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Team Guide
Welcome to The Tech Challenge, presented
by Dell! You and your teammates are joining
a rich legacy of young innovators who step up
to tackle a real-world challenge in true Silicon
Valley style — with hard work, ingenuity and a
lot of fun.
Please read this entire guide carefully. The
guidelines, resources and ideas will help
you get the most out of your Tech Challenge
experience.
1. Getting Started
2. How to Be a Strong Team
3. Engineering Design Process
4. Engineering Journal
5. Materials and Design
6. Design Sheet Template
7. Showcase
Revised 10.06.2016
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1. Getting Started
You can get started on The Tech Challenge in five simple steps:
1. Form a team. Gather two to six students (including you) in Grades 4-12. A team may include
students from different grades but will compete in the age division of the member in the
highest grade. Example: If the oldest student is in 9th grade and the rest of your team is in
7th grade, you will participate in the high school division.
2. Enlist an adviser. Advisers must be at least 18 years old and able to monitor safety rules and
help teams stay on track. No engineering skills are required. Advisers may be teachers, parents,
scout leaders or other responsible adults. Make sure your adviser reads the Adviser Guide.
3. Register. Your adviser should register your team for The Tech Challenge. After doing so, he
or she will receive a confirmation email with a link to edit information such as team name,
participant names and other important details.
4. Mark your calendar. Note important dates, including your showcase day in April, as well as
supporting events such as info clinics, team workshops and test trials.
5. Follow us! Get news, updates and reminders on The Tech Challenge Facebook page
(facebook.com/thetechchallenge) and Twitter feed (twitter.com/techchallengesv). And follow
us on Instagram (instagram.com/thetechchallenge)!
2. How to Be a Strong Team
Strategies
• Get moving. The sooner you start your project, the more time you will have to design and
test multiple solutions.
• Read the rules. This important document will help you navigate this year’s challenge. Look
for periodic updates.
• Work together. Listen to each other and take advantage of the different skills and strengths
of all team members.
• Rely on your adviser. Ask for help with troubleshooting, obtaining supplies and providing
tools. If you don’t know how to use a tool or put something together, have your adviser teach
you or find a helpful YouTube video. When they have nothing else to do, send them for pizza!
It’s OK to respectfully ask your adviser to step out of the way, but always make sure he or she
is present when you are testing your device or using tools.
• Learn from your mistakes. When you build something, it might not work the first time.
Remember that innovators create, test and improve, over and over and over. They learn from
failure and persevere to find the best solution.
• Improve your device. Physically representing, testing and improving ideas is not only fun, but
it can result in creative solutions you might not have considered otherwise. Take good notes
at every meeting, then analyze what works well and what needs improvement.
• Be patient. Remember that the engineering design process can be non-linear, meaning it
doesn’t always proceed in order. Sometimes you move back to a step you’ve done before, like
brainstorming, to help move your design forward.
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Meetings and events
• Have regular team meetings. Create an agenda for each meeting. Use this time to brainstorm, assign roles, get supplies, build your device, test it and rebuild as needed.
• Attend an info clinic and team workshop. Create a list of questions to ask, take notes and
pictures, and familiarize yourself with the rules and judging criteria.
• Attend test trials. This is an opportunity for your team to test your device on competition
rigs and get feedback from judges. You can also see what other teams are doing, which might
help you improve your design.
Showcase
• Journal. Make sure your engineering journal is organized and includes all your notes.
• Know your work. At the showcase, you will talk about your design and device with judges.
Make sure you are prepared and that all team members have something to contribute.
When in doubt, brainstorm
Brainstorming exercises can generate new ideas and solutions to specific problems. They also help
build enthusiasm for your project and get people talking to each other.
Suggested brainstorming process
1. Bring:
• Lots of paper, plus pens, markers and crayons in many colors.
• Relevant materials: pictures of the test rig, your engineering journal, etc.
