with a cloth moistened with vinegar.  Dry and polish with a soft cloth.  After showering, clean your bathroom regularly with a hospital grade bleach disinfectant and keep it as dry as possible.

After Builds Cleaning

After Builds Cleaning

Total people involvement

It involves staff taking on much more responsibility to use their abilities to the benefit of the company.  They are trained, capable and motivated to take full responsibility for the work they do.  They are trusted to carry out these responsibilities with autonomy for their own work area.

Staff is expected to:

·         Assist in the selection of new recruits

·         Dealing directly with suppliers, quality issues and delivery information

·         The self-measurement of performance and improvement trends

·         Spending improvement budgets

·         Planning and reviewing work done each day through communication meetings

·         Dealing directly with customer problems and requirements

Key fundamentals in contract cleaning

For the last ten years our knowledge and experience in contract cleaning, has led to the development of key fundamentals we implement in order to satisfy our clients.  We provide a reliable, comprehensively  trained workforce, setting key performance indicators, efficient contract management, regular site inspections and embracing positive change within management.

The Moment of Truth

This concept was developed by Jan Carlzon, President of Scandinavian Airlines, who claimed “we have 50 000 moments of truth out there everyday”.  The “moment of truth” is an episode in which a customer comes in contact with any aspect of the company and thereby has an opportunity to form an impression.

These euphoric contacts unfortunately take place out of sight of management, who cannot always be there to manage the quality of that moment of truth.  Managers will then learn to manage staff indirectly and that is done by creating  a customer-orientated organization, customer-friendly systems and a work environment that reinforces the idea of putting the customer first.

What is service?

Service refers to all the activities which create a bond between organizations and their clients or customers.  This definition is fully justified because all organizations have a service component.  The extent of the service component varies, however, from organization to organization, but everyone ultimately has a role in service

Continuous Improvement

The fundamental way we improve our service is by bettering our operation.  This is achieved by:

·         Solving internal problems that prevent great service delivery

·         Delivering improved services externally by working better internally

Our improvement priorities

The needs and preferences of customers and the performance and activities of competitors are two major influences on the objectives of the operation.  The fundamental purpose of operations is to create a service in such a way as to meet the needs of the customers.  What customers find important the operation should regard as important as well.  The needs and preferences of customers shape the importance within our operation. 

Competitors are the points of comparison against which the operation can judge its performance.  The improvement which matters most is that which takes the operation past the performance levels achieved by our competitors.

Creativity in a company

Creativity is the soul of entrepreneurship and is required in spotting the patterns and trends that define an opportunity.  It subsequently becomes imperative in developing innovative business concepts.  The corporate entrepreneur has to be highly creative in getting a sponsor, building and using a network, obtaining management buy-in for the concept forming a team, gathering resources and overcoming the many obstacles that will be thrown into his/her path.

Much of the work on creativity tends to focus on the ability to relate and connect and to put things together in a novel way.  In a business context, creativity is not mere originality.  It is a pragmatic dimension in that creative approaches or solutions must also be useful and actionable in the context of the company and its competition.

There are three components of successful creativity in organizations: expertise, motivation and creative thinking skills.  Expertise is defined as what you know and can do.  Motivation can be primarily a passion or interest or the desire to achieve company rewards and awards.  The individual is solely driven by the challenge and joy of accomplishment.  Creative thinking can be explained as the ways individuals approach problems differently, seeking insights from other fields of endeavour, challenging assumptions etc

Employees should, however, be provided the freedom and access to resources to practice these components.

Where should quality checks take place?

The key tasks for operations managers is to identify the critical points at which the service or process need to be checked to ensure that it will conform to specifications.  These checks may be carried out at the start of the process, during the process and after the process.

At the start of the process the incoming transformed resources could be inspected to ensure that they are to the correct specification.

During the process checks may take place at any stage but there are a number of particularly critical points in the process where inspection might be important:

• Before a particularly costly part of the process
• Before a series of processes during which checking might be difficult
• Immediately after part of the process with a high defective point
• Before a part of a process that might conceal previous defects or problems
• Before a point is reached, after which rectification and recovery might be impossible
• Before potential damage or distress might be caused
• Before a change in functional responsibility

Checks will take place after the process as well to ensure that the service conforms to its specification or that customers are satisfied with service they have received.

Routine Toilet Cleaning

Briskly scrub the bowl everyday with a toilet brush using the cleaner of your choice to remove deposits, discoloration and tide lines.  Be careful to clean under the rim.  Rinse the toilet brush in a fresh flush and occasionally give it a wash in warm water.

What is method study?

Method study is the part of scientific management which makes a direct contribution to job design.  It is a systematic approach to job design and not solely a set of techniques to be followed by management.  This method study approach involves systematically  following six steps: select the work to be studied; record all the relevant facts of the present method; examine the facts critically and in sequence; develop the most practical, economic and effective method; install the new method and maintain this method by checking it in use.

Operations usually have many hundreds and possibly thousands of discrete jobs and activities which could be subjected to study.  The specific job selected for method study would give the most return on investment of time spent studying it.  It would be unlikely that it will be worth studying activities which may soon be discontinued or are only performed occasionally.  The type of jobs which should be studied as a matter of priority are those which seem to offer the greatest scope for improvement, or which are causing bottle-necks, delays, or  other problems in the operation.

There are different recording techniques used in method study which include recording the sequence of the activities in the job, the time interrelationship of the activities in the job or the path of movement of some part of the job.Recording the present method can give a far greater insight into the job itself and could lead to new ways of doing it.  It is also a good starting point from which to evaluate critically and improve the method.  It would be easier to improve the method by starting from the current method and then criticizing it in detail rather than starting with a blank sheet.

Examining the facts is probably the most important stage in method study and is often done by using the questioning technique.  This technique exposes the reasons behind existing methods in order to detect weaknesses in the rationale and develop alternative methods.  Typical questions would be:  the purpose of each element; the place in which each element is done; the sequence in which the elements are done; the person who does the element and the means by which each element is done.

The next stage is developing the new method.  This involves taking these ideas further in an attempt to eliminate parts of the activity altogether, change the sequence of events so as to improve the efficiency of the job or simplify the activity to reduce the work content.

Installing the new method concerntrates on project managing the installation process rather than examining the reactions of the staff whose jobs and methods are being affected.  The effectiveness of the job designs after they have been installed will need to be monitored regularly.  Although this cannot be viewed as a “continuous improvement” initiative it can be used as an opportunity to rethink and improve methods on a continuous basis.

How to keep your toilet clean with denture tablets

What you will need:
Denture Cleaning Tablets
Toilet Bowl Brush

When out shopping look at the most inexpensive cleaning tablets you can find.
Most directions recommend that the tablet be dissolved in hot water.  Do this by microwaving a cup of water and dropping the tablet(s) in.  When dissolved be sure there is fresh water in the toilet bowl and pour the solution.  Allow to stand overnight.
Swish the bowl with the toilet bowl brush and flush.  You may have to repeat this process a few times if the bowl is badly stained.  Once the bowl is sparkling clean, repeat once a week.
Once your bowl is clean, you can keep it that way by dropping a tablet or two in the tank.

Advantages:
Most tablets are anti-bacterial and kill millions of bacteria.
They fight odour.
Remove stains.
It's so easy!

Cleaning your toilet with some Coke!

Pour a can or bottle into the toilet bowl.  Pour it around the rim so it flows over the stains around the inside of the bowl.  Allow to sit for an hour or more.  The carbonic, citric and phosphoric acid will break down the stains.  Clean the toilet with a brush.  If there are lots of stains, you may need a brush to further loosen them before going to the next step. Flush and the stains will be gone!

