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Team Roles

Source: https://cariwilliamzvex.weebly.com/team-roles.html

Builder​

Builders construct the robot. The entire team contributes to the research, brainstorm, and choosing the best design for the robot, but the builders are responsible for the actual assembly of the robot. There may be more than one group of builders, some may work on the chassis while others work on the lift. However, builders must have excellent communication skills and should be consistently reporting the progress and challenges to the entire team, help update the notebook with the notebook manager, and communicate motor locations and electrical connections to the programmers.

These students will also be responsible for fixing, maintaining and improving the robot between matches.

Research & Development (AKA Designer)​

The job of R&D is to keep current with new videos of robot reveals released on YouTube and research alternative designs for the robot. Often, if the team has access to CAD, their primary role is also CAD'ing and developing custom components. If the team has extra parts, the R&D teams can begin building prototypes that may be later incorporated into the robot. Using cardboard and connecting brads or straight pins can help model designs without the need for metal parts.

These students often work in tandem with the builder - or are a builder - to assist with the robot development process.

Programmer​

Programmers design and write the programs for the robot. They need to discuss their strategies with the rest of the team and then program the robot to perform those strategies. Programmers will need to write their code using the competition template in VexCode. The Driver Control code programs the button and joystick functions on the joystick. The Autonomous code programs the robot to run without the use of the joystick. Each match begins with 15 seconds of autonomous play, followed by 1:45 mins of driver control.

Driver​

These students are responsible for operating the robot during the actual matches. They will take strategic guidance from the coach during the match, as they try and lead their team to victory. Teams will have one or two drivers, depending on the design of their robot. It is always a good idea to have back up drivers who have practiced in the case of an absence.

Scout​

These students are responsible for watching every match and recording information about all of the robots at the competition. They will work with the coach to prepare strategies for upcoming matches. Their information collected will also help decide which teams to align with during alliance selection. This role should be filled by one to three students to collect information on each robot during qualification matches.

Project Manager (AKA Notebooker)​

The project manager records and documents all parts of the engineering design process in an engineering notebook. They are also responsible for making sure all team members contribute to the notebook. The notebook manager should include detailed designs, sketches, images, programs, concepts and testing results. This job is extremely important for the team's success and is a major portion of the rubric score for the design and excellence award.

It is their responsibility to ensure that they will be on schedule for every match.

Media Manager​

The media manager is responsible for documenting the engineering design process through taking pictures and/or videos. Both the media manager and the project manager have a role in preparing the team for interviews and making sure everyone contributes to the interview process at tournaments. An optional job for the media manager is to develop and maintain a team social media.