Thinking Process

[SenorZ]

As a team leader you need to just that: Lead.
Make a list of what you didn't like about the process this year and have your team come up with some alternatives. If they can't decide, you need to do it for them.
As a mentor of a small team, with limited resources, and limited student time availability, I had to make many decisions that a more organized team would have done on their own. Ideally, after reading the manual there should be some goals written down. Do you go for a "team" robot that is able to support others but is lacking features, or a "lone wolf" that can do everything? Make some rough designs, think about costs, and go from there.