To be honest I think this is one of the key areas where our choice of static event judges needs to be very carefully monitored. And it is one of the main reasons I push for alumni to take up judging roles in this event. It is with the informed alumni that I have the most sophisticated discussions about the merit of a particular design with respect to:
- the resources available to the team
- the goals and objectives of the team
I am not one who believes that if the team has limited resources, then it needs to go out and get more resources. Good design can occur within the confines of limited resources, just as much as poor design can be found in teams with extensive resources.
The merit of design is in delivery of functional requirements within the bounds of the resources available. Sure, there is some scope to trade/invest some resources (e.g. project time) for others (e.g. sponsorship dollars), but in the end you have to put a cap on it somewhere. And to this point in time I have had more rounded discussions with alumni on this matter than outside industry professionals.
I don't believe that a solely alumni based judging crew is the answer - we need balance and outside perspective. But an industry monoculture is just as bad as an alumni monoculture. As is an incumbent monoculture, where the existing crew assume that outsiders are less informed than they are - is less desirable again.
And before I offend anybody again - I am not taking pot shots at anyone here!