Running a DI Score Room: What Every AD & RD Should Know

1. Al Simons & Ben ThomasDI Scoring Masters Judi RobertsConnecticut Scoring Master Running a DI Score Room:What Every AD & RD Should Know

2. Primary Goal • The primary goal of a DI Score Room is to provide the announcer at the conclusion of a tournament with an accurate list of place finishes for the teams that competed at that tournament. • Help keep the tournament running smoothly • And to get everyone home at a reasonable hour

3. Secondary Goals • Produce scores that can be posted or distributed for teams to review after the tournament • Produce a synopsis of the results that can be posted on a website or released to the media • Produce a historical record of the tournament • Give people who like working behind the scenes an opportunity to participate in the DI program doing something they enjoy

4. The Four Disclaimers • There is more here than we have time for; help us focus on what is most important for you to learn here, now • Detailed documentation and planning guide are at <http://www.nh-di.org/discoring/docs> • We assume that you're the AD or RD throughout this talk, although score masters should also know this info • There are many possible ways to run score rooms; this is primarily based on our experiences in NH, MA and CT

5. Getting to the Goal • Presuming that You are Tournament Director, there are some basic step you should follow to ensure success: • find a score master you trust • get her on board early • jointly determine the scoring mode you wish to use

6. When should you start? • To score a tournament successfully you will need to: • acquire the correct computer hardware and software • acquire the personnel you need to score the tournament and see they are trained to score the tournament • collect and enter information about the teams competing at the tournament

7. When should you start? (cont.) • This is roughly the same amount of work as building an appraiser team • Consider allocating roughly the same amount of time • Consider training your scoring team when you train your appraisers

8. NH-DI’s practice • Appoint State Scoring Master with State Challenge Masters • Appoint regional scoring room leaders with RCMs • Have scoring room leads train the scoring room personnel at our appraiser trainings

9. The Score Master • Good communication skills, detail-oriented, computer literate, technically capable, general knowledge of the challenges, difficult to fluster, good communication skills • Get her involved early just as you would any other challenge master • Have her become a member of discoring Egroup • Have her define the score room policies and procedures • Review to make sure you agree and support • Have her collect the hardware and software needed to score the tournament, well before the tournament date • Have her lead the training of the score room personnel

10. The Score Room’s Role in the Tournament • In many ways, the score room is the “nerve center” of the tournament • It has the best overall view of how the day is flowing • Can provide early notice of any trouble spots to TD • Score master has to communicate with everyone • Tournament, Affiliate, Regional Directors • Challenge Masters • Head Appraisers • Score room personnel

11. Our Axiom • People make errors • range errors • math errors • data entry errors • To catch the errors, every action needs to be done twice and compared for the same answer • If you don’t believe us, spend a day in a score room; you will be convinced • In a perfect world, all Tournament Directors, Challenge Masters and Head Appraisers should do a tour in the score room

12. To Crunch, or Not To Crunch? • Number crunching is the single most error prone step of working with scores • Also labor intensive, since has to be done again in the score room (people make mistakes) • Consider not using number crunchers in Team Challenge at all! • DI scoring program supports entering all the appraisers’ scores directly into the computer: “Detailed with Appraisers” (DWA) mode

13. DwA Logistics • Number cruncher is optional • “Score Room Liaison,” instead • Eliminates ALL score calculation errors • Scores sent directly to score room • All scores entered into program • Team Manager and Head Appraiser score sheets printed and returned to challenge room • Works best in co-located tournaments • quick turn-around to challenge sites • otherwise can use NC and DwA

14. Detail Mode with AppraisersDwA mode • The mode we encourage • Results in fewest errors • Requires data entry of all appraisers’ scores • No Number Cruncher needed (score room liaison!) • Computer verifies ranges • Verifies appraiser agreement for objective scores • Computer calculates it all • Computer scales the final results and prints them

15. Certificate Common Computer Printer Check in Table Chair Chair Data Entry 2 Rollup/Check Chair Data Entry Table Chair Table Award Table Data Entry 1 Chair Chair Score storage area Sample Score Room Layout

16. Paper Flow INCOMING: Initial Scores Corrected Scores Completed Scores Finished Packets OUTGOING: Clarification / correction requests Logs all Time(s) In Time(s) Out Check in Award Table Completed Packets IC, ConnectDId Awards 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place DaVinci, etc. IC Rollup Weight Held Team Challenge Packets HA/TM Scores Network printer Network crosscheck Data Entry 1 Data Entry 2 Final Score storage area Handoff

17. Paper Flow Suggestions • Check-in • Log each score packet into the score room, with time • Program can print log sheets to help • Excel program used this year in NH: worked well! • Verify crunchers' math if using crunchers • Always double check IC scores and structure weights • Can be done by another person using calculator, or • Can be done by Detail with Appraiser mode • Data entry • Twice, to ensure there are no data entry problems

18. Paper Flow Suggestions (cont) • Return incorrect packets for corrections • Flag packet with a red sticky dot • Highlights need for immediate action by head appraiser • Lets the score room expedite it on return • Any time an appraiser’s intention is not crystal clear • Must be logged out, and then back in, with times • We fix math errors in the score room • Range errors, etc., get returned to challenge room • File score packets for easy retrieval • Count on having to retrieve at least one packet for rework late in the day, when things are already hectic

19. Humorous View of the Process • Packet comes in • Papers from wrong team • Packet goes out/comes back • 1st machine finds mismatched objective scores • Packet goes out/comes back • 2nd computer notices missing deduction explanation • Packet goes out/comes back • Cross check fails • Find mis-typed number • Print/send scores for HA / TM • HA changes score • Reprint / send • Finish challenge level • Print scores for announcing • HA appears, asks for all scores • Changes all scores • Re-enter all scores • Reprint… Every one of these events has occurred. Fortunately, no more than two-thirds have ever occurred for the same team...

