Member Development

Owned by R D
Last updated: 2024-06-29 by Daniel Puratich
2 min read

General members:

  • Members can be split into 2 types: Passive and Active

    • Passive members have no initiative; they get a task, complete it, repeat

    • Active members take the initiative to identify problems, come up with potential solutions, and implement them

  • There are several reasons for members remaining passive:

    • Unable to familiarize with system (e.g. lack of background skill/knowledge, documentation is missing and/or difficult to follow/find/understand)

    • Lack of interest (e.g. WARG is means of getting skills onto résumé for co-op)

  • Possible solutions:

    • Better documentation, including the guides, reasons behind design decision, organization, and keeping it up to date

      • Documentation on navigating the documentation?

    • More proactive development (e.g. work sessions, 1v1, interactive workshops (that aren't just more course lectures))

Unfortunately, these solutions increase the burden on project managers and subteam leads.

Developing senior members:

  • Definition: Basically someone where you can give them a high level task and they will independently go do research, find potential solutions, present the findings and tradeoffs (including integration with the existing system (which includes changes to the existing system if it sucks)), make a selection with assistance from project manager/subteam lead, and execute with maintainability in mind

    • Example: Project: Landing leg, task: Landing leg manufacturing

    • So the prerequisite is that the member has the required technical background (e.g. programming skills, setting up IDE, knowledge of programming language) and the required WARG technical knowledge (e.g. architecture, reasons behind design decisions)

  • Project managers can push members in this direction by reducing the detail of a task and/or working with the member to determine what needs to be done

    • Example: Landing legs manufacturing: Research materials, research shapes, etc., mounting points, manufacturing process: All of these parts can be done by any member, but a senior member is expected to have the ability to do all of them (even if in practice it does get split up)

Developing project managers:

  • Prerequisite: Senior member

  • What could be done is for project managers/subteam leads to push senior members into more independent decision making (e.g. when coming up with potential solutions, participation in the selection process, documentation (especially the planning process (i.e. what needs to be done)))

  • Encourage knowledge of details other parts of the project (i.e. not just what is needed for integration)

  • Possibly also mentoring other members

    • Example: For landing legs, senior member could have 1-2 mentees that they would train up and assist in the manufacture of landing legs

Developing subteam leads:

  • Prerequisite: Project manager

  • I'm running out of brainpower... maybe encourage cross subteam participation by proactively reaching out to other subteams...

    • Get feedback and suggestions for improving workflow processes?

  • This is more of a formality I guess

Subteam leads and directors are generally pushed into the role through necessity, since it involves more management process and human interatcion work rather than technical work, and most members join a student design team for the latter (which is a good thing).