JPL Thoughts and Debrief

By the date of the competition, my group had successfully constructed a device that had the potential to get a perfect score and win the competition. Unfortunately, this did not happen, but I would still say that some things went well. We went through countless design changes during the building of the device, yet still were able to put a competent device together. We also made an amazing commercial truly inspired by the Trevellini's Italian influence.

A lot of things could have gone better throughout the whole process. Since we didn't know each other's skill sets, some people were misused during the initial phase. This initial phase is crucial and more time and thought should have gone into it. If we had put proper consideration into all aspects and potential problems, we would've had a much more consistent device and would be going to the finals at JPL next week. During future products of this nature, it is essential that we have a more detailed initial design. I felt that we were building and designing at the same time. That is not a recipe for success.

The one thing I am going to make sure to do during the capstone project is to make a very detailed CAD or 3D design before any building takes place. I want there to be no changes during the building phase and for all alterations to be made before the building is started. That way there will be ample time for the product to be completed and if necessary, small tweaks can be made at the very end.