Pre-Match and Post-Match Checklists

Why checklists beat memory

Under turnaround pressure, memory fails — someone forgets to tighten a bolt, charge a battery, or reset a mechanism, and the robot fails on the field. The fix is the same one aviation and surgery use: a written checklist run the same way every time. Drive teams should have two: a post-match check (when the robot returns) and a pre-match check (before it goes back out).

Post-match checklist (robot just came off the field)

Run this immediately, while the match is fresh in everyone's mind:

• Inspect for damage — walk the whole robot for bent metal, cracked parts, broken zip ties, or anything knocked loose during play.
• Reset mechanisms — return any deployed mechanism (e.g., a climber or arm) to its stowed/start position so it's ready for setup.
• Pull and charge the battery — remove the spent battery, put it on the charger, and log its number.
• Check bumpers — inspect for tears and confirm they're still solidly attached.
• Check electronics — look for loose connectors, chafed wires, or anything that moved on the roboRIO, radio, or power distribution.
• Note any in-match problems — the technician/driver reports what misbehaved so the crew can fix it now, not next match.

Pre-match checklist (about to queue / on deck)

Run this before the robot leaves the pit so it's truly ready:

• Fresh, tested battery installed and secured, with the main breaker in.
• Correct bumpers for your alliance color, fully attached and within rules.
• Robot in legal starting configuration (within size constraints, mechanisms stowed) per the Game Manual.
• All fasteners checked on anything that vibrates loose (a quick tug/torque pass).
• Controllers and console packed, with controllers verified in correct USB order.
• Any required game piece preloaded if the game/strategy calls for it.
• Software/state confirmed — correct code deployed and auto routine selected; nothing left in Test mode.
• Tether test (if time allows) — enable briefly to confirm drivetrain and key mechanisms respond.

Make the checklist yours

The lists above are a starting point; every robot is different, so build a custom checklist for your robot and refine it as you discover new failure modes. Many teams post a laminated checklist in the pit and physically check each box every turnaround. When a new failure surprises you in a match, add a line to the checklist so it can never surprise you again — the checklist is a living document that captures hard-won lessons.

Tie it to the clock

Finally, the checklists live inside the turnaround clock from Lesson 1: post-match check on return, repair, battery swap, pre-match check, then queue on time. A team that runs both checklists every single match, calmly and completely, is the team whose robot quietly works in every match while others wonder why theirs didn't.