2. Pick a team member to document ideas
• Go over brainstorming guidelines (see ideas below).
3. Brainstorm
• Try not to brainstorm for longer than one hour.
• List ideas and sketch quickly. Be sure to list everybody’s ideas.
4. Evaluate
• At the end of your brainstorming, review the ideas before you forget any details.
• As a team, pick which ideas you want to work on first.
• Try to organize your ideas into categories and themes.
• Don’t discard any ideas. They may be useful to you later.
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Guidelines to consider
• Don’t judge.
• Build on the ideas of others.
• Stay focused.
• Go for quantity.
• Encourage wild ideas.
• Break it down.
• Draw a quick sketch.
Strategies and brainstorming games
• Popcorn: Shout out ideas quickly, like popping popcorn. Usually requires several people to
write down ideas.
• Other People’s Shoes: Think of ways different people would solve your problem. Think Harry
Potter, Santa Claus, your science teacher, etc.
• Wildest Idea: Cook up the most outrageous ideas you can imagine. Finish the sentence,
“Wouldn’t it be wild if …”
• Post-It: Just grab a pack of Post-It notes! Each person writes ideas on the notes and all ideas
are put up on a wall.
3. Engineering Design Process
There are many ways to describe the engineering design process.
Here is one way, from sciencebuddies.org:
The steps of the engineering design process are:
• Define the problem.
• Do background research.
• Specify requirements.
• Brainstorm solutions.
• Choose the best solution.
• Do development work.
• Build a prototype.
• Test and redesign.
Engineers do not always follow the engineering design process steps in order. It is common to
design something, test it, find a problem and then go back to an earlier step to make a modification to your design. This way of working is called iteration, and it is likely that in your process,
you will do the same!
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Why is failure an important part of the engineering design process?
Every great engineering project comes with plenty of failure … or rather, plenty of opportunities
to improve your design. How else will you know what doesn’t work? You can use that information to make your solution better.
4. Engineering Journal
Documentation is an integral part of the engineering and design process, and preparing an
engineering journal is an important element of The Tech Challenge. In the real world, a dated
record of a team’s progress could be the deciding factor for which of two competing companies
gets an invention’s patent and design credit. A journal is also extremely important in documenting
paths taken (and not taken) during long-term projects.
In The Tech Challenge, how teams develop their solution is as important as the solution itself.
Judges will ask team members how they came up with their ideas to build their device. The
engineering journal is a record of this process.
At the showcase, judges expect to see an engineering journal in the form of an organized binder,
notebook or printed copy.
Here are some engineering journal guidelines:
• Your journal is a living document, meaning your team should add to it throughout The Tech
Challenge. Begin your journal at the start of your involvement in the program and record all
team activities.
• The level of detail in your journal is up to you. The best journals have enough information
for judges to fully understand how your device works and a listing of materials and measurements that another person could use to build a duplicate device.
• Almost any format is acceptable. Your journal does not need to be a printed report. A handwritten journal in an inexpensive notebook is fine.
• Organization and ease of finding information are important. Tabs and a table of contents are
encouraged.
• Display boards like those used for science fairs can be useful during a team’s presentation,
but they are not a substitute for a journal.
• You may keep your journal on a computer, but the submitted journal must be a printed copy.
• Multiple authors are OK. Some teams assign one person to document the team’s process
along the way, while others have multiple people make entries. Either is fine, but only one
journal can be submitted for judging. If several team members are recording their own notes,
the best entries should be organized into one journal.
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Features of the best journals
• Table of contents
• Numbered pages
• Tabbed sections
• Dated entries
• Multiple sketches of ideas with descriptive text
• Diagrams and photos
• An outline that would allow someone to build a similar device using the measurements and
list of materials provided
Suggested contents
Title page: The first page should contain the team name and number, names of all team
members and their school(s) or group. A short description of the challenge is a good reminder of
the team’s goal.
