What makes a "Powerhouse"?

[Chris Fultz]

"A prize fight is like a war; the real part is won or lost somewhere far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." Mohammad Ali

This is a quote from Ali, and it is relevant to just about every activity we can take part in. The point Ali was trying to make was that it is the preparation that determines who comes out on top, that he did not win in the ring, he won in the days and weeks and months leading up to the fight.

FIRST Teams are the same way. There are many threads about the good teams, great teams, "powerhouse teams", and most of it centers on what they do during a 2 minute and 15 second match. I believe their performance is really driven by how they work during the build season, during the weeks of competition, and during the 8 months of the "off-season".

There are also threads about "haves" and "have-nots". But if you look at the list below, you will see that many of these defining activities don't take a lot of money, they don't take a huge corporate sponsor or a fancy machine shop.

But they do take time and commitment and dedication in the weeks and months leading up to March. And they do this year after year after year.

From watching and learning, both in FIRST and in "real life", here are some things that I believe the top teams do and things that any team can implement to help them improve -

Off-Season
(This is a time to learn from the previous season, to learn new skills, to design something unique, to recruit, to get sponsors, to work in the community.)

* Learn to use a CAD program - Inventor is included free to all teams and there are loads of tutorials.
* Practice driving an obstacle course
* Design and make something that might be of use in the next season (a pick up arm, a new style drive)
* Learn a new manufacturing skill - welding, mill, lathe
* Go to an off season event and compete (Many are under $250)
* Go to an off season event and volunteer
* Do some community out-reach
* Play with VEX or LEGO parts and make a prototype of something that could be used later
* Do a "lessons learned" on the previous season and write down what you did well, what could be better, and what you did not do.
* Shadow a "top" team and see how they work
* Celebrate, have fun, relax and become a team.
* Find new sponsors
* Talk to mentors of who you consider to be a “top” team. Most, if not all, of them will treat you like you were their own student and help you with what you ask.
* Go back and study the physics of your robot. This will help you learn what’s important for next year.


Build-Season
(Don't build anything on the robot the first week. Focus on the game, how to play, ideas, prototypes, models, etc.)

* Brainstorm ideas
* Understand the keys to the game, challenge each other
* Don't assume anything. Read the rules. Understand the rules. Ask Q+A.
* Prototype, sketch, make computer models, play with ideas
* Make a priority list of the critical components and work on them first
* Talk to others, read CD, continue to get ideas and be willing to adapt
* Practice, Practice, Practice - get something that the drivers can play with on a simulated field
* Focus on the details – it can be small, simple things that make the difference on the field, in the pits and in the stands.
* Don't worry about something being "mentor-done" or "student-done", focus on it being "team-done"

Competition-Season
(Continuous improvement and refinement of the robot, the strategy, the team)

* Continue to watch others and learn
* Continuous Improvement - adjust, modify, adapt, replace
(If the robot you have in June looks identical to the one you put in the crate on ship day in February, either you are brilliant, or you ignore the concept of continuous improvement)
* Review every match, every day, every competition - what could be better, what was great
* Make a plan / Assign roles
* Expect everyone to contribute and do their best to support the team in whatever their role is
* Celebrate every success

NOTE: I thnk these principles can apply to every aspect of a team.

[Taylor]

Request for sticky

[Sunshine]

Awesome,

Just one question, what is an off season?

Been doing this for four years now. I thought I was getting into a season that lasted a couple of months. Now Irealize that it is a 12 month job that I love. We do many of the things you suggest but you have taught me more.

Thanks

[Tetraman]

I agree greatly with this this thread, and in an attempt to make it better, I pose this:

I'm going to say that most teams that call themselves the "have nots" lack the drive, will and spirit to actually do something about their situation. What brings many teams to their feet and possible disbandment is the complete disregard for what you posted above, especially on the point of finding new sponsors. But like I said, it's not a problem of "can you do it", it's a problem of "Do you want to do it" and you will find that many teams just don't want to do it. What then is the cure? You can spend all day talking about how important these things are but it's not going to change anyone's mind, or will change their mind and in a few weeks they'll forget it. And trying to point out the teams who have everything and how they got to their "powerhouse" status is only going to make them even less inclined.