Essential bathroom cleaners

There are many different areas that need cleaning in a bathroom.  Here are 4 essential bathroom cleaners that every bathroom should possess.
Toilet Brush - A good toilet brush is necessary to keep the dirtiest part of the toilet clean.
Glass Cleaner - With mirrors and glass doors to a shower, every bathroom needs a glass cleaner for at least a few areas.
Midew Remover (bleach) - Between showers, sinks and toilets, bathrooms are a haven for mildew growth.  Mildew can lead to major problems so be sure to get this one.
Tile Cleaner - These cleaners work on controlling mildew, bacteria and many other dirt details in the bathroom.

Why zoning becomes necessary?

On the smaller sites with just a single cleaner working, there is obviously no potential for dividing the work into smaller parts.  If the size of the sites warrants more people the total set of tasks could be divided into these zones.  This the breaking down of the total task into smaller parts each of which is accomplished by a single person.  In spite of its drawbacks there are some real advantages of division of labour principles.
It promotes faster learning
It is easier to learn how to do short and simple tasks than a complex one.   New members of staff can then be quickly trained when they are short and simple.
Reduce non-productive work
It ensures that the smaller tasks that are completed lead to a large chunk of the cleaning schedule to be completed.

Order of work for spring cleaning a room

1. Open all the windows to air the room.
2. Remove all flowers, empty ashtrays and wastepaper baskets, put away any other bits and pieces, for example, shoes
3. Move all the small pieces of furniture out of the room.
4. If cleaning the hall, move coats, umbrellas and stands.
5. Clean out fireplace, if any, or remove spiders and cobwebs and brush out cupboards.
6. Vacuum the floor, curtains and the upholstery.
7. Dust everywhere. Mop and polish the floor.  Clean walls and windows.
8. Shake rugs outside before putting them back in the room.
9. Replace all furniture, give it a polish, if necessary.

A definition of entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a creative act.  It requires perception, drive, tenacity, dedication and hard work to pursue identified economic opportunities.  There is a general acceptance of entrepreneurial risk regarding time, financial resources and psychological well being. 

Entrepreneurship is a process intended to create wealth and accomplished by gathering and managing human, financial, physical and informational resources to pursue a business opportunity with acceptable levels of risk.

Entrepreneurship is manifested once the introduction of new and innovative goods, services or processes into the marketplace occurs.  This inevitably creates opportunities for additional goods, services and processes.

Entrepreneurship is instrumental in the development of any society, however, entrepreneurship needs a society that encourages and supports individual initiative.  Conditions aiding entrepreneurs include readily available investment capital and a cultural acceptance of business people who tend to operate in unconventional manners.

10 Tips when spring cleaning

• Take down pictures and all ornaments and clean them (and the shelf and wall behind them)

• Get at areas behind doors, above door frames and under tables, behind and under chest of drawers and large pieces of furniture, which have been forgotten or skimmed over throughout the year.
• Remove all cobwebs.
• Wash down paintwork thoroughly.
• Polish all the furniture.
• Clean lamps and shades.  Don’t forget light fittings as well, take them off to clean them if necessary.
• Shampoo the carpets and upholstery and have curtains washed or dry cleaned.
• Vacuum thoroughly and replace everything.
• Clean out all the kitchen cupboards.
• Use this opportunity to throw away all those things  that you never use, you’ll have less to put away.

Spring Cleaning

Even a room that is cleaned regularly will benefit from a good spring clean.

• Turn out those parts of the home which normally don’t get the full treatment: the freezer, cupboards, medicine chest, kitchen cupboards etc.
• Do one task at a time or you will be overwhelmed by the whole exercise and may end up completely exhausted with several half-finished rooms.
• Get rid of non-helpful members of the household
• If you can’t get rid of the children, it may be easier to let them help you.

.

Window washing tips

• Never scrub dirty windows with a dry cloth, you’ll scratch the glass!
• Don’t clean windows when the sun is shining, the water will dry too quickly, leaving streaks on the glass.
• Change the water frequently, especially the rinsing water.
• In cold weather, add a small amount of methylated spirit to the water to prevent it from freezing on the glass.
• Use all detergents sparingly as too much can cause streaks and leaves layers of residue.  Never use soap because it is very different to rinse off.

Factors that influence successful project management

All projects are prone to different problems and fail for different reasons.  In order to minimize the chances of a project failing to meet its objectives the following factors become particularly important:

• Clearly defined goals: the general project philosophy or general mission of the project and a commitment to these goals on the part of the project team members.
• Competent project manager:  a skilled project manager who has the necessary interpersonal, technical and administrative skills.
• Top-management support: enabling communication to all concerned parties
• Competent project team leaders: the selection of and training of project team members, who between them have the skills necessary to support the project technically.
• Sufficient resource allocation: money, personnel, logistics etc.  which are available for the project in the required quantity.
• Adequate communications channels:  sufficient information is available on project objectives, status, changes, organizational conditions and client’s needs
• Control mechanisms: these monitor actual events and recognize deviations from the plan
• Feedback capabilities:  all parties should be able to review the project’s status and make suggestions and corrections through formal feedback channels or review meetings
• Responsiveness to clients: all potential users of the project are concerned which are kept up to date on the project’s status.
• Trouble-shooting mechanisms: a set of procedures to tackle problems when they arise, can trace them back to their root cause and resolve them.
• Project staff continuity: the continued involvement of key personnel over the project life cycle.

Project planning and control

Project operations are engaged in complex, often large scale, activities with a defined beginning and end.  The methods applied by engineers and planners who worked in complex defence and construction projects have been applied to projects as diverse as new product launches.  Large scale undertakings consume a relatively large amount of resources, take a long time to complete and involve interactions between different parts of an organization.  To plan and control a project, a company needs to formulate a model which describes the project’s complexity and project it forward in time to ensure that the project will achieve this.

The elements of a project

• A definable end result, output, or product, which is defined in terms of the cost, the quality and timing of the output from the project activities.
• Many different tasks are required to be completed to achieve a project’s objectives.  The relationship between all these tasks can be complex, especially when the number of separate tasks in the project is large. 
• A project is usually a ‘one-off”, not a repetitive undertaking.
• All projects are planned before they are executed and carry an element of risk.
• Projects have a defined beginning and end, once the temporary concerntration of resources have contributed to the project objectives, these resources are redeployed.
• The resource needs for a project change during the course of its life cycle.

Vacuuming tips

• If you drop a fine screw or contact lens, locate it with a vacuum nozzle covered with a piece cut from pantyhose secured with an elastic band.  Anything that the vacuum sucks up will be held against the stocking until you remove it.
• Sweep things like pet litter into a pile to make it easier to suck up.
• Be cautious when emptying your vacuuming cleaner debris into the bin.  Avoid disturbing or getting the collected dust, soils and fine debris airborne.  With careless handling these can enter one’s breathing, especially when emptying a bagless vacuum.  Take precautions when disposing of dirty cleaner bags.
• Dry soil and dust from heavily laden rugs are best removed by first beating or vacuuming the rug upside down.  It can be turned and then and then vacuumed again, right side up.  The damaging dry soils, sandy and fine dirt particles get trapped deep down in the pile fabrics.  This is known as double- sided dry soil removal
• Vacuum high-traffic areas more often and rigorously than less trafficked carpet areas.  Vacuum more frequently to preserve the lifetime and appearance of carpets and rugs.
• Use the flat, rectangular floor and carpet nozzle of a vacuum cleaner for cleaning carpets and hard floors.
• The narrow, angled crevice nozzle works well on stairs, curtains and drapes and will remove dust from around the buttoning on mattresses and along skirtings.  Use it to clean refridgerator grilles as well.
• The more powerful “wet-and-dry” cleaners can unblock a drain by sucking up by sucking up the blockage.  You can also use them to suck out leaves from drain covers.
• If you run out of disposable dust bags, cut neatly along the base of the old one and shake out the contents.  Fold the cut end over twice and staple securely before re-using.
• Fine ash from fires tends to blow about very easily.  Wait until it is cold before vacuuming and clean the nozzle afterwards.
• Never attempt to suck up water or spills with an ordinary vacuum cleaner.
• Replace your filter regularly!

