Resource Management

Under resource management there are a couple core areas that can be focused upon.

Parts and Supplies (materials)

Material tracking is a good way for teams to understand how their components are being leveraged in their design process. By tracking this resource teams will know what pieces are needed and can track whether they have these items in their own stock, need to order something, or may be able to get what they need from another team or organization.

A couple ways a team can show how they are tracking parts and supplies is by creating a parts list as either part of a build step or a CAD diagram. Additionally an initial Build of Materials (BoM) might be put together with all the items a team feels may be needed to complete their robot design.

Monetary (budgeting)

One thing teams may not consider is keeping track of how much money is needed and being spent during a season. There are numerous considerations in this area that may be good to notate in the engineering notebook.

Some items to consider keeping track of include the following

• Parts (Metal, Gears, Sprockets, Sensors, etc.)

• Competition Cost (Registration and Event fees)

• Supplies (tools, screws, nuts, etc.)

• Fields and field elements

• Travel (Transportation, Food, and Hotels)

• Team uniforms

• Misc (Giveaways, Awards, robot cases, etc.)

While many organizations may be public school funded, it is still good to be able to keep track of what is needed from a spending perspective. It is good to remember that while robotics may appear to be somewhat free or low cost, since your organization already has various parts, at some point someone had to purchase those and there may be a need to replace items in the future. Things break down, get busted, wearout, or even go missing and it is good to understand the value or items that need to be replaced and replenished.

For teams that are looking for sponsors this can give them a good idea of how much money they may need to ask for during a season. This can also be used to show a potential sponsor what their funding may go towards and how it helps the team.