The main goal of this project was to construct a truss that could handle the most possible weight. These trusses would compete for the longest time of survival in a truss-busting machine.
Our groups truss actually lasted the longest and survived more weight than any other truss. I attribute this to our group's simplistic design. This simplistic design was intentional so that it would be stronger under real construction conditions. Other groups had more complicated designs that were supposed to hold more weight, but they were more difficult to construct, which means worse solder joints and pieces cut to the wrong length.
Unfortunately due to a miscommunication with the professor, our group discovered we were competing based on theoretical designs, not actual performance. This placed our group lower in the rankings. Lesson learned, make sure the requirements are clear!