Make the Most of your Hackathon Experience
"ROLES" to sUCCESS
Successful hackathon teams are built on collaboration, not just code. The most impactful solutions emerge when people with different perspectives—business, technical, creative, and organizational—work together toward a shared goal. Each role brings a unique lens to the problem, helping teams move from a great idea to a solution that is practical, resilient, and ready for real-world application in the public power industry.
You do not need to be highly technical to play a critical role on a hackathon team; in fact, non-technical participants are often the glue that turns a technical concept into something usable, valuable, and compelling.
Clearly defined roles help teams stay focused, move efficiently, and avoid common pitfalls like scope creep or last-minute scrambling. While team members may wear more than one hat, understanding these core responsibilities helps ensure nothing gets overlooked—from aligning the solution to real business needs, to building and testing the technology, to telling a clear and persuasive story. The strongest teams actively communicate across roles, respect each other’s expertise, and check in often to stay aligned as the project evolves.
CORE TEAM ROLES
Business / Subject Matter Expert (SME)
Provides industry context, defines the problem, and ensures the solution aligns with real-world public power challenges, constraints, and stakeholder needs.
Technical Creator / Builder
Designs and builds the technical solution, whether that’s using AI tools, data, automation, or prototypes to bring the idea to life.
Project Manager / Team Organizer
Keeps the team on track, manages time and scope, coordinates tasks, and ensures deadlines are met—especially as priorities shift during the event.
Presentation & Pitch Lead
Shapes the story of the solution, develops slides or visuals, and delivers (or supports delivery of) a clear, engaging final presentation.
User Experience / Design Thinker
Focuses on usability, accessibility, and clarity—making sure the solution is intuitive and designed with the end user in mind.
Research & Validation Lead
Gathers insights, benchmarks ideas, validates assumptions, and helps ensure the solution is grounded in evidence rather than guesswork.
Quality & Risk Lens
Identifies potential risks, limitations, ethics, or implementation challenges early—supporting resilience and long-term viability.
ADDITIONAL ROLES
GOOD TO KNOW!
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Dress Comfortably - Business Casual: Look professional yet relaxed so you can focus on innovation and collaboration.
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Enjoy Complimentary Meals and Snacks: We’ll provide breakfast, lunch, dinner, and plenty of snacks to keep you energized.
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Stay Connected: Wi-Fi is included, so you’ll have reliable access for your tools, research, and collaboration.
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Choose Your Ideal Workspace: Most teams prefer working in dedicated conference rooms equipped with whiteboards and notepads, but there are also open-space areas for more relaxed brainstorming sessions.
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Stay Focused: Dedicate your full attention to the event. Minimize personal or work-related distractions to make the most of this experience.
FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS
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Identify Process Flows for AI Improvement – Consider workflows in your organization that could benefit from AI—like improving customer service or automating repetitive tasks. Mapping these out beforehand will help your team make faster decisions.
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Think about Organization and Time Management Strategies – Plan ahead for how your team will stay organized. Whiteboards, task lists, or timers are all ways to keep focused and on track during the event.
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Team Roles and Responsibilities – Think about your strengths and what role you want to play during the event —presenting, coding, or brainstorming. Clarifying this upfront will help your team collaborate effectively.
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Familiarize Yourself With AI Tools - Use the provided Training Resources area to familiarize yourself with various AI Tools that will be available to you during the event to get an idea with the tools that may align with your solution goals.