What did we learn from week 2 of the 2013 season?

[Alex.q]

My former team learned the hard way about the importance of sticking to scouting data rather than gut feelings. The scout leads collected data throughout the tournament at Lake Superior and came up with a strong list of candidates to pick from. Certain members of the team, however, decided that they would rather pick another robot based on more showy abilities, which the data suggested were not as consistent as other potential picks. Ignoring the scouting and strategy advised by the lead scouts, they decided to pick robots which the scouts did not advise. I would love to say that it worked out for them, but that was not the case. Their #1 alliance ended up being outscored and upset by the 8th seed alliance.

The important lesson I hope was learned is to trust your teammates who put a lot of effort and research into their tasks. (Broadening this lesson), it is easy to become sure that your judgment or design is the best way for the team to proceed, but to become so attached to your design or ideas of who to select in eliminations that you ignore the research and data that is presented is a dangerous situation to find yourself in.


Disclaimer: I heard only one side of this story, and I do not mean to offend anyone or call anyone out. I just want to point out a learning experience that can be frustrating but essential. We all become attached to our ideas, and it is important to disassociate yourself from that idea to logically evaluate the situation, and to listen with an open mind to those who have researched the topic.