But what's more interesting is when you find out that there are plenty of teams that don't do well each year, that don't have nearly enough resources, but still find a way to show up each season ready to go. I found those teams to be the teams more interested in FIRST as a whole and extracurricular activity rather then for the 1st place trophy. It is all mentality and how students think about FIRST and what it stands for. Good news is, this can be taught (I am said example) but it can only be taught to those who are willing. A team can be built of no one but those who don't want to listen and it will fail. Do we even want that kind of team in FIRST and should we be thankful they can't exist?

So what is the cure to empower teams the right way?

[David Brinza]

Thanks, Chris.

One of the really great things about FIRST is how the "Powerhouse" teams inspire excellence through all of FIRST. Those teams are so successful because they set the bar very high and still continue to look for improvements. Those teams want others to reach new levels of success as well. Instead of despising those teams, they should be looked as examples of how to do things better. Very few teams can match all of the capabilities or resources of the top tier of FRC teams, but there are plenty of things in Chris' list that can dramatically improve even the most constrained teams.

BTW, if you've never been to IRI, your missing a terrific opportunity to observe and learn from some of the best teams in FIRST at the top of their game. That event has been a source of inspiration for our team for years.

[ExTexan]

Request for sticky

Second request for sticky. Extremely well said. Pinning it on the classroom wall. Thanks.

[Rick Wagner]

Originally Posted by Tetraman

... But what's more interesting is when you find out that there are plenty of teams that don't do well each year, that don't have nearly enough resources, but still find a way to show up each season ready to go. ...

Year after year we are told at the events that "just by being here, you have already won," and it's so true. It sounds trite, I know, but listen to them. Every team that is there has won.

[Peter Matteson]

I feel like you forgot one of the important things that everyone one seems to forget.

HAVE FUN: Knowing when to relax and walk away/take a break to prevent burn out and overly stressing your team members is very important. I think you'll find a lot of top teams have a game night, play dodge ball, and have team dinners or other non-working get togethers to keep everyone fresh and reuvenated and remind them of the other important part of the program.

At the end of build we always take a week off and do no robot related things for a week as a cool down. Also the mentors usually have what we call the widows and orphans breakfast where our spouses, signifcant others, and children all go out to breakfast with us at the end of build.

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by Peter Matteson

I feel like you forgot one of the important things in that everyone one seems to forget.

HAVE FUN

Good point, Pete.

This is something that many teams forget to do, especially at the Championships. Teams have to plan for fun, just like they are planning to be excellent. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!"

Andy

[ExTexan]

HAVE FUN

Writing that in highlighter across pages of original post going on classroom wall!

[Wayne TenBrink]

Quality, depth, and continuity on the mentor bench - both technically and administratively.

If you want a successful program:
- You can't start over from scratch every season.
- You can't have zero funds on hand when registration opens.
- You can't expect an administrator to lead the design/build process.
- You can't expect the chief engineer to schedule all the snacks, reserve hotel rooms, coordinate drivers, make buttons/peer gifts, manage the budget, etc. (there is more to this program than just building a robot!)
- You can't expect one or two technical mentors to keep a large group of students productive, engaged, and learning during build.
- You can't burn people out
- You must train new people (students and mentors).
- You must learn from your mistakes and build on your successes.

A perennial powerhouse makes sure every member of the team (student and mentor) is doing well at what they do best. There will always be a lot of personnel turnover. The key is making sure that there is always a critical mass in place to integrate new blood into the organization.

Oh, yeah. And if people are not having fun, they won't be back next year.

[Akash Rastogi]

Greatest thread of 2010?

Yes, I think so. Thank you Chris.

[Conor Ryan]

Love the thread, its a great idea. I have worked with a few teams over the years and I have a couple points that I always try to abide by:

• Never Give Up
• Never say nothing isn't possible *until you attempt it
• It is more important for you to teach someone else to win an award than for you to win it yourself
• That being said, if you can't learn something new from someone, try to teach yourself how to do it.
• There is ALWAYS something to do, and the more you make it your job to better your own team, the more 'power' your team will have

[lscime]

Originally Posted by Sunshine

Just one question, what is an off season?

Team MARS calls everything after Atlanta the "Pre-Season."

[LeelandS]

An excellent guide. It doesn't just focus on the mechancial aspect of things, but on the importance of team unity, design and planning, and knowledge of the rules and of your own robot. Covers everything I could possibly think of and more.

If there were more than 5 starts I could give this thread, I would.

Thank you for posting this! I will most definately be sharing this with my team.