08 team structure ftc

---\ncomments: true\n---\n\n# FTC Team Structure (Adapted for 7th‑8th Graders + High‑School Helpers)\n\nTeam composition (typical small FTC team):\n- 2–4 adult mentors (parent/teacher volunteers)\n- 2–3 high‑school students (entering grades 9‑12) who serve as subteam leads / junior mentors\n- 6–12 middle‑school students (entering grades 7‑8) who are the core build crew\n\nThe high‑school helpers own the lead roles and guide the younger students, but the middle‑schoolers do the hands‑on work under supervision. This keeps the process student‑led while providing the experience gap bridge.\n\n---\n\n## Core Principle: Supported Student‑Led Work\n- Middle‑schoolers make the primary design/build decisions on their assigned subteam, with a high‑school lead checking work and stepping in only when safety or a gate deadline is at risk.\n- High‑school leads act as mentors‑in‑training: they run stand‑ups, own the gate artifacts, and ensure the younger students stay on track.\n- Adult mentors oversee safety, approve BOM purchases, and handle any external communications (sponsors, FIRST portal).\n\n---\n\n## Subteam Layout (3‑subteam minimum‑viable variant)\nWhen only three subteams are needed (recommended for the smallest groups), they are:\n\n| Subteam | Focus | Middle‑school students (≈2‑4 each) | High‑school lead / mentor role | |---|---|---|---| | A – Drivetrain & Chassis | Build the drivetrain, frame, bumpers, and master‑model skeleton. | 2–4 students (CAD, basic machining, assembly). | High‑school lead runs CAD gate, ensures safety, signs off gate artifacts. | | B – Scoring Mechanism | Intake, indexer, shooter/elevator – whatever the game requires. | 2–4 students (cardboard prototypes, simple assembly, wiring). | High‑school lead owns mechanism CAD, writes kill‑criteria, runs prototyping sessions. | | C – Software & Controls | Robot code, basic simulation, autos, log review. | 1‑2 students (simple block‑based code or introductory Java/Blocks). | High‑school lead sets up repo, runs sim, helps debug; adult mentor signs off on CI. | | D – Business & Outreach (optional, can be collapsed into one of the three if needed) | Sponsor asks, impact essay, awards, social media, pit handout. | 1 student (with high‑school support) tracks sponsors, drafts essays, takes photos. | High‑school lead (or adult) owns impact draft, runs mock interviews, coordinates pit kit. | \n\nIf a fourth subteam is feasible (e.g., you have 3 high‑school helpers), add Subteam D – Electrical & Integration as in the FRC version, with the high‑school student handling wiring harness and power budget under adult sign‑off.\n\n---\n\n## Team‑Wide Roles (cross‑subteam)\n\n| Role | Who holds it | Responsibilities (simplified for twice‑weekly meetings) | |---|---|---| | Team Lead (student) | One of the high‑school helpers | Runs the 10‑min stand‑up, sets weekly goals from the timeline, escalates blockers to adults.\n| | Strategy Lead | High‑school lead (or rotates) | Owns the Priority List (see timeline week 1) and keeps it visible on the board.\n| | Purchasing Lead | Adult mentor (or high‑school with approval) | Tracks BOM, places COTS orders, manages the kanban board.\n| | Safety Captain | Adult mentor (or designated high‑school student) | Calls out shop hazards at the start of each session, enforces PPE.\n| | Build Blog Writer | Rotating middle‑school student (with high‑school editor) | One‑paragraph + one photo per session, posted to team channel.\n| | Driver/Coach | Identified by end of week 2 (usually a middle‑schooler with practice time) | Drives the robot at events; receives brief coaching from the high‑school lead.\n| \n\n---\n\n## Mentor / High‑School Helper Assignments\n\n| Adult Mentor | Primary Subteam | Notes | |---|---|---| | Lead Mentor | Overall process, gate final sign‑off | Meets with high‑school leads before each gate review.\n| | Machinist / Fabrication Mentor (if shop tools are used) | Drivetrain subteam | Trains middle‑schoolers on safe tool use; may do the actual machining if safety demands.\n| | Business / Finance Mentor | Business & Outreach | Handles sponsor paperwork, budget sign‑off, FIRST portal submissions.\n| | Safety Mentor | All subteams | Overflies safety checklist each session; may be the same as Lead Mentor.\n| \n\n---\n\n## Minimum‑Viable Team Variant (only 2 high‑school helpers + 6 middle‑schoolers)\nWhen you have just two high‑school students, collapse to three subteams as shown above, and:\n\n1. One high‑school lead owns Drivetrain + acts as Safety Captain.\n2. The other high‑school lead owns Scoring Mechanism + Software.\n3. Business/Outreach is handled by a shared middle‑school student with adult support (track sponsors, write a short impact paragraph, collect photos).\n4. All gate artifacts are signed by the adult Lead Mentor after the high‑school lead confirms review.\n\n---\n\n## Meeting Cadence (twice‑weekly baseline)\n\n- Tuesday & Thursday, 6:00‑9:00 pm (or whatever two weeknight slots work).\n- Pre‑session prep (10 min) – Team Lead + subteam leads check the board and confirm attendance.\n- Stand‑up (10 min) – whole team; each subteam lead reports done/goal/blockers.\n- Work block (~2 h 20 m) – subteams work in parallel; high‑school leads circulate, answer questions, and keep younger students on task.\n- Pre‑close checkpoint (15 min) – subteam leads update card statuses, purchasing lead orders any needed COTS, safety captain runs through hazards.\n- End‑of‑session close (15 min) – whole team round‑robin, build‑blog post, shop reset.\n\n- Weekly rhythm (as in the FRC doc):\n - Monday – set weekly goals against the timeline, tag cards with the current gate.\n - Friday or Saturday (optional longer session) – integration, endurance testing, extra driver practice.\n - Sunday – mentors + high‑school leads only: order review, board grooming, next‑week plan draft.\n\n---\n\n## Slippage Rules (FTC‑young‑team version)\n\n- G1 slips: stop; revisit Priority List before any prototyping starts.\n- G2 slips one week: compress CAD schedule; keep endurance testing intact.\n- G2 slips more than one week: drop priority‑2 mechanism feature, ship a robot that does priority‑1 well.\n- G3 slips per subsystem: other subsystems keep moving; that subsystem may not be ready for event 1.\n- G6 slips: attend Event 1 with best‑effort robot; do not skip the event – real‑match data is irreplaceable.\n\nNever skip an event to keep building.\n\n---\n\n## What to Cut (in order) if Time Runs Short\n\n1. Secondary sensors – drop non‑critical encoders, hall‑effects.\n2. Complex autonomous – one simple auto beats none.\n3. Custom parts that COTS replaces – buy the COTS version.\n4. Practice robot – down to drive‑base only.\n\nNever cut:\n- Driver practice hours (even if reduced, keep some logged practice).\n- Gate reviews (they keep the process honest).\n- Log / build blog (the team’s learning record).\n\n---\n\n---\nThis document is intended to be paired with docs/09_timeline_ftc.md and the gate‑review templates from docs/07_gate_reviews.md. Adjust subteam names, student counts, and meeting times to match your specific roster.\n\n