JVN Build Tip: Remember your Goals

[JVN]

Today's build tip is all the more important since it is a lesson I had to relearn this season...

Right after the kickoff broadcast was over, before we even read the game manual in detail or started brainstorming, our team wrote out some goals for the season. The first step in any engineering design process is to define the problem you're solving -- these goals represented our solution to "the big problem" we were working on. They represented our top priorities for what we were trying to get the robot to do. After this we went through the game manual in more detail, did our strategic analysis, and brainstorming.

At the end of day 1 we had a list of robot actions and attributes we would focus our efforts on -- we knew "what" we wanted to do, now we'd figure out "how" to do it.

On day 4, we started discussing another robot action / strategic attribute. This one seemed very important at the time and it drastically altered our "overall robot concept." We changed direction slightly and kept pushing ahead.

By day 6, we realized this new attribute which seemed so important had caused us to shift our direction in a weird way. We had a meeting to discuss the overall system, and do a "state of the build" discussion during which we compared the current robot system with our original goals. The result? -- we were off base...

The "gimmick" design attribute had distracted us from what was important.

So that brings us to today's build tip:
Always keep sight of your overall goals -- stay focused on what is most important!

As a team you have already probably figured these out, even if you've never vocalized them or written them down. Maybe this would be a good idea? Get your team together and discuss these... ask yourselves "what are we trying to do here?"

Of course... someone will chime in and say: "we're here to inspire students and have fun!"
To them I say: "Well DUH!" That is implied in everything we do. "What are we trying to do WITH THE ROBOT?"

Originally posted here:
http://jvengineering.blogspot.com/20...our-goals.html

As always... good luck in 2011!