Overview

Regional fairs rarely go exactly according to plan. Even with careful preparation, you'll likely encounter last-minute changes to projects or judges. This article explains how to efficiently manage these changes in the YSC Portal while minimizing disruption to your fair operations.

Managing Last-Minute Project Changes

Project Withdrawals

When a student withdraws their project:

1. Navigate to your regional fair menu and click on Projects
2. Find the withdrawn project in your list
3. Click the Choose an option dropdown
4. Select Remove from Regional Fair
5. Confirm the removal

After removing the project:

• Update your judging schedules if they've already been created
• Consider accepting an alternate project if time permits
• Notify judges assigned to the withdrawn project

Project Information Updates

For changes to project details:

1. Go to Projects in your regional fair menu
2. Find the project that needs updating
3. Click on the project title to view details
4. Click Edit Project or the edit icon next to specific fields
5. Make the necessary changes
6. Click Save or Update

Common last-minute project changes include:

• Project titles or descriptions
• Challenge area modifications
• Language changes
• Safety/ethics considerations

Project Partner Changes

If a student loses their partner or needs to add one:

1. The student should update their registration through their portal account
2. As coordinator, verify this change in Projects
3. Check if the new partner has completed their registration
4. Update project groups and judging schedules if necessary

ProjectBoard Content Changes

Students may need to update their ProjectBoard projects:

1. Verify your project lock date hasn't passed
2. If changes are needed after the lock date:
   • Go to Assets > Events > Edit your event
   • Temporarily adjust the project lock date
   • Allow students to make necessary changes
   • Reset the lock date after changes are complete
3. Remember to inform judges of significant content changes

Managing Last-Minute Judge Changes

Judge Withdrawals

When a judge can no longer participate:

1. Navigate to your regional fair menu and click on Judges
2. Find the withdrawing judge
3. Change their approval status to "Not Selected" or remove them entirely
4. Reassign their projects:
   • Go to Assign Judges
   • Find projects assigned to the withdrawing judge
   • Move these assignments to other judges or recruit a replacement

Adding New Judges

To add a late-registering judge:

1. Ensure they complete the judge registration process
2. Go to Judges in your regional fair menu
3. Set their approval status to "Approved"
4. Assign them to appropriate project groups:
   • Navigate to Assign Judges
   • Find the "Unassigned Judges" section
   • Move the new judge to a suitable project group
5. Update judging schedules to include the new judge

Changing Judge Assignments

To reassign judges to different projects:

1. Navigate to Assign Judges in your regional fair menu
2. Find the judge you want to reassign
3. Click the three-dot menu next to their name
4. Select Move to and choose a different project group
5. Regenerate judging schedules or manually update them

Updating Judge Information

For changes to judge details:

1. Go to Judges in your regional fair menu
2. Find the judge that needs updating
3. Click their name to view their profile
4. Make necessary changes to their information
5. Click Save or Update

Managing Schedule Changes

Regenerating Judging Schedules

If changes are substantial, you may need to regenerate schedules:

1. Navigate to Judging Schedules in your regional fair menu
2. Click the Choose an option dropdown
3. Select Create Judging Schedule
4. Note that this will delete existing schedules
5. Confirm and generate new schedules

Making Targeted Schedule Adjustments

For minor changes:

1. Export your current schedules
2. Make manual adjustments in the exported spreadsheet
3. Use this as your working document for the fair day
4. Communicate changes to affected judges and projects

Communication Strategies for Last-Minute Changes

Notifying Judges

When judges need to be informed of changes:

1. Use exported judge contact information to reach them
2. Send clear emails with specific changes highlighted
3. For urgent changes, consider text messages or phone calls
4. Provide updated schedules in an easy-to-read format
5. Have printed copies of final schedules available at check-in

Notifying Students

When students need to be informed of changes:

1. Contact students using their registration information
2. Copy teachers or parents on communications
3. Be clear about how the change affects their participation
4. Provide updated instructions if needed

Informing Your Fair Committee

Keep your team informed:

1. Create a change log tracking all last-minute adjustments
2. Brief committee members at the start of each fair day
3. Designate a coordinator to manage ongoing changes
4. Use shared documents for real-time updates

Fair Day Management of Changes

Preparing for On-Site Changes

Even with careful planning, changes may occur during the fair:

1. Bring a laptop with portal access to the fair
2. Have exported data available offline in case of connectivity issues
3. Create a simple change form for recording adjustments
4. Designate a team member to handle last-minute changes

Emergency Judge Substitutions

If a judge doesn't show up:

1. Check your "standby" judges list
2. Consider asking committee members with relevant expertise to step in
3. Redistribute projects among available judges
4. Update projects about any judging delays

Project Issues on Fair Day

For projects with fair day problems:

1. For minor issues, allow students to make adjustments without changing portal data
2. For major issues (safety concerns, technical failures), document the situation
3. If a project must be disqualified, update your records after judging concludes
4. Be prepared to adjust judging schedules if projects take longer than expected

Post-Fair Documentation

After managing last-minute changes:

1. Update all portal records to reflect the actual fair configuration
2. Document significant changes in your fair report
3. Note any process improvements for handling changes next year
4. Ensure results and awards reflect the final project and judge roster

Best Practices for Change Management

1. Establish cutoff deadlines: Set clear deadlines after which only emergency changes will be accepted
2. Create change request processes: Develop a standard form or email template for change requests
3. Prepare for common scenarios: Have plans in place for typical last-minute issues
4. Build in buffer time: Schedule extra time in your fair timeline to accommodate changes
5. Cross-train committee members: Ensure multiple people know how to update the portal
6. Document everything: Keep records of all changes for future reference