What is Strategy?

These are decisions that are widespread in their effect and are significant in the part of the organization to which the strategy refers.  It defines the position of the organization relative to its environment and moves the organization closer to its long term goals.

What is your operation’s contribution to the organization’s goals?

The ability of any operation to play a strategic role within the organization can be judged by considering the organizational aims or aspirations of the operations functions.

A Four-Stage Model was developed, by Professors Hayes and Wheelwright of Harvard University, with later contributions from Professor Chase of the University of California, to evaluate the competitive role and contributions of the operations function of any company.  Particularly, black owned companies in South Africa that are in dire need to breach the private sector.  This model traces the progression of the operations function, of  from a largely negative role of Stage 1 operations to the dynamic element of competitive strategy in Stage 4 operations.

In a Stage 1 organization the operation is considered as a “necessary evil” as other functions regard it as holding them back from competing effectively.  The operations function becomes reactive and inward looking and contributes minimally towards competitive success.  The rest of the organization would inevitably not look to operations as the source of any originality, flair or competitive drive.  The operation becomes “internally neutral”, a position it attempts to achieve not by any positive aspirations but by avoiding the bigger mistakes.

Breaking out of Stage 1 begins by comparing itself with similar companies or organizations.  During this stage of progression, the organization may not yet be particularly creative in the way it manages its operations but is attempting to be appropriate, by adopting best practice from its competitors.  Using the best ideas and norms of performance from the rest of its industry is trying to be externally neutral.

Stage 3 operations aspire to be clearly the very best in the market.  Organizations try to achieve this by understanding the company’s competitive or strategic goals and then organize and develop the operation’s resources to excel in the sector that the company needs to compete effectively.  Operation managers will now develop appropriate resources and assuming the role of implementers of strategy.  The operation will soon become internally supportive by providing a credible operations strategy.

A Stage 4 company views the operations function as providing the foundation for its competitive success by focusing on all long term goals.  Likely changes in markets and supply will be forecast and operations-based strategies will be developed to provide the company with the performance required to compete in future market conditions.  It becomes central to strategy making.  Stage 4 operations are creative and proactive and are likely to organize their resources in ways which are innovative and capable of adaptation as markets change.  After all, market leaders tend to be one step ahead of competitors in the way they create products and services and organize their operations.

This Four-Stage Model assesses the performance of the operation compared to the function’s latent aspirations.  As companies move from Stage 1 to Stage 4 there is a progressive shift from its contribution being negative  through to a paradigm shift of strategic contributions.

The roles of the operations function

Any part of your organization will have their own role to play in achieving its success.  At the simplest level the role of each of these functions is reflected in its name.  In an era when operations are continually being outsource, the operations function will need to justify its continued existence within the business.

One role of the operation is to support business strategy.  It must develop its resources to provide the capabilities which are needed to allow the organization to achieve its strategic goals.  All important elements of the operation, its technology, staff and its systems and procedures, must be appropriate for the company’s competitive strategy.  The better the operation is at maintaining its infrastructure, the more support it is giving to the company’s strategy.  A different business strategy would require the operations function to adopt different objectives.

Companies continue to formulate some kind of strategy during its existence but it is the operation which puts it into practice.  Strategies are by no means tangible and all you can see is how the operation behaves in practice.  In essence, the most original and brilliant strategy can be rendered totally ineffective by an inept operations function.

Another role of the operations part of the business is to drive strategy by giving it a long-term competitive edge.  Different functions within the business have different effects on a company’s ability to prosper.  For example, if the finance function does not control cash flow accurately, the business could run out of cash and all business activity would soon cease or have a serious short term effect on business.  Poor marketing management will hamper the company in the medium term.  No amount of efficient financial and marketing management can compensate for poor operations performance though.  Sloppy service, slow delivery, broken promises, too little choice of services or an operations cost base which is too high will prove detrimental to company long term goals.  Any business which makes its services better, faster, on time, in greater variety and less expensively than its competition has the best long term advantage any company could desire.  All the things which promote long term success stems directly or indirectly from the operations function.  In effect, this function becomes the custodian of the organizaton’s competitiveness.  It ultimate role is to do things better and deliver services better than similar operations.

