Can someone please explain the "executive summary" to me?

[crzy_sax_playr]

We're a rookie team, but 'cuz we're NASA-sponsored, we still have to do the Chairman's Award etc, but i have no idea what an "executive summary" is... HELP PLEASE!!!

[HannahF]

There are seven 500 character max executive summaries that go into submitting for the chairman's award.

here are the 2011 questions;

• Briefly describe the impact of the FIRST program on team participants with special emphasis on the 2010-2011 year and the preceding two years.

• Examples of role model characteristics for other teams to emulate.

• Describe the impact of the FIRST program on your team and community with special emphasis on the 2010-2011 year and the preceding two years.

• Team's innovative methods to spread the FIRST message.

• Describe the strength of your partnership with special emphasis on the 2010-2011 year and the preceding two years.

• Team's communication methods and results.

• Other matters of interest to the FIRST judges, if any.

All you have to do for the executive summaries is answer these questions the best you can.

Good luck with your first FIRST season and your first chairman's essay

feel free to private message me if you have any other questions

~Hannah

[crzy_sax_playr]

What about the Woodie Flower's Award Essay? Do we have to include that?

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by crzy_sax_playr

What about the Woodie Flower's Award Essay? Do we have to include that?

You do if you are nominating a mentor for the Woodie Flowers award.

[Cynette]

Originally Posted by crzy_sax_playr

What about the Woodie Flower's Award Essay? Do we have to include that?

With the NASA grant, you are not required to nominate a mentor for the Woodie Flowers Award, but if your team wants to, it is a great honor for the mentor you nominate and a great way to thank that mentor for all the hard work done during you build season!

[Dancin103]

Ok Crzy, take a deep breath. The chairman's award is A LOT to do especially as a rookie. The executive summary does NOT include your Woodie Flowers Award entry if you choose to write one. The executive summary simply looks to summarize the points that Hannah has listed above. I would write about each and every one of those points to the best of your ability and in the allotted character limit. I hope this helps.

[crzy_sax_playr]

What do you do with the executive summary exactly? Is that what you hand the judges the day of? And we are writing the Woodie Flower's thing so can that be included? Thanks a tom for helping guys, sorry for being so clueless

[acorns7]

Executive summary is due tomorrow at 11:59 Eastern time and is submitted online. This has to be done by a student on STIMS, is that right?

I have another question -- this is our first year to do Chairman's Award too. In the rules it says the submission for Chairman's Award is to be less than 10,000 characters, excluding the Executive Summary. What else do you submit besides the Executive Summary? I found on our TIMS site a place for team essays which are limited to about 255 characters, and are to be submitted to be part of the yearbook (what is that?) and to be judged. Is this what the rules are talking about?

Thank you all for your help getting us through all this!

[Chris Hibner]

Originally Posted by crzy_sax_playr

What do you do with the executive summary exactly? Is that what you hand the judges the day of? And we are writing the Woodie Flower's thing so can that be included? Thanks a tom for helping guys, sorry for being so clueless

"Executive summary" means this: corporate executives upwards of 20 reports per day, and all of them are really long (maybe 100+ pages). They don't have time to read all of each report. Therefore, they expect the BEGINNING of the report to be a brief, concise summary (hence the term "executive summary") of what the report is all about, including the important results/conclusions. If this "executive summary" is interesting enough or seems important enough, the "executive" might read further into the details.

Therefore, with your executive summary:

- be brief
- be concise
- be interesting
- make them want to read further.

[EricH]

Think of the Woodie Flowers Award as a "Mentor of the Year" award, and you won't be too far off. It is not part of the Chairman's Award process. Neither is Dean's List (the student version of the Woodie Flowers Award, submitted by mentors).

However, if you want to recognize a mentor, write the essay. It's always fun to read it to the mentor in question at the end of the season.

I would suggest, to keep things straight, taking a quick read through the Administrative Manual, Section 5, the Awards, if you haven't already. This will give a good overview.

[Alivia]

I have a quick question for everyone as well -- a fellow mentor of mine has asked about whether or not students who are presenting/submitting Chairman's need to be registered online by tonight. Now, I don't remember if we've had to do this in year's past, so I thought I'd ask, just to be sure.

Thanks for the help in advance!

[acorns7]

Originally Posted by Alivia

I have a quick question for everyone as well -- a fellow mentor of mine has asked about whether or not students who are presenting/submitting Chairman's need to be registered online by tonight.

Similar question -- I have a student who's applied, but his parent hasn't done the consent form online yet. Can he submit our Chairman's Award?

Also -- sounds like the Executive Summary does not include the 10,000 character essay then? And what is the yearbook submission that's due on the 24th?

Thanks again for the help!

[Cynette]

Originally Posted by acorns7

Similar question -- I have a student who's applied, but his parent hasn't done the consent form online yet. Can he submit our Chairman's Award?

Also -- sounds like the Executive Summary does not include the 10,000 character essay then? And what is the yearbook submission that's due on the 24th?

Thanks again for the help!

You will need a student who has completed the whole registration process to be able to submit your essays. Have them get in as soon as possible to make sure they have the permissions needed to input the essays. Last year we went through 4 students before we found one whose login worked.

The executive summary is a series of 7 questions, each with 500 characters. You will enter them each separately in the same place you enter your chairman's essay. Do not add formatting, since the program strips it all away!
There is a counter for the Chairman's essay to tell you how you are doing against the 10000 character limit.

When you get the student into STIMs you will see all the places to put everything and it should be much clearer.

The yearbook submission - or judges questions are found in TIMS. They are shorter than the executive overview. They give the opportunity for you to talk about your robot, what awards you feel you are strongest for, and demographics about your team.

I hope this helps!

[crzy_sax_playr]

So the executive summary is JUST what you enter into STIMS? Nothing separate? When we present to the judges at competition, do we have to have a hard copy?

[Cynette]

Originally Posted by crzy_sax_playr

So the executive summary is JUST what you enter into STIMS? Nothing separate? When we present to the judges at competition, do we have to have a hard copy?

Yes, that is all it is. Put it in STIMS.

And then, yes, make it look pretty like you should make your Chairman's look pretty (at least nicely formatted), and print it out and take it to competition with you. You can make a presentation package for the judges that will stop by at your pit. Include your essay and executive summary, some photos of your team in action, copies of any news articles on your team, your business plan summary if you have that, anything that your pit crew can use to tell the judges about your team and hook them so they will come back to hear more!