Project Management — RescueMaze 2026
Methodology
The team follows an adapted Scrum framework tailored to robotics development. Work is organized into time-boxed sprints with defined goals per area (programming, electronics, and mechanics). Each sprint ends with a retrospective to identify blockers and adjust priorities before the next cycle begins.
This approach allows the team to iterate quickly on prototypes while maintaining visibility into each sub-team's progress.
Development Phases
| Phase | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge Transfer | November – December | Onboarding of new members; documentation review and hands-on sessions with previous year's robot. |
| Technical Planning | December – January | Definition of architecture, task breakdown, and assignment of responsibilities per area. |
| Sprint 1 | January – February | First functional prototypes per area; integration baseline. |
| Sprint 2 | February – March | Iteration on prototypes; integration testing and bug fixing. |
| Sprint 3 | March – April | Final refinements, competition preparation, and full system validation. |
Weekly Meeting Structure
Meetings are held once a week with a fixed duration of 30 minutes.
| # | Agenda Item | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Checklist review of previous week's goals | 3 min |
| 2 | Progress update and feedback per area (programming, electronics, mechanics) | ~20 min (~5 min each) |
| 3 | General feedback from mentors | 3 min |
| 4 | Goal-setting for the upcoming week | 4 min |
Task Tracking
Previous Tool: Miro
Miro was initially used for project management, task assignment, and progress tracking. Tasks were categorized by area and assigned to team members with deadlines. However, adoption was low and tracking was inconsistent, so Miro is no longer the primary tool.
Current Approach
A structured document-based system is used to track the progress of each task and the responsibilities assigned to each member. Tasks are organized by area and sprint, with clear ownership and status indicators.
Mid-Sprint Check-In
A check-in was proposed at the halfway point of the project. Individual meetings were held with each team member to gather their thoughts, assess their progress, and collect suggestions on how to improve the project management system and team dynamics.
Lessons Learned
Although several methods yielded positive results, the following areas represent clear opportunities for improvement in future seasons:
1. Check in on team members' well-being, not just progress
It is important to understand how each team member feels about the competition, their own progress, and the team's overall trajectory. Addressing this proactively helps prevent burnout and disengagement.
2. Team integration and bonding time
Good interpersonal relationships are essential in a highly collaborative project. Neglecting this can lead to miscommunication and a lack of cohesion. Dedicated time for team bonding can improve communication and collaboration across areas.
3. Consistency in area-specific meetings
Meetings between project managers, mentors, and each sub-team (programming, electronics, mechanics) should be held on a consistent schedule to avoid bottlenecks and keep all areas aligned.
4. Explore alternative task tracking tools
Given the inconsistent adoption of Miro, a document-based approach was used as a fallback. For future seasons, tools such as Notion or Trello should be evaluated as they offer better structure for task tracking and visibility.
5. Define a shared "Definition of Done"
Team members and project managers can have differing interpretations of when a task is complete. Establishing a clear, agreed-upon metric for task completion would reduce ambiguity and improve accountability.