In conclusion, operations must support strategy by developing appropriate objectives and policies for the resources its manages, make strategy happen by translating strategic decisions into operational reality and provide the means to achieve competitive advantage.

The responsibilities of operations managers

Operations managers are responsible for all activities in the organization which contribute to the effective production of a service.

The responsibility of operations management also explores the possible consequences of the actions of the other functions and their impact on the operation.  This becomes an indirect responsibility of the operations manager, namely, to inform other functions of opportunities and constraints provided by the operation’s capabilities.  They will need to discuss with other functions how both operations’ plans and their own plans might be modified for the benefit of both functions.  Other functions will subsequently be encouraged to suggest ways in which the operations function can improve its service to the rest of the organization.

This approach of mutual responsibility for other functions’ activities seem somewhat idealistic underlying what should be good practice in any organization.  However, internal customer-internal supplier relations yield huge benefits in breaking down some of the traditional organizational barriers.

Regarding the direct responsibilities of operations management, the exact nature of these responsibilities depend on the way the organization has chosen its operation function.

When the operations management team attempts to understand what it is trying to achieve two sets of  decisions are involved.  The first is to develop a clear vision of what role the operation is to play in the organization illustrating the operation’s contribution to the organization achieving its long-term goals.Then determine whether these goals have any implications for the organization’s performance objectives.  These performance objectives include the quality of the service, the speed with which they are delivered to the customers, the dependability with which the operation keeps its delivery promises, the flexibility of the operation to change what it does and the cost of producing the service.

Operations management involves hundreds of minute-by-minute decisions throughout the day as well as week.  It becomes imperative for operations managers to have a set of general principles which can guide decision making towards the organization’s longer-term goals called an operations strategy.  This involves placing operations strategy in the general strategy hierarchy of the organization, connecting functional and business strategies together.  Operations performance objectives will need to be prioritized to positively affect customer needs and competitor behaviour.

The design of the service is crucial to an area which is always under the direct responsibility of the operations function which is the transformation process itself.  This process design means designing the whole network of operations which provide inputs to the operations function and deliver its output to customers.

In order for design activities to work effectively they need to be planned and controlled.  This involves the deciding of what the operation’s resources should be doing, then ensuring that they are really doing it.

The strategy has been formulated, the services and processes designed and the work is being planned and controlled on an ongoing basis. The continuing responsibility of the operations manager is to improve the performance of this operation.  Failure to improve at least as fast as competitors or at the rate of the customers’ rising expectations is to allow the operations function to fall short of organization expectations.  Or simply making operations better is stopping them from going wrong in the first place.

The elements of job design

Job design defines the way in which people go about their working lives and positions their expectations of what is required of them.  Perceptions will also be influenced as to how they contribute to the organization’s goals and vision.  Interactions with colleagues will be governed and channeled and formalizing the flow of communication between different parts of the operation.  It helps to develop the culture of the organization: its shared values; beliefs and assumptions and should be viewed as the central aspect of the design of any transformation process.

Delivering a service on a continuous basis involves a whole range of different tasks which need to be divided between all role players in the operation.  The different task allocations will depend on your job design approach.  One operation might include a repetitive task to encourage simplicity and efficiency.  Or allocate a wide variety of tasks to each staff member to reduce monotony.

Sometimes the sequence of tasks is dictated by the design of the service or the sequence is determined by the desire to avoid mistakes. A standardized sequence of tasks is designed largely to prevent errors in the process.

Some jobs can be performed effectively in more than one place.  However, different locations could also mean different task allocations.

Instead of allocating a well defined set of tasks to each person in the operation, a larger set of tasks are allocated to a group of people.  This group might choose, or be guided to, a flexible task-sharing, or a task-rotation, pattern of working.  The success of this group depends on its size and its interactions with other groups and individuals.

