Engineering Portfolio
The engineering portfolio is an up to 15-page document that summarizes your team's season so far, from the engineering to the outreach. It is the primary tool used by judges to assess your team before and during your interview and makes you eligible for many judged awards.
Advantages
Having an engineering portfolio will:
- Allow judges to evaluate your team prior to your interview
- Summarize your team's story, skills and impact
- Makes your team eligible for certain awards
- Makes your team look organized, prepared, and professional
Parts to Include
Cover Page
Your cover page is the first thing the judges will see. Generally, you should include:
- Team name, number and logo
- Season theme
- Team photo
Cover Page is Not Judged!
Judges are not supposed to judge your cover page, so don't put any content you want judged on it. However, putting a bit of time into it can make your team look more professional, so don't disregard it completely.
Team Introduction
The team introduction is how the judges get to know your team. Generally, this should be the first section of your engineering portfolio. Additionally, in this section, you should consider including:
- A brief summary of who your team is
- Team structure
- Member roles
Robot Design Process
This section of the engineering portfolio gives the judges an insight on how you developed the hardware your robot. Generally, you should include:
- Engineering goals
- Sketches, CAD screenshots, subsystem breakdowns
- Iteration timeline or challenges solved
- Lessons learned
Show, Don't Tell
Avoid writing long blocks of text to describe a part of the robot. Instead, show pictures, sketches, and/or CAD screenshots. Doing so makes it easier for the judges to read your engineering portfolio.
Programming & Control
The programming section of the engineering portfolio shows the judges the stuff they can't see—the code that runs the robot. In this section, you should generally include:
- Robot controls
- Usage of sensors
- Annotated code snippets
Automating TeleOp?
If you are using macros, sensors, or other tools to assist the drivers during the TeleOp period, make sure to make these features clear, as they can increase the chances of your team winning awards such as the Control Award.