Efficient Design approach

[neoshaakti]

Our team is redesigning our 2008 robot for an upcoming off-season event that is exactly 5 weeks away. We plan to hold a mini-build season that lasts for 4 weeks; however, I am not sure of the most efficient way to do so.

Approach #1- Subteams (mech, elec and prog) work simultaneously over the course of the 4 weeks. Possible problems include meetings where a task can't get done because another subteam hasn't complete a prior task and confusion concerning the activities of other subteams. I think this approach requires very detailed planning that includes precise measurements. This kind of designing can take forever though!

Approach #2- Team agrees on a concept and a rough design on what the robot will do/look like. The Mechanical subteam fabricates and assembles all parts they are responsible for. The Mech subteam then passes it off to the electrical subteam that then creates an electrical board and wires the robot. Then the Electrical team passes the robot off to the programming team that writes the drive code and programs other robot components. The con's of this approach is that one subteam can delay the whole process for the rest of the subteams.

Which approach do you think is more efficient? Do you have any ideas for a totally different approach?

Thank you