References
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 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
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. |
Headcount Proposal for 2024
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
|
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:
| |
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)
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
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
Criterion | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Technical expertise (general) | Technical expertise is valued at an engineering competition. May not be as highly valued as specific project expertise, however. Example: Soldering skills. | |
Project expertise (specific to competition) | People who have worked on the drone and associated competition systems directly. Example: Airframe design, assembly, and wiring. | |
Cross subteam involvement (diversity and flexibility) | Someone who can perform multiple different duties (as circumstances require). Familiar with multiple (possibly unrelated) competition systems. Integration skills. | |
Teamwork | Communication, time management, responsiveness to feedback, ability to collaborate, and conflict management. Has the team’s best interest in mind. | |
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. | |
Investment | Strong desire to see competition drone working and demonstrates effort to make it happen. Desire to attend competition. | |
Selection process
TODO: Remove when integrated with sections
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
Interest
This stage determines which members are interested in attending competition.
All members have the opportunity to apply if they are interested and available to attend competition through a self nomination form.
Self nomination form:
Makes clear that the member must be available to:
Work in the bay TODO: from 1 week before departure to departure
Travel to the competition venue
Work on competition tasks at competition
Attend the competition banquet
TODO: Return? Detours to airports?
Identification (e.g. name, Discord username, subteam)
Reason why they are a good candidate (e.g. project expertise, cross subteam skills)
Shortlist
This stage determines which members have the required skills to attend competition.
Each subteam lead goes through the list of their subteam members and selects members they believe to have the required skills.
No more than TODO(make somewhat generous it’s just a shortlist) members per subteam
Roles
This stage determines the role(s) of each member.
The subteam leads and directors meet to assign members to role(s) and finalizes attendance.
The meeting is announced at least 1 week in advance
The meeting is held publically, although all remaining members may be muted by default
Subteam leads and directors may unmute members at their discretion
TODO Vote?
Competition roles and tasks
All attendees must be comfortable working in a high stress environment:
Limited resources
Fast paced with tight deadlines
Unfamiliar location
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 at any point
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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Flight 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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Media |
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