Gate Reviews¶
Gate reviews are the checkpoints between stages. A gate is a pass/fail decision, not a status meeting. Failing a gate is fine and expected — proceeding to the next stage anyway is what causes disasters.
Every gate has: a fixed agenda, required artifacts, a rubric, and named signers.
Universal Rules¶
- Artifacts required in advance. Deliverables listed for each gate must be filed at least 24 hours before the review. No artifact = no review.
- Signers. Every gate requires two signers: one student lead (the person accountable for the artifacts) and one mentor (technical or process). Both sign, or the gate fails.
- Result. One of: Pass, Conditional Pass (with named blockers + deadline), Fail (redo work, reschedule).
- Time-boxed. Each gate meeting is ≤ 60 minutes. If it runs over, the artifacts were incomplete.
- Recorded. Decisions + conditions written in the gate log (templates/gate_review.md). Kept in the repo.
Gate Catalog¶
| # | Name | Stage | Owner | Typical Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Strategy Approval | 1 | Strategy Lead | end of Week 1 |
| G2 | Prototype Down-Select | 2 | Prototype leads | end of Week 2 |
| G3 | CAD Lock (per subsystem) | 3 | Subsystem CAD Owner | Week 2–4 rolling |
| G4 | Bill-of-Materials Complete | 4 | Purchasing Lead | end of Week 3 |
| G5 | Sim Autonomy Passing | 5 | Software Lead | end of Week 3 |
| G6 | Field Readiness | 6 | Integration Lead | end of Week 5 |
| G7 | Event Departure | 6 | Team Lead | before each event |
G1 — Strategy Approval¶
Purpose: confirm the team is building the right robot for this year's game.
Agenda (60 min): 1. Priority List walk-through (15 min). 2. Archetype statement (5 min). 3. Scoring simulation review (15 min). 4. Rejected-actions review (5 min). 5. Numeric performance targets (10 min). 6. Q&A + sign-off (10 min).
Required artifacts: - Priority List (scored, ranked). - Archetype one-sentence statement. - Scoring-sim spreadsheet. - Rejected-actions list with reasons.
Rubric — pass requires all: - Priority List has ≤ 2 priority-1 items for small team. - Every priority-1 has cycle time + accuracy targets. - Simulation shows expected score at or above competitive average for our region. - Rejected-actions list is not empty.
Signers: Strategy Lead + Lead Mentor.
G2 — Prototype Down-Select¶
Purpose: choose one mechanism per priority action based on data.
Agenda (60 min): 1. Each prototype presents (5 min): charter, kill criterion, result. 2. Data comparison per priority action (10 min). 3. Decision vote (10 min). 4. Kill-notes recorded (5 min).
Required artifacts: - Every prototype charter. - Data sheet + video per prototype. - Numeric result vs kill criterion.
Rubric — pass requires: - One approach selected per priority action. - Selected approach met its kill criterion. - All rejected prototypes have documented reason.
Signers: Mechanical Lead (student) + Mechanical Mentor.
G3 — CAD Lock (per subsystem)¶
Run once per subsystem — drivetrain, primary mechanism, secondary, etc.
Agenda (30–45 min): 1. Master-model interface check (5 min). 2. Part list walk-through (10 min). 3. Weight + COG (5 min). 4. Motor/gear calculations (5 min). 5. Manufacturability review (5 min). 6. Second-reviewer confirmation + sign-off (10 min).
Required artifacts: - Subsystem assembly in master model. - All parts numbered + drawings. - BOM entries. - Weight sheet. - Motor calc notes.
Rubric — pass requires: - No interferences in master model. - Weight within budget. - Every machined part has a drawing + second reviewer. - Long-lead parts identified for ordering.
Signers: Subsystem CAD Owner + CAD Lead (student) + Mechanical Mentor.
After pass: subsystem is frozen. Changes require ECR.
G4 — Bill-of-Materials Complete¶
Purpose: confirm the team has ordered everything it needs, in time.
Required artifacts: - Full BOM (practice + comp + spares). - Order log (what ordered, when, vendor, ETA). - Machining queue with drawings.
Rubric: - No long-lead item pending order. - Kanban up-to-date. - Spend within budget.
Signers: Purchasing Lead + Business Mentor.
G5 — Sim Autonomy Passing¶
Purpose: confirm software is on track independent of hardware readiness.
Required artifacts: - Working simulated match run. - At least one auto routine. - Log replay demonstration.
Rubric:
- Every priority subsystem has IOReal + IOSim.
- Match runs without crash.
- CI green.
Signers: Software Lead + Software Mentor.
G6 — Field Readiness¶
Purpose: confirm the robot is ready for competition.
Agenda (90 min): 1. Priority-1 demo — 20 attempts, count success (20 min). 2. Priority-2 demo (10 min). 3. Auto routines demo (10 min). 4. Full-match cycle demo (15 min). 5. Driver practice log review (10 min). 6. Failure log review (10 min). 7. Sign-off (15 min).
Rubric — pass requires: - Priority-1 success ≥ 80% across 20 attempts. - Priority-2 functional. - One auto scoring reliably. - ≥ 20 hours logged driver practice. - Endurance test passed. - Failure log addressed.
Signers: Team Lead (student) + Integration Lead + Lead Mentor.
G7 — Event Departure¶
Purpose: the "we didn't leave the batteries at home" gate.
Walk templates/event_checklist.md. Every item ticked. Signers: Team Lead + Pit Lead + Lead Mentor.
Conditional Pass¶
Sometimes a gate is 90% there but blocked on one item. Conditional Pass allows next-stage work to start with a named blocker + hard deadline. Blocker must be closed before the next gate.
Example: CAD Lock conditional-passes with "weight to be recomputed by Friday." If Friday comes and weight still not verified, the lock is revoked.
Failing a Gate¶
Failing is fine. The response:
- Named blockers written down.
- Rework assigned with owner + deadline.
- Rescheduled gate meeting.
- No next-stage work begins on the failed scope. (Other subsystems continue.)
The team that fails Strategy Approval and reruns it in three days will beat the team that skipped the gate.