Instead of saying that you want the job completed sometime next week, define an explicit deadline, like by next Thursday at 1pm. The next step is to make the delegation process an active one. In other words, don’t just ask a person to do a task and assume it’s getting done, only to realize that you haven’t heard anything from this person in ages. Instead, have a regular follow-up on your task (by phone or by e-mail), so that things move along smoothly.
