How to? Getting things done...

[GeeTwo]

Honestly, we've found that once you're at competition, there are only so many people needed. If you've got plenty going to competition (as we do; we're less than an hour drive from our regional), make sure that everyone has exactly one job. The various "competition departments" are: driver team (includes at least one from programming, and one or two spares so we train for next year); pit work crew (includes usually two from mechanical, two from wiring/pneumatics, and one from programming); chairman's (about five who go to the chairman's interviews, and otherwise schmooze up our robot and team); scouting (who trawl the pits, sit in the stands to record points scored, and brief the drive team between matches); and spirit (the ones who don costumes, wave flags, play instruments in the opening ceremony, and/or have really loud voices). We are also probably going to add a "pit talk" crew this year, who are people who have certified that they can speak clearly, and really understand how our robot works. This will take a bit of pressure off the pit work crew from having to answer questions.

During build season, the number of people we can usefully employ is much larger, and mostly limited by our facilities. Once most of the robot build is done, we pass most of the mechanical and wiring crews who are not involved in one of the competition departments over to building the pit (programming is usually busy right up to the night before competition tweaking something).

[EricH]

On 1197, if you're caught being a "noodle-slurper" (someone who comes for the food only), you're promptly assigned to one of the multiple projects we've always got going on. You might not have a choice which one. (Late-season, it's often our "minibot" giveaways.) That also goes for anybody who can't find work but wants to work; they usually get a choice AND the lead they're working with is charged with making sure they're busy either working or learning or both.

Let's put it this way: We've only got a shop needing organizing, though we can usually find everything, maybe 4-6 different projects going on at once in the main room and another 2-3 in any given other room, and assisting driver practice outside. Sound familiar?

[Tim Sharp]

Originally Posted by EricH

and assisting driver practice outside.

Must be nice to live in So Cal. Outside practice is almost never an option here in Jan or Feb.

[evanperryg]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

Honestly, we've found that once you're at competition, there are only so many people needed.

I'll second this, with one caveat. In 2015, we amped up the logistical side of our scouting system quite a bit, and had printed hour-by-hour schedules for match scouters with remind101 text notifications. This enabled us to utilize basically any student that wasn't driving or part of chairman's, even if it was for only 2 hours a day. On our team, if you're not in drive team, pit crew, or chairman's, then you're scouting.

During build season, because of the size of our team, we divide the team into three roughly-equal groups, then two of the three groups are scheduled to be at the meeting per day. Reducing the number of people in the shop at any given time means everyone is more likely to have a role, and we can get more done, more easily.