A brand-new notebook needs structure on day 1 — cover, table of contents, first entry. Skip this and you'll have a pile of disconnected scribbles.
flowchart TD
Start([New notebook]) --> Cover[Cover page:
Team name + number
Season + season name
Member names + roles]
Cover --> TOC[Table of contents:
leave 2-3 pages blank
fill in as you go]
TOC --> Goals[Season goals page:
team objectives
individual learning goals]
Goals --> First[First sprint entry:
kickoff date + initial brainstorm
game analysis]
First --> Done([Notebook ready
start daily entries])
style Start fill:#1e293b,stroke:#22d3ee,stroke-width:2px,color:#e2e8f0
style Done fill:#1e293b,stroke:#22c55e,stroke-width:2px,color:#e2e8f0
Most teams fill the notebook after the season. Top teams build it during. This guide shows you exactly what to write, when, and where in your assigned team notebook.
Spartan coaching: These examples and prompts teach a method; they are not entries to copy or a required notebook format. Record your team's actual work, including uncertainty and failed tests, in students' own words. Never invent earlier decisions or results. See our student-centered policy guidance and current notebook rubric reference. The official GRSF rubric controls if this guide conflicts with it.
Your official Engineering Notebook will be created and shared with your team by Mr. T.
Find your current phase. Every notebook slide you open should match the color for that phase.
The first EDP cycle runs from kickoff through your first competition. After that event, you identify design flaws — and the cycle restarts. That restart is your V2 iteration. The second cycle runs the full sequence again: problem definition, brainstorm, decision, build, test. Not just “we changed some things.”
After a competition where you identify major design flaws, add a divider slide before starting the next cycle. Write on that slide:
Revisit whichever steps the evidence calls for. Document the alternatives and reasons for your next decision; a new cycle need not repeat every lesson in a fixed order.
After Entry 1, add a dedicated Criteria & Constraints slide. This feeds directly into your decision matrix later.
Date · Session number · Members present · Location
What specific problem were you solving today? “Fix intake” is not a goal. “Reduce intake jam rate from 3 per match to under 1” is.
Specific actions. If you changed a PID constant, write before and after values. If you rebuilt a joint, say what angle changed and why.
Numbers, not just words. “Intake jam rate: 0.8/match after compression change (was 3.0)” beats “intake works better now.”
What changes because of what you learned? This connects entries to each other and shows judges that your process is continuous, not episodic.
Complete the guide, then open your team notebook and write the corresponding entry.
Every major mechanism needs at least one STEM entry. It does not need its own slide — it can appear within a build or test entry. Required elements:
| Checkpoint | What to Verify | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| End of Week 2 | Entries 1–4 complete, decision matrix done, build started | 4 entries |
| Monthly | Entries current, no gaps >2 sessions, test data present | 8–12 entries/month |
| 2 weeks before event | Full audit checklist (Section 8) | Review evidence areas and record remaining gaps honestly |
| After each event | Competition reflection entry written that day or next session | 1 entry per event |