Minutes from meetings: Minutes can range from a short entry to a descriptive narrative. The
best journals document with detailed annotation the meeting date, who was in attendance,
location, purpose of meeting, what was discussed or done, decisions made, future actions and
more.
Brainstorming notes: Brainstorming is a free-thinking record of ideas from the team, even —
and especially! — absurd or wild ideas. There’s no such thing as a bad idea when brainstorming.
The best journals contain all brainstormed ideas with explanations and rough sketches, plus lists
of pros and cons that outline why the team did (or didn’t) go a particular route. Documenting
why an idea was not used is an important characteristic of the best journals. Most importantly,
teams should document reasons to support their final selection of concept/device.
It often helps to create design sheets for each idea and add them to your journal. See an
example in the Team Guide PDF or create your own.
Sketches, drawings and photos: Have you ever heard the expression, “A picture is worth a
thousand words”? Illustrate your words and clarify important points with sketches, drawings
and photos. A sketch is a quick representation of an idea. A drawing can be detailed and ideally
includes measurements.
The best journals contain sketches, drawings and photos of the actual design (or parts of the
design) as well as the designs and concepts that were ultimately discarded, which will help the
reader understand how the device works.
Description of final device: After you settle on a final design that has been tested and is ready
to go, document a complete description in your journal. Many journals fail to describe their final
design or leave it buried in all the other brainstorming. The best journals document the device
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with a clear explanation of how it works and enough sketches, drawings and photos to fully
inform the judges.
Evidence of measurements: Journals should include measurements information that help the
reader understand the size of the device.
List of materials used: Use detail when describing your materials, especially those used for your
final device. Instead of “an arm with a claw” or “a piece of pipe,” the best journals would describe
it as “a four-foot length of schedule 40 PVC plastic pipe.” Someone should be able to build a
duplicate device using the measurements and lists of materials provided.
Testing: Your team can test ideas at home or at test trials events hosted by The Tech. At test
trials, you can test your device on a Tech Challenge rig and receive feedback from judges to
determine whether your design follows the rules. Some teams come to trials just to test a
portion of their device. Some teams try something that doesn’t work, modify their device that
day and return to try again. All of this should be documented in your journal.
The best journals contain evidence of attending test trials, what was attempted, how many
attempts were made, results observed, lessons learned and next steps.
Device evolution: Few teams come up with the perfect solution at the first meeting. It’s
important to brainstorm, list pros/cons and build simple rapid prototypes of promising ideas.
Your device or portions of it will evolve over time as you test and modify. Your journal should
document this evolution.
The best journals contain detailed evidence of design changes based on testing, including
reasons for the changes. This shows the judges how and why this evolution occurred.
Evidence of engineering analysis: While logging trial and error is essential, it’s also important to
record engineering analysis. This means applying scientific analytic procedures and processes
to reveal the properties and state of the system, device or mechanism. Examples of engineering
analyses include mechanical advantage, force calculations, distance calculations, load, torque,
stress, chemistry and materials properties.
Grade school students may have less experience with analysis than high school students, but
keep in mind that teams are judged only against peers in their age division.
Costs: Spending lots of money is not a requirement of The Tech Challenge, and both high- and lowtech devices can perform equally well. Teams should document costs in their journal. If you dig up free
items from your school, garage or a junk pile, do still list those items and indicate the cost as “free.”
The best journals record costs for materials purchased for every item. Receipts are good but
not required. Include estimated costs of free materials. The bottom line shows how much your
device ultimately costs to recreate from scratch.
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Safety: Safety is the No. 1 priority. Teams are expected to handle and operate their devices
safely. Teams will be asked during the interview to show how they obeyed safety rules while
testing their device at test trials as well as outside the museum. This evidence should be
documented in the engineering journal.
Robotic controllers and 3D printing: If you use robotic controllers and/or 3D-printed parts,
judges will want to see that you understand these devices and the code behind them. What
make and model number was used? How were they created?
All code changes should be documented. The best journals list the original code with an
explanation for each line and a record of each time the code was modified. This outlines for
judges the evolution of the code to the final product.
Real-world applicability and The Spirit of the Challenge: The Tech Challenge emphasizes the
importance of developing engineering solutions that would be practical in real life. Test rigs
involve small-scale replication of large-scale, real-world conditions. Teams should understand
this scale difference, and they should develop designs that could scale up to real-life use. Judges
will ask teams about the real-life practicality of their designs, and entries that have this scale-up
ability meet The Spirit of the Challenge.
While store-bought solutions are possible, they are against The Spirit of the Challenge.
The best journals document an understanding of real-world factors and contain a detailed
explanation of how your design might have practical, real-life applications.
Common problems to avoid
Disorganization: Some journals are a hodgepodge of entries with no organization. These will
score lower than a well-organized journal.
No explanation of final design: Sometimes the first documented ideas do not work out, and all
ideas should be documented. Please be sure to indicate clearly which is the final design.
Only some topics covered: When only some areas are well-documented, those journals will
score lower than journals that cover all suggested topics.
No journal submitted: Some teams do not submit a journal, which will lead to a score of 0 in
this category. Display boards like those used for science fairs can be a useful part of the team’s
presentation, but they are not a substitute for an engineering journal.
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5. Materials and Design
There are many options when it comes to selecting materials for your Tech Challenge project.
What materials should you use for your device? Think practically:
• Does it cut easily?
• Can you use any kind of glue or tape on it?
• How much does it cost?
• How easy is it to purchase, borrow or find?
• What function does it serve?
Here are sample materials you may wish to use. This is just a starting point — the options are
endless. Just be sure that your materials are in compliance with the rules.
Materials
Possible uses
Wood
Heavy devices, a weighted base
PVC
Medium-weight devices; light but flexible; cheap
Aluminum
Strong, thin devices
Foam
Lightweight solid panels
Foamcore
Lightweight panels
Cardboard
Lightweight panels
Fasteners
Possible uses
Wood screws
Wood
Bolts/nuts
Wood
Self-tapping screws
PVC, ABS
Wire connectors
Electrical wires
Terminal Lugs
Electrical wires
Adhesives
Possible uses
Solder
Metals like gold, copper, tin, zinc, lead (no iron or steel)
Epoxy
Aluminum, coat hanger
White glue
Wood, cardboard, foamcore
Hot glue
Foamcore, wood (temporary), PVC (light adhesion)
PVC glue
PVC
Duct tape
The universal fix-it tool
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6. Design Sheet Template
When brainstorming, it often helps to create a design sheet for each idea so that you can keep
track of your ideas and add them to your journal.
This is a sample template for a design sheet. Feel free to create your own.
Design Sheet # _________
Design Name: ________________________________________________________________
Designer: _____________________________________________________________________
ProsCons
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
How would this design work?
Questions and challenges:
Sketch:
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7. Showcase
Before the showcase, make sure you have completed your solution, discussed your team roles,
and prepared your documentation in ways that demonstrate your spirit, ingenuity and teamwork!
Judges want to see what makes you a strong, creative team. Practice talking about your device and
your process with confidence. Judges will consider three categories:
Device performance: Your team will demonstrate its solution at a test rig, where judges will
evaluate how well your design meets the challenge.
Engineering design process: Judges will talk with you about how your team arrived at its
solution. Your documentation and ability to discuss your process are just as important as your
device. Be prepared to share highlights of your team’s experience and talk about how your
solution would work in the real world.
Engineering journal: Documentation is one of the most important engineering skills, and at
the showcase your team will submit its journal to be reviewed by judges. They want to see that
your team has documented in detail your process and how you arrived at your solution. Your
team’s engineering journal does not need to be highly polished; judges enjoy those messy
brainstorming notes and early sketches. Don’t forget to make it clear which design is your final
solution, because your team won’t be present to answer questions during this portion.
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