[OZ_341]

Team 341 only has 27 build hours per week over 5 days per week. This works for us and hopefully can work for you. Its important that everyone stays healthy and happy. We manage to stay competitive by following a few simple ideas. Just an FYI, we build in a high school wood shop with simple tools and create a robot (and twin) that is 95% student built every year, so this can be done by anyone.

Here are a few suggestions:
* More team members, better trained for less hours per person
People often ask why our team is so large, the answer is build season

* Organize your team and divide the labor tasks in the fall
Students can practice their given task in a low pressure environment in Sept - Dec.

* Plan and design very, very carefully before you build
You can erase pencil, but its really hard to erase aluminum

* Parallel building is hard but productive
If you can find a partner school or a local company try it.
We work with our regional tech school, North Montco Technical Career Center

* Have at least one, if not two mandatory days off.
You will be more, not less productive

* We do not work past 11 PM
For safety and sanity reasons, I feel that it is dangerous to work too late into the night.
It makes for great stories, but actually puts everyone at risk for a serious accident

When we first instituted these work restrictions many years ago, many coaches and students resisted the notion.
But I promise you that the restrictions will make you work harder and smarter and give everyone some much needed rest.