[Tom Bottiglieri]

Even if a team does not pursue a fully projected managed system, there are some valuable things that can be taken away from it.

1) Analysis of the Triple Constraint (Time vs. Cost vs. Scope) - There is probably nothing more important to do before jumping into design. This analysis will dictate almost everything about your build season. Rank what is the most important to you. This will dictate how the other 2 roll out. For example, our team has decided on a ranking of Time, Scope, Cost. The reason for this is we would rather have a completed robot that "does" a bit less, and we have a little fluff in our budget. This also forces simple design and allocating of time resources, something that might not be done if you are given free range over scope.

2) "Fluff" time - Always Always Always allow yourself a bit more time than what you initially expected. If you think manufacturing will take 2 weeks, allow yourself 2 weeks and 2 days. There are ALWAYS unforeseen problems that pop up.

3) Interteam trust - When working in a managed project, it is imperative that each team member delivers on time, or the project may be ruined. Therefore, team members must trust each other to deliver on time. It is not a one man show. If you spend all of your time looking over others, you will not get your own work done, and the team will go down.