On team 95 we try to pick a game strategy that will be fun to play, but still have a shot at being competitive.
To make most major decisions (strategy, design, and logistics) there is an open dialog between the students, mentors, and engineers with the ultimate decision resting with the engineers and mentors with the most experience in FRC. We strive to reach a consensus about each decision. Experienced mentors and engineers having the final word on big decisions helps to keep the robot effective, which I think is much more rewarding for the students. In hindsight, I am really glad some (most?
) of my ideas were never adopted. What makes this process work for our team is that the engineers carefully explain
why ideas are implemented or rejected, regardless of who they come from. Knowing "why" is more important than all else, I think.