Collecting Info + Managing Scouts

[artK]

It's been a while since I last scouted, but a few points that I always like to note.

1.) Pit Scouting: It is oftentimes a simple task that teams will make unnecessarily complicated. For the most part, you should be able to simply observe anything worth noting during pit scouting. Take a photo, write down notes about the drivetrain (dedicate 1 or 2 experienced people to rate them), note any dimensions that may be relevant in the game (Can it fit under the pyramid, or drive wide on the bridge?). Be friendly with the people on the team you're scouting (If this is not the hardest part, your system may be too complicated).

2.) Motivation/Shifts: How you run your shifts really depends on how many people you have and how long you can keep the best scouts in your rotation. Motivating scouts is much trickier, but usually positive reinforcement is the way to go. Water, Cookies, Stickers, SimBucks, being allowed to attend the scouting meeting are all ways that have been used to motivate the scouts by teams that I knew scouted well.

As far as dealing with the external and personal stress (which OP mentioned in one of his posts), you get used to it as you run more events as scouting lead. Identify what stresses you out (Because in my experience the source is usually the same few things), then take measures to minimize it.