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OVERVIEW
Strategy & Design Worksheet
Kickoff document for engineering notebook — consolidates activities from kickoff through design concept selection.
Purpose
✕Serves as the kickoff document for the engineering notebook
✕Gives Captains a tool to organize the efforts of a large FRC team
✕Creates a process that incorporates lessons learned
✕Facilitates communication between coaches, mentors, student leaders and team members
✕Ensures teams follow a top-down design methodology to stay efficiently on track towards established goals
Objectives
✕Incorporate checklist steps that can be iterated based on lessons learned
✕Follow the engineering design process
✕Analyze game play strategies as one team (Define → Research phase)
✕Independently develop robot specs and share concepts
✕Prototype together and share findings
✕Evaluate and select separate design concepts
Instructions
✕Use worksheet as a task guide and fill in the blanks as you go, using the steps outlined in THE PLAN
✕Use separate worksheets for each team, sharing game rules and strat analysis results
✕Adjust as needed the steps outlined in The Plan
✕Not all tools need to be used; add or skip as needed based on analytical needs
✕Fill in lessons learned throughout the season
✕Modify next season's worksheet based on lessons learned
TEAMS
6369 / 6773
SEASON
2026
METHODOLOGY
Top-Down Design
CHECKLIST
The Plan
Task guide from kickoff prep through concept selection. Follow in order. Click checkboxes to mark complete.
This worksheet guides and documents strategy and design planning actions. All tabs are linked from this section.
Kickoff Prep
Assign Work Groups
✕6369/6773 will split and work separately but share results
✕Update work groups tab
✕Assign table seating
Admin Prep Team Captains
✕Setup and test connection to Live Stream
✕Test mic
✕Setup group work tables
✕Distribute dry erase markers and erasers for workgroups
✕Build Google Form rules review worksheet
✕Make prototyping shopping list
✕Update links up top
✕Coordinate for computer access for brainstorming sessions
Watch Kickoff Stream Team Captains
✕Watch x2 more times
✕Download game manual
✕Download and print field diagram
✕Make rules test with Google Form (steal from Citrus Circuit)
Kit of Parts & Field Elements
✕Acquire Kit of Parts and inventory it
✕Team Captains inventory and examine game pieces
✕Download and print field element build instructions
✕Determine which field elements to build
✕Determine and order which field elements to purchase
✕Determine what field element interim mock-ups are needed
Setup Software
✕Create and link Engineering Notebooks
✕Create and link Github for each team
✕Create and link OnShape document folder
✕Import Field and Gamepiece elements into OnShape
✕Create sketch/KCAD template with field/game elements
✕Setup Advantage Scope Field Simulator
✕Setup Excel Sheet for CPM Analysis
Define the Problem
Analyze and Document Game Rules
✕Individually read manual in entirety
✕Design Team fills in this spreadsheet, while working groups fill in group sheets
✕Focus on requirements/constraints that affect robot design
✕Review Pre-BOM needs to start ordering parts before stock runs out
Research
Analyze Strategies
✕Examine potential types of robot archetypes
✕Evaluate Karthik's new CPM model
✕Simulate gameplay and evaluate CPM and SWOT
✕Examine potential Auton, Teleop, Endgame strategies from teams
✕Analyze SWOT and its countermeasures
✕Brainstorm programming solutions to aid drive team in gameplay
✕Brainstorm general engineering solutions
✕Steal from the best — collect media and links into the vault
✕Watch field tour video and review strategies
✕Start Engineering Notebook (EN) with decided game strategy
Generate Specifications
Identify Robot Specifications
✕Review rules and analysis and consolidate into desired specs
✕Document only must-do items
✕Identify prototyping and proof of concept needs
Develop & Evaluate Concepts
Brainstorm & Prototype
✕Review OnShape ROEs to stay organized
✕Sketch/KCAD in relation to field/game elements on both sides of robot
✕Show geometrical proof against field/game elements
✕Present concepts using Concept Slides
✕Develop & assign prototype/proof of concept tasks
✕Evaluate concepts (Design Team Only) — choose 3
✕Review Ri3D designs and collect details in the vault
✕Assess Everybot / REVbot / WCPbot
Choose Concept
Final Selection
✕Choose concept, kitbot, or hybrid
✕Update EN with Robot Concept and requirements/constraints
RULES ANALYSIS
Game Rules
Review game manual and record pertinent rules that drive robot design.
Intaking Locations
Know where to intake game pieces, difficulty, and value from each location.
Location
Difficulty
Value
Hi Diff / Lo Val → Skip
Hi Diff / Hi Val → Consider
Lo Diff / Lo Val → Consider
Lo Diff / Hi Val → Must Do
What does this mean to us?
Ranking Points
RPs determine final ranking for playoffs — usually more important than raw points.
Task
Points
Difficulty
What does this mean to us?
Scoring
Task
Points
Difficulty
What does this mean to us?
Points Per Second Analysis
Task
Time Per Cycle
Points Per Second
Analysis
Defense Opportunities
Task
Difficulty
Value
Penalties
Task
Penalty Pts
Impact
Robot Design Constraints
Constraint
Value
Max Frame Size
27.5 × 27.5" MAX SQUARE
Rules Q&A
Question
Answer
CYCLES PER MATCH
CPM Analysis
Scenario: Drive to pose Shooter (score from positions 4, 5, 6, 7)
10
Total Cycles
264
Total Points
69.6s
Time Used
Assumptions
Intake time:10 sec
Recover time:0.081 sec
Spin up time:0.9 sec
Speed:10 fps
Cycle window:105 sec (omits 15s auton + 30s endgame)
Analysis
Shooters require time to spin up to speed and recover between shots to maintain accuracy. This accounts for the most lost time. Prototyping will better account for spin up and recovery times as this simulator uses reCalc numbers to simulate.
STRATEGY
Strategy Analysis
Study how the game may be played to develop possible strategies affecting robot design.
Strategy Summary
Auto: Be able to empty pre-load, take 24 fuel from depot or go under the trench, fill hopper and come back and shoot, end with a climb with room for more cycles if possible. NEEDING to win Auto. Teleop: Bar minimum get 100 fuel (getting the Energized RP) and a max around 250, with optimal ability to shunt balls from any zone to ours (40–50 ball cycles, 3 shunt cycles per inactive period).
Anticipated Robot Archetypes
Archetype
Pros/Cons
CPM
Score Potential
~50
~80
~120
~200
Game Simulation Takeaways
✕
✕
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats + Countermeasures
Engineering Solution Opportunities
Subsystem
Capability
Benefit
Difficulty
Programming Solution Opportunities (6369)
Capability
Benefit
Difficulty
Value
SPECIFICATIONS
Robot Specifications
List robot capabilities and qualities. Prioritize critical path tasks first.
Robot Capabilities
Capability
Description
By When
<1 second intake time
Bravo
Minimum 24 ball storage
Bravo
Under 22"
Bravo
Level 1
Bravo
Level 3
Charlie
Hooded Shooter
Bravo
Turreted Shooter
Bravo
Shooter range 2–20'
Bravo
Robot Qualities
Quality
Target
Notes
Weight
Weight target
CG
Low or high
Drivebase dimensions
27×27"
Drive gear ratio
Hi speed or hi accel
Drivebase type
Swerve or tank
Reliability
Programming Priorities
#
Task
By When
Notes
1
Turret coded and tested with close and long range tracking
Bravo
Critical path: 100% Mobility
2
Hood with distance tracking and variation
Bravo
Critical path: Touch it Own
3
Flywheels tuned with exact velocity
Bravo
Critical path: 100 in 1 Scoring
4
"Do we have a ball" reflective sensors
Bravo
5
Full field localization
Bravo
6
Mechanisms other than mentioned programmed
Bravo
PROTOTYPING
Prototype Tasks
Specific prototype tasks needed to answer key design questions.
Be specific and detailed. State if CAD is required. Avoid multitasking leads or set a priority order. Each task must be replicated in the EN along with the end result.
Tasks
Task
Lead
Group Members
Shooter compression, wheel compression, speed
Grayson
✕
Intake wheel type, compression. Test star wheels and geko wheels. Can balls push other balls up and out of the way when intaked up?
Nick
✕
Testing rubber coated belts for the transfer
Nisith
✕
CONCEPT SELECTION
Evaluate Concepts
Evaluate concepts to choose one. Design Team only.
Concept Overview
Criteria
Past Robot (Baseline)
Concept 1
Concept 2
Concept 3
Archetype
Anticipated CPM
Proven CAD Geometry?
Simplicity Level
Metric
Baseline
C1
C2
C3
Number of Subsystems
Scoring DOFs
Number of Handoffs
Custom Concepts
Weighted Matrix
Assign value 1–5 for each concept. Higher is better.
Design Difficulty (×1)
3
Custom designs, tight fits, many subsystems, and handoffs add difficulty
Build Difficulty (×1)
3
Look at old robots — if we haven't done it before or many subsystems
Programming Difficulty (×1)
2
Many DOFs and subsystems add difficulty
Risk Level (×1)
3
How far within or outside of the team's capabilities
Robot Capability (×1)
3
CPM Performance
BASELINE
14
CONCEPT 1
—
CONCEPT 2
—
CONCEPT 3
—
TEAM STRUCTURE
Work Groups
Design roles, kickoff groups, CAD and programming assignments for both 6369 and 6773.