[newton418]

In pervious years we've consistently faced setbacks which have thrown our schedule off. One thing that has almost always killed us is weight. Another, the electronics, since most of the members usually think they can just be thrown on in a matter of minutes.

Last year we really emphasized a weight chart. There's a big blackboard in our shop, divided into different assemblies of the robot. In each row, individual parts are listed with their weight in parentheses. On the right there is a total for each assembly. Keeping up with this has allowed us to make hard decisions sooner rather than later, when we've had to. It also keeps everyone thinking about how to reduce weight.

This year our team went from ~20 to over 30 students. With so many students we decided we needed to improve communication and figure out how to effectively train the new kids (about half the team), while still ensuring we get everything done on time. To accomplish this we've divided the team into eight sub teams (such as drive train, manipulator, ramps, field build, CADD, etc.). Each sub team has a captain, and there is an overall project manager.

Every week, each captain emails the project manager a "status report" listing everything that was accomplished that week. Each captain is also required to email a "weekly goals" sheet, listing out every little thing they expect to accomplish. This has had several effects. First of all, since our team only has one technical mentor and one coach, it has specified who is responsible when things don't get done. Since nobody wants to be the one holding the team back, each captain has done everything in his/her power to stay on track. Secondly, the specific list of goals has made each captain realize how much there is to do, and has allowed them to effectively divide the work.

In addition to these lists, every other day the project manager has called a "stand in" meeting with all the captains. It's a quick 10 minute meeting where, standing up, each captain quickly states what their team has accomplished, and what they will do in the next couple of days. This allows all the captains to have an idea of how everything is going overall, and gives each captain a little while to stop thinking about their specific tasks and think about how they have been, and should, lead their team. It has also improved communication, especially when one team is waiting on another for a specific part.

The project manager has also made an effort to go around to each team, ask them how they've been doing, and make sure every team has everything they need. It's easy to put something off, but a little comment about how you're waiting for this or that will get the project manager on the job, doing what he can to keep everything running smoothly.

This overall structure has proven very effective for our team this year. I remember my freshman year we were proud of the idea that we were a team of leaders; since then the team has grown so much that communication was becoming an issue, and this has allowed us to cope with the wave of newcomers.