Other Resources
Refers to Skillset Levelling Rubric , but less general.
Discussed at 2023-05-25 Leads Meeting Minutes , and in 2023 Comp Debrief (Google Drive: 2023 Post Mortem).
Also discussed at 2023-08-17 EOT Meeting Minutes , see end of document for details specific to this.
Purpose
The reason this document exists is based on past faults.
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 # 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
Competition Year | Notes |
|---|---|
2021 | COVID-19, no travel. Everyone who was still in Waterloo was invited to participate. |
2022 | 8 attendees, leads and senior members. |
2023 | 10 attendees, leads and senior members. |
Proposals
Maintain count (10) | Increase count (around 15) | |
|---|---|---|
Cost | WARG can fully cover competition and travel costs | WARG can cover 2/3 of competition and travel costs
|
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 |
Learning | Opportunity for newer members to learn | |
Networking | Easier to network with:
| |
Media | All members must also do some social media tasks | Easier and faster to document, edit, and post on social media |
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
Holds irreplacable technical experience
Manager(s)
Holds director 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
Selection Criteria - To be reviewed at first F23 Leads
Via 2023-08-17 EOT Meeting Minutes
Conall Kingshott R D Megan Spee to work on selection criteria post EOT S23 Leads
Self nomination form
Have leads of each subteam go through the self-nom form and select from this list
Will cumulate in a vote at some point if consensus cannot be reached
Decision factor | Description/example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Technical expertise (general) | Technical expertise is valued at an engineering competition. May not be as highly valued as specific project expertise, however. | |
Project expertise (knowledge of the specific competition) | People who have worked on the drone and associated competition elements directly (airframe design/build assembly, electronic wiring, sensor integration, etc) | |
Future team membership/ leadership potential | Value for newer members attending may be very high if they have interest in staying on the team for a while or taking on leadership positions in the future. | |
Teamwork-oriented | May include communication, responsiveness to feedback, ability to collaborate and manage conflict. Has team’s best interest in mind. | |
Cross-team (diverse) involvement | Someone who can perform multiple different duties (as circumstances require). |
Competition roles and tasks
Key role:
An attendee with this role does not hold any other roles during competition days
An attendee with this role does not hold any other key roles
Role | Description of tasks | Prerequisites | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
Pilot (key role) |
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Ground station operator (key role) |
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Manager (key role) |
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Driver |
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Driver with trailer |
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Navigator |
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Logistics |
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Flightline assembly |
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Pit organization |
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Frame assembly |
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Cabin and device mounting |
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Harnessing |
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Control System |
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Tracking Antenna Mechanical |
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Tracking Antenna Controls |
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Autonomy airside system |
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Autonomy groundside system |
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Presenter |
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Presenter French |
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Report Writing |
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