An impact project can take many forms and can address a wide range of social, economic, and environmental challenges. It can be anything from starting a nonprofit organisation to launching a social enterprise, creating a community initiative, or organising a grassroots movement. Starting an impact project can be a daunting task, but with determination and passion, it can be one of the most fulfilling experiences of your life.

Throughout my college and university years, I had the privilege of spearheading several impact initiatives.

My Impact Journey

• Co-founded NUS Project Mandalay, an innovative OCIP program that bridged the digital divide and empowered low-income youths in Mandalay through technology-based curriculum.
• Founded Myanmar Community at NUS, providing a platform for NUS Myanmar students to network and contribute to society.
• Co-led Project Virtual Supermarket under Google Developers Students Club NUS, building an eCommerce-themed fundraising site for Food Bank Singapore pro bono.
• Started STEPS VolUnