[dcarr]

While there are lots of threads about setting up a good pit (equipment, storage, promotional displays, organization, setup, etc.) I've seen less on this particular topic, so I'll share.

We didn't have this figured out until last year. It came down to creating a list in advance, giving professional nametags to those individuals, and telling everyone else to please refrain from being in and around the pit. There are still some visitors who haven't heard the word, and others may drift in and out, but typically it runs fine with 5-7 students and mentors at any given moment. It is relatively clear who needs to be there: a lead pit mentor and a lead student crew chief who know the robot well and can assign tasks, a programmer who can push code changes as needed, and a few other students and mentors who helped design and/or build the mechanisms on the robot and are familiar with their maintenance and repair.

For our Thursdays to run smoothly, we create a very detailed schedule in Excel stating exactly who needs to be in the pit to perform which task, when they will be be there, and for how long (and what tasks can occur simultaneously, etc.). This maximizes efficiency when there is a ton of work to do and you don't want to have people stepping on one another. We also have some people wear bluetooth earpieces so they can easily call/be called in as needed.