[sanddrag]

That is a really nice document. Once the white papers are back up that is where it belongs. I do agree with you that democracy on a robotics team does not work. A dictatorship is probably a better choice. Also, the chassis and drivetrain are indeed related and it is wise to combine them.

In your document, I don't think all that procedure is really needed but I do think it is very good procedure. Do you actually plan on following all of it? Also, I strongly admire the building practices you listed in there.

I wrote this to my team once:

RULES

No more "hold it up and mark it" No cardbord templates for production parts. No drilling through multiple pieces at once. No using whatever fastener is available. No measuring by eyeball (unless unpractical to measure precisely). No, "just cut a piece of angle" to mount things. No filing to make parts fit. No adjustments to make things work right. No spacers to make things fit right.

Measurements will be taken with calipers, not tape measures. Every part will have a tolerance. Nothing will be "about 7 inches" it will be 7.000 in. Everything will fight correctly in the drawings, and when it is assembled. No gaps, no spaces, no tight fitting parts.

We have done terribly SHOTTY work in the past and I'm not for that this year. We use mills and lathes, not hack saws and files. Hack saws are for hack work, the kind we don't do. If any work shall be done using standard tools, it shall be cleaned up and brought to specification on precision machining equipment.

I understand that many tasks can be more easily accomplished with the tools on hand because it will work just the same. But the bottom line is, in the end if it doesn't look good and it doesn't fit good, it will not work good.

From now on we need to step it up a notch, or three. We are a veteran team. There is no reason to be doing rookie work. The quality of our team ultimately reflects in our machine, and that is why it needs to be of top quality itself.

Everything is to be finished early, to allow more than sufficient time for programming testing and theme-ing. Nobody remembers a plain metal robot. Every part that can be is to be polished, powder coated, anodized, or properly painted with correct procedure and product. Team numbers must be new and highly visible, none of the beat up ones from years past. The robot must have a coolness factor as well in case is performace is not up to par for whatever reason.

This year we will not get the chance to show our stuff twice. It will be only once, so we better make it good.

Now, this extra effort in the machine will undoubtedly take some time. That is why we need to get started sooner, and spend lees time talking and more time working. Everything needs to be decided up front and final so there is no need for configuration meetings in the middle of work time. Real engineers don't design while building, they design, then build. We shall do the same. Now, nothing will get built without an approved design. No design will get approved after it is already built so don't try. The designing and deciding process will go with consice input from the designer and deciding parties and be decided uppon quickly, correctly, and finally. Decisions should not impede the work flow, nore should theybe made in such a haste that a design is not complete and integrated.

Every part of the robot will be integrated with every other part of the robot before any part of the robot is built. This will need to happen quickly but effectively. This way, all the remaining time will be spent following the plan and building the production quality machine.