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The reason this document exists is because we do not want to repeat previous mistakes
Competition 2023 Roster Selection
The method and timeline of selecting comp attendees in 2023 was questioned a few times through the winter term leading up to comp. This was because:
Roster was decided in January, 4 months before comp
Comp list was discussed in 1 meeting before the Discord role was added to peoples' accounts
Comp list was under very little outside scrutiny and was not made obvious to the general, wider team
Reasons for the above occurring includes:
Lack of visibility in leads meetings - they aren’t locked to just leads, but there is low-to-no attendance of regular members, and no initiative to share meeting events with regular members
Lack of communication between leads about when or whether or not the travel team names were finalized
The number of cars was intended to be finalized early, to book enough of them. This pushed forwards the entire decision-making process, albeit unintentionally
Issues seen at competition were:
During competition, the team was not a fluid unit, and was instead divided into 2 main groups by role - either working on the drone directly, or working on presentation and report
Caused communication difficulty and felt like there was a disconnect
Members who did not have space in the pit were distant from the rest of the entire competition, and did not network or associate much with other teams or sponsors
Uneven distribution of responsibility
Even then, some responsibilities were not covered at competition
Lack of conflict management and a communications rift within the team in January led to an event in which the technical adeptness/ project scope of attendees was questioned
In the week leading up to comp, it was felt there was injustice in how the travel team was chosen
Whether or not attendees should be required to commit to spending time working on the project prior to comp (at least in the week prior to comp, when the team is spending time making fixes, flying, and preparing every day in the bay)
In future competitions, we aim to minimize these faults and provide a more justified, open method of selecting comp attendees!
Attendance
Historical
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which specifically occurred in Competition AEAC S23 . This document outlines the selection guidelines and possibly roles while the subpages are specific to each competition we participate in.
Historical Attendance Data
Maintain Count (10 People)
Increase Count (~15 People)
Cost
WARG can fully cover competition and travel costs
WARG can cover 2/3 of competition and travel costs
Each attendee pays $100-$200
Selection
Criteria is stricter
Criteria is looser as multiple members can cover each other
Tasks
Everyone has an important role
Overworked members
Cannot guarantee dedicated role (periods of doing little)
Overcrowded workspace
More diverse skillset
Higher chances of catching mistakes
Management
Easier to manage
Difficult to organize and coordinate large groups
Additional travel flexibility (e.g. going different places)
Learning
Opportunity for newer members to learn
Networking
Easier to network with:
Other teams (e.g. technical discussion, spectating)
Sponsors and competition organizers
Media
All members must also do some social media tasks
Easier and faster to document, edit, and post on social media
Competition Date | Notes |
|---|---|
2021 | COVID-19, no travel. Everyone who was still in Waterloo was invited to participate. |
2022 Early Summer | 8 attendees, leads and senior members. No documentation of this era but things went well. |
2023 Early Summer | 10 attendees, leads and senior members. |
Headcount Proposal for 2024
Decision Guide
Guidelines
All attendees must hold at least 1 defined role
It’s permissible to be there to learn however that role must be defined so everyone is on the same page
Everyone’s role needs to be clearly defined, communicated, and agreed upon by all parties
Finalize attendee count early, then figure out actual names later on
Vehicles needs to be clarified and booked ASAP
Who ends up going is largely based on commitment which can vary over the course of months
Finalize key roles early
These are people who have long-term buildup of knowledge that are considered irreplaceable
Key roles include
Pilot(s)
Holds Pilot role.
Holds advanced license
Holds months of experience in flying with WARG
Ground station operator(s)
Holds meaningful experience working with pilot on flightline flight line
Holds irreplacable irreplaceable technical experience
Manager(s)
Preferably Holds director role.
This is not a hard requirement, but it is recommended.
The idea behind this is that directors should have the most experience with managing this group of people. If directors are not involved this may not be the case in which case a non-director may take the manager role.
Has experience managing the team under high stress environments
Obtaining to one of these key positions will be outlined in Skillset Levelling Rubric
Subteam lead nomination
each subteam lead can nominate/select one of their team members (including themselves) to attend as a specialist for that subteam
this person is expected to be deeply involved in their subteam leading up to competition
more details to be included
to be continued
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Competition roles and tasks
All attendees must be comfortable working in a high stress environment including:
Limited resources
Fast paced with tight deadlines
Unfamiliar location
Key role:
An attendee with this role does not hold any other roles during competition
The purpose of this requirement is to ensure this person is dedicated for their primary role. They may assist with other roles, but should not be relied upon for any other role.
General role:
A single attendee may hold this role and other general roles
Role | Description of tasks | Prerequisites |
|---|
Type |
|---|
Pilot |
|
| Key | |
Ground station operator |
|
| Key | |
Manager |
|
| Key | |
Driver |
|
| General |
Driver with trailer |
|
| General |
Navigator |
|
| General |
Logistics |
|
| General |
Flightline assembly |
|
| General |
Pit organization |
|
| General |
Frame assembly |
|
| General |
Cabin and device mounting |
|
| General |
Harnessing |
|
| General |
Flight Control System |
|
| General |
Tracking Antenna Mechanical |
|
| General |
Tracking Antenna Controls |
|
| General |
Autonomy airside system |
|
| General |
Autonomy groundside system |
|
| General |
Presenter |
|
| General |
Presenter French |
|
| General |
Report Writing |
|
| General |
Media |
|
| General |