That's our team.

Last year was EXTREMELY DYSFUNCTIONAL!!!

This year is dysfunctional, but improving.

Moving towards more businesslike.

Business
 

Like a business....no comment.

I think that some engineers forget that this is all about the kids...:(

I think some adults forget its all about the students.....

Aww Vin, you hurt my feelings!!! I think about you!! LOL!!

Family but with a business flair!

Just to let you know that the post that was made in on Sunday only reflects my opinion and no other members of Team 93 or Plexus. I apoligize for any people that I might have made upset.

I still hope we can get the team the way it was... with some exeptions.

DJ
We run like a business. Our subteams model business departments, i.e. mechanical, electrical, software, cad, marketing, animation, fund raising, playing field, strategy, web design. Students can then get a better idea of where they would like to jump in and generally will change teams from year to year to get more experience. Business professionals can then invite them to work to see what they do and get a better idea of what the individual careers are about. (yes we are lucky to have many adults in different areas of responsibilities) Students pick one main team they would like to work on and if they can fit it in they can participate in other teams as well.
Since we are getting close to kickoff, let me say that all team members (including as many parents as want to come) are by default, on brainstorming the first week. Some members are also working on prototypes and others working on field construction. We strive to have students do all the work throughout the season but do work side by side to get the job done. We hope that if you stop by our pit, you will see students working on the robot with adults looking over their shoulder.
Good Luck All

I believe a lot of teams do it that way. When the word business was mentioned, I think that it was ment to be in a differant way.

We run it like a business
 

We have a central core of planners including the Student representitive (President) and advisors, underneath that we have sub teams dividing each crutial part of cunstruction and team assecories, each sub-team has a captain that reports to the student president, each sub-tam has one advisor. -Big Steve

The T3 Family
 

Well, I would have to say that Truck Town is run quite unusually. For all of you out there who don’t know how an out of school team works, we have to apply for this team. Each year, there are about 50 new people who apply, and 10 re-apply from the previous year. The application consists of questions used in interviews for GM employees. After an interview, application, and proposal are completed, our advisors decide who will be on the team, and there decision is approved by consensus of the Head advisory board.

Having said all this, it would appear that our team is in fact, a sect of GM its' self, and is a business. This is very true. We at Truck Town conduct ourselves in a responsible manner whenever needs be. We meet in GM's Truck Design headquarters on Pontiac Michigan, where we have our own crib with out tools, materials, computers, office supplies, robot components; basically all the things needed to run a high caliber team. Whatever we do not have in our crib, we go find it in the mockup portion of GM. We also have a full sized playing field for practice. Many people have heard that we build 2 robots, so we have one to practice with, we used this robot to start our division of Lady Thunder; an unprecedented thing in the world of F.I.R.S.T.

However, this team could not function as anything less than a family. It’s hard to believe that a team of 20 students from 11 different schools could work together so well with a small group of parental and GM advisors. We come together each year before the season starts during our fund raising.

Each returning member of the team must mentor a Lego team with another student, present a robot demonstration at a local elementary school, raise money in a fund raiser, provide community service hours, and work events at Ford Field. I am very proud to say that our team does an incredible amount of fund raising, and have earned enough this year to attend 3 regional events, as well as nationals. We will be attending the Arizona, Midwest, and Great Lakes regionals.

The students on this team couldn’t be better friends. We hang out on the weekends, play paintball, watch movies, and help each other with our homework; basically everything a team of 10 guys and 10 girls can do! We all know and love each other as a family, and are willing to do a favor for another team member at any instance.

I would personally like to thank every past and present person who has been involved with Truck Town Robotics. You have truly changed my life and given me experience and knowledge and friendship that I will never lose.

Very Sincerely,

Alexander Steven McGee

Another thing, which could be an addition to this question:

Do you and your teammates treat each others like co-workers at a buisness or factory (like once in awhile going out to a bar (for example :)) after work, or do you treat them like a family member (that you guys do everything together) ?

I'd say we are like a family (slightly dysfunctional, but who would have it any other way?) And I'd say most of the members on the team I would say I treat not like family or colleagues, but friends. Except maybe one, who I do everything with...

were new, so this will carry little weight, but here it is:

Teacher
1st member/ co founder student

4 officers:

Me, as lead designer
someone in charge of manufacturing
someone in charge of securing facilities
someone in charge of our website.

then other people who can glom onto any division they want to . . . . . .

informal, tho, maybe in the middle ground (#%#%#%#%, won't let me vote for both . . . don't worry though, ill get the better of those radio buttons eventually!)

We run our family like a business.

Ahem... we always start off very well organized, with subteams, subgroups, and team lists all neatly written down. Each subteam (e.g Mobility) has one or two leaders who have experience. Within one week into the building period, we've forgotten all that. New members have the chance to shine and people help other subteams; we turn into what is being described here as a family. So in theory, we're a business, but in practice... not a chance. That's not to say our way isn't good--it is--but it really doesn't turn out to be what you'd expect, especially as a rookie.

AMEN mike!

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Mother said it was just ziffalicious, wouldn't you agree?