How to Win

SPACE SETTLEMENT DESIGN COMPETITION

HOW TO WIN

Space Settlement Design Competitions are industry simulation games that both show and require use of corporate communication techniques to get the job done. Your disadvantage is that you have an inexperienced staff lacking in technology and management skills – but so do all of your competitors.

In order for your company to create an effective design, the people in all four of your engineering discipline departments must communicate with each other. Every department influences the work of all the others. You must be cautious, however: if you carry communication to the limit, with everybody working on the same part of the challenge all at once, you will be wasting time. You need to find a balance between doing the most things at once by having different people do them, and having people work together to make sure the whole project fits together. Your CEO is a manager where he or she works, and does this all the time. Your President, Vice Presidents, and Department Directors will have to learn this quickly. Everybody in your company needs to focus on the common goal: to provide a unique design that meets the customer’s requirements and is effectively communicated to the judges.

The Basics: Win the same way any company wins a proposal competition.

1. Create a design that meets the customer’s requirements

2. Show in your presentation that your design meets the requirements

Customer Requirements Are Described in the Request For Proposal (RFP)

1. The RFP describes exactly what the customer wants

2. Winning design should address every issue or point in the RFP

3. Plenty of latitude for innovation: show HOW your design meets the RFP

Communicate Your Design in the Presentation

1. Best design in the world is worthless if you don’t communicate it

2. Think about the briefing and charts as soon as you start the design process

3. Vice President of Marketing and Sales makes sure designs are portrayed in the most effective manner; share your vision with the judges; get the judges excited about living in your design

4. Make sure that your presentation shows that your design meets RFP requirements

5. Judges look for weaknesses in your design – be sure all presenters know what the design is and why it is that way

6. “On the spot engineering” in front of the judges usually makes things worse

Innovation is Encouraged But Feasibility is Essential

1. Justify any technologies assumed in your design which exceed those described in the competition materials

2. Judges include engineers working in the aerospace industry – base your design on the level of existing technology defined by the Competition organizers , laws of physics, and common sense

Carefully Study All Materials Provided To You

1. The RFP tells you all the explicit proposal requirements, but not the implicit requirements – you must think about requirements that are obvious but not stated

2. The Program Book which will be provided to you has much information about the capability of the competing companies, the availability and capability of subcontract vendors, etc. Study this material carefully and use it

3. The Press Release included in the Program Book often mentions key points that the judges will be looking for and which may not be stressed in the RFP

4. If you are uncertain about a requirement, or a proposed design feature or innovation, you can ask for clarification from the Foundation Society organizers

The Competition organizers hope you have a good time in your attempt to win the favor of the judges. We hope you learn a lot too, because we know that somewhere, right now – whether it be late at night or in the middle of the weekend – there are people in industry doing exactly the same thing, but for real money as part of their real jobs. You may join them some day, and this is a great opportunity to learn how the game is played!