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Re: formal quality procedures in FRC?
I think there could be two different concepts lurking here. One is the physical quality of the robot. We have found (after years of competition and many unforced errors) that checklists are quite valuable. We have three basic ones we use.
One is the setting up the robot on the field checklist, which includes things like turn the robot on, make sure the robot is properly positioned, make sure the safety bar is removed (that last item came in handy a couple of times last year), and "make sure the proper auto mode is selected."
The next checklist is the one for when the robot arrives back in the pit after a match or practice. It includes take out and charge the battery, put in a practice battery, check the chains (if any), visually inspect the pwm and power connections, and checks for specific problem areas.
The final checklist is the before heading out for the next match list. It includes things like correct battery is in the robot, any prepositioning of components is done, in bumper years the correct color bumpers are on, this year the correct LED light color is selected, driver station is ready to go and the like.
These don't eliminate unforced errors, but they minimize them. (For example, in 2012 we did not initially have "balls loaded" on the checklist. We learned.)
The other concept revolves around how the match itself is actually played. Mistakes by the drive team, interference by allies, defense by opponents and other things can have an effect on how the match turns out. One important thing we try to do is to talk about each match immediately after the match. Video review can help with this. The view from the stands is generally far superior to the view from the driver station, so discussing each match immediately after can be really useful. Be sure to keep the tone of the discussion constructive and not accusatory. Constructive after action conferences at the conclusion of each match can be very helpful in identifying and implementing good practices in competition.
We generally try to divvy up the responsibilities of the drive team so that someone is thinking about what is going on now and someone is thinking about what to do next. Driving in a match is very different from driving on a practice field. There is far more going on in a match, and it is consequently much more difficult to focus on the task at hand. One thing we try to focus on is how to most quickly and effectively communicate so that the drivers know what to do. This reduces the incidence of "paralysis" on the field when the robot is sitting as the humans try to decide what to do. A good coach can help a lot with this. It is one of the reasons we have generally decided to have a mentor coach rather than a student coach. Our on field coach is very good, particularly at staying calm and focused. He generally finds that the more we play, the less he is instructing the drivers in what to do and the more he is looking around to keep ahead of events on the field.
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Thank you Bad Robots for giving me the chance to coach this team.
Rookie All-Star Award: 2003 Buckeye
Engineering Inspiration Award: 2004 Pittsburgh, 2014 Crossroads
Chairman's Award: 2005 Pittsburgh, 2009 Buckeye, 2012 Queen City
Team Spirit Award: 2007 Buckeye, 2015 Queen City
Woodie Flowers Award: 2009 Buckeye
Dean's List Finalists: Phil Aufdencamp (2010), Lindsey Fox (2011), Kyle Torrico (2011), Alix Bernier (2013), Deepthi Thumuluri (2015)
Gracious Professionalism Award: 2013 Buckeye
Innovation in Controls Award: 2015 Pittsburgh
Event Finalists: 2012 CORI, 2016 Buckeye
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