Very few jobs do not involve interaction with tools, equipment, machines or facilities.  Inappropriate positioning of the hardware elements could result in an ineffective interface even though the task is well defined.

The conditions under which jobs are performed could have a significant impact on personnel’s effectiveness, comfort and safety and not the details of the tasks themselves.  Typical decisions include determining lighting intensity, noise control or air quality.

There is a difference between allocating tasks and encouraging autonomy depending on what the job implies.  Allocating the responsibility for the effectiveness implies that the staff can also modify the way a task is performed.

The decisions in the elements of job design have implications for the skills and capabilities which staff will need to perform their jobs effectively.  The skills necessary might include simple manual skills, monitoring and measurement skills, scheduling skills or even problem-solving skills for improving the job.

Wheelie Bin Cleaning

Wheelie Bin Cleaning is now considered an important factor towards reducing the risk of bacterial build up in the domestic environment.  The service will reduce this bacterial build up that causes bad odours as well as decreasing the risk of pest infestation: rodents, ants and flying insects.  Fly eggs are removed as well and the maggots they grow into.  99% of known germs will be removed reducing the chances of cross contamination to the kitchen.

Typical "Before and After" Toilet Images

Working on the Mandela Rhodes project

Effective dusting

Wipe hard-to-reach crevices on stair carpets with a damp cloth.
Always dust from the top of the room down as dust will float downwards to settle on the surfaces beneath.
Reduce the amount of dust attracted to the surace of a televison, hi-fi system or glass-topped tables that are prone to static electricity by wiping them with a cloth wrung out in a solution mixed with liquid fabric softener and warm water.
Shake duvets, pillows, small rugs and loose cushions outdoors to freshen them and remove dust where it can blow away in a breeze.
Do not forget to dust the panels and mouldings on traditional doors or top edges as dust will dull the paintwork over time.
A baby's bottle-brush works wonders on louvre doors.

How to remove Pickle Fish stains over the Easter Period

Removing a stain from a washable fabric
Mix a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water for colour fast items of clothing that cannot be bleached. If your peroxide is of standard strength you will need to combine the two in an approximate ratio of 1 part peroxide to 9 parts water.
Soak the item in the solution for at least a few hours.
Rinse the item of clothing throughly in warm, clean water, then wash it as you normally would. Make sure you follow all the care directions on the label.
Use your regular laundry powder that contains bleach, if the item is bleachable and simply wash the item in the washing machine.
Removing a stain on your carpet
Take 1 tablespoon of Borax and stir into approximately a half litre of luke warm water. Be sure to measure carefully as Borax is a powerful cleaning agent that may leave a mark if you don't dilute it properly.
Use a sponge to apply the Borax solution to the stain.
Try not to get the stain too wet as it should be allowed to dry and eventually lift out.

Why outsourcing your housekeeping can be beneficial?

Although the housekeeping department in the hotel industry is the largest and an essential service, GM's need not to spend most of their time on this function. Hanover Cleaning Services allows hotel managers and owners to focus on their main objective - growing your business! Once our superior service is introduced all the checks and balances come into play. Front desk and maintenance departments become more efficient and your in-house staff can focus on your core service. You will notice maintenance requests and inventory reports filed on time, front desk communication improved. Our service could be the best tool in your business environment.

Staff shift at Nolungile

Site manager Shafwaan Jakoet has replaced Jezile Nkoti with an effective team member that understands the objectives of the approved site standing order. This site was carefully monitored by Shafwaan and PTI manager Mr. Damba and all operational aspects should be adhered to in order to have a clean site. The Hanover team will, however, manage the operation in order to prevent high staff turnover rates in the future.

Nonkgubela under control

The meat-trading area at Nonkgubela have been identified as a sensitive area on the site requiring the co-operation of the vendors and constant corresponce with the PTI manager and Solid Waste. The Solid Waste department is, however, not responsible for their waste but Hanover informed Mr.Adonis of our cleaning strategy. The operation takes whole day on a Wednesday with an extra cleaner using Jeyes Fluid and the potent Medi-Fen. So far, so good.

Amendments to PTI Site Standing Orders

The role of the supervisor on these sites have been reviewed by Randall Skrikker, Central Region co-ordinator of the City of Cape Town. The following duties will need to be performed by our supervisors:

• Manage the staff on site
• Distribute cleaning chemicals
• Administer time and attendance sheets
• Visit all the sites under his/her supervision
• Compile monthly assessments reports for employer
• Ensure that stock is ordered timeously and is managed properly
• Maintain a professional relationship with PTI manager and City Officials
• Report all defect toilets, blockages and cases of vandalism to site manager.  Keep record of reported cases.  Ensure that blocked toilets are cleaned and locked with the necessary signage in place.
• Ensure Contract Manager are at all times aware of problems on site, this must be done via writing.
• Issue instructions received from Council and management in a clear and concise manner and ensure that instructions are carried out in detail
• Report to Facility Manager
• Compile a weekly report
• Scedule weekly meetings

The supervisor will be trained in health and safety and equipped to use all equipment as per manufacturer's requirements.  The supervisor will use a register to ensure that all equipment is safe and that the staff is competent to use the equipment as well as maintaining adequate stock levels of chemicals in a safe environment.  Recommendations will be made to the infrastructure if necessary

Public Toilet Sanitation

The PTI's in the Central and Eastern Region have been carefully managed with a cleaning schedule and nurtured with "touch-ups" to maintain a sanitized facility. Cleaners are advised to use spray bottle with a detergent solution such as Lavender, Wonder Cleaner or Medifen.  The latter being a stronger industrial sanitizer not recommended for household use.  Due to the vast amount of traffic on these facilities floors will need to be cleaned with a strong toilet bowl solution to neutralize the odour and to remove footfall stains and areas outdoors should be treated with a degreaser.  Toilet bowl cleaner  is also a key chemical when deep cleaning takes place and a bleach solution will be used for the continuous touch ups performed by a cleaner permanently stationed at the ablution block. Deo and urinal blocks are supplied to these facilities to make your visit as pleasant and sanitary as possible.

New placement at Canal Walk

A new cleaner was placed by Julie Daniels, a senior managing member, at the up market Amara Group offices at Canal Walk for a half day service.  A basic cleaning service will be rendered namely, office cleaning, windows, vacuuming, kitchen duties and the toilet.  The cleaning schedule has been customized and monitored by the client to suit their needs.

Cleaning Schedule introduced to night shift

The nightshift at Station Deck in Cape Town have been issued with a cleaning schedule in order to cover all the KPI's in the site standing order submitted to the City of Cape Town.  This would ensure that the commuters use a clean ablution block during the early morning peak.  This strategy proved effective during the 2010 World Cup as a short term project. These cleaning schedules should also be introduced into households to ensure that those little tasks do not pile up.  Performing some "touch-ups" in the mornings helps immensely once everybody streams in after a long day at work.  Creating a schedule can be quite daunting, however, the easiest guidelines to follow would be to determine what your daily, weekly, monthly or seasonal tasks are that should be completed.

Washing guidelines

Always follow the cleaning guidelines on the care-guide label inside the garment.
Sort washing into "Whites" and "Colours" and wash each bundle separately to avoid problems with colours running.
Always check that pockets of garments are empty before putting them in a washing machine.
Treat heavy soiling with liquid detergent before washing.
Select the correct machine programme for the type of wash required.
Only use the recommended dose of detergent for each wash.
Rinse garments thoroughly after handwashing.
Regularly remove fluff and debris from both washing-machine and tumble drier filters.
Secure tipe and fastenings before washing to prevent them from snagging other garments.

How many ingredients can be used in your pot-pourri?

Many ingredients can be used e.g.: dried rosemary, lavender and bay leaves, dried rosemary leaves, a selection of essential oils, ground cinnamon, dried chillies and cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, a blend of dried flowers and limes and lemons. The finely grated dried peel of citrus fruit can be added and fresh flower petals small sweet for a few days.