20. Score Room Staffing • 1 Score room leader (optional: 2nd/co-leader) • 2 data entry people for every 50 teams • 1 utility infielder • paperwork checkin/out • check IC score and structure weights calculations • score packet filing • Score room liaison or number crunchers • 1 per TC challenge room • Score runners • 1 per TC challenge room

21. Score Runners • Often not thought of as “score room” personnel • Can make your life so much easier • Try for one per challenge room • Avoids the “closed door” syndrome

22. Miscellaneous thoughts… • Supply calculators to NCs, require their use! • Outlaw staplers in challenge rooms • Some would also include paper clips… • Provide 9 x 12 manila envelopes to store and transport each team’s TC paperwork • Safe, secure, easily filled • Use pre-printed labels on all team paperwork • Print the labels from the same database you create the scoring files from, so they’re consistent

23. Scheduling of Awards Ceremonies • Leave adequate time after the last competing team; we prefer at least 1 hour 15 minutes from last team start • Performance runs 8 to 10 minutes • 10 minutes for appraisers to work with the kids and fill out forms • 15 minutes to process in score room and return verified scores to challenge room for the TM. • TM has 30 minutes to review and potentially request Dialogue • And rooms occasionally run late!!!

24. Optional Score Room Tasks • Printing place certificates • Printing special awards (DaVincis, etc.) • Preparing results for the media • Posting scores for viewing • Other score distribution

25. For More Info http://www.nh-di.org/discoringhttp://www.nh-di.org/discoring/docshttp://www.nh-di.org/discoring/trainingmail:discoring-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

26. More information at<http://www.nh-di.org/discoring/docs/> also on the d2kafe CD-rom... DI Scoring Program-Specific Information

27. WhatHardware??? 2 Data entry computers • Number varies by number of teams • Per 100 teams for Summary mode • Per 50 teams Detail with Appraisers • Always in pairs • Windows 95 or more recent • Pentium-class, 300 Mhz or better • 128 MB memory for Win 9x, Win Me • 256 MB memory for Win 2000, Win XP

28. What Hardware (cont) • 80 MB Free disk space • 1024 x 768 (or better) monitor recommended unless using summary mode • 800 x 600 monitor minimum • REAL keyboards and mice!! • People who are skilled on “10-pads” hate laptop keyboards

29. What Hardware (cont) • Two printers • One per computer if no network • Two minimum, even with network • Other possible equipment • Check-in computer • Certificate printing computer • NEW!! Macs are supported!!! • OS-X required; see the discoring web site for more detailed information.

30. More about hardware • Why 2 sets of hardware? • See “Our Axiom”: Each step has to be done twice by different people to guard against errors. • An old Irish Proverb: “If something can possibly go wrong, it will, 15 minutes before the awards ceremony” (apologies to Murphy). • Extras: Don’t leave home without them! • Printer cartridges, toner, plug strips, floppies, highlighters…

31. Before Tournament Day • Create the schedule in CSV format, save it on a floppy. • Always, always, always, try out the program • On the hardware you’ll be using • With your data • Before the tournament!!! • Then reload the machine with fresh data files when you know everything’s OK

32. Tips & Tricks • Consult the considerable documentation • written by a professional • there are topics for tournament directors and score room leads • covers preparing to score, running a score room, using the program, scoring rules • Don’t use under powered hardware!!! • Run a sample tournament in as much detail as possible before the real thing! • Create your schedule in Excel or Access • export it as comma separated values (save as csv) • easy to import into the scoring program • Print labels for your appraisers from same data • saves the appraisers time, reduces errors and eye strain • Have your Score Master join the DI Scoring egroup—you too!

33. Backup Slides The main presentation stops here. Information after this point is provided for people who want more information about the details of using the DI-provided scoring program.

34. Entering Teams • For more information:<http://www.nh-di.org/discoring/docs/plandata.htm> • Easiest to use Excel or other spreadsheet • Save the file as “CSV”; all spreadsheets can do it • First row is header, then one row for each team • Up to 10 columns (5 required) • Challenge • Level • Team Name • Passport • Town • Team Chal Time (opt.) • Instant Chal Time (opt.) • Competitive Y/N (opt.) • TM Name(s) (opt.) • Team Nickname (opt.)

35. Sample Spreadsheet

36. Scoring Modes • The DI-supplied scoring software can be used in several different ways. • With your scoring master, decide what way works best for your tournament • Modes • Detail Mode with Appraisers (DwA) • Detail Mode • Normal Mode • Summary Mode

37. Comparing the Modes

38. Comparing Modes • 100 teams => 7500 score items to tabulate

39. Drilling Down to Enter Scores • Scoreboard for the tournament • number of teams • number whose scores are incomplete • when they should finish • when the scores were printed • Drill down to a challenge level

40. Drilling Down to Enter Scores • List of teams in a challenge level • performance time • status • being scored? • TC done? • IC Done? • Drill down to enter scores

41. Summary Mode • Requires the least data entry and computer power • Number Cruncher computes the raw scores • Computer scales the final results and prints them • This is the way Instant Challenge works

42. Normal Mode • Requires more data entry • Number Cruncher calculates • 1 - 7 • deductions • Computer verifies 1- 7 were in range • Computer calculates the Raw Central Challenge score • Computer scales the final results and prints them

43. Detail Mode • Requires even more data entry, most demanding of computers • Number Cruncher computes averaged item scores (eg 1a Innovator, 3a Research on the innovator) • Computer verifies ranges • Computer calculates all the sums • Computer scales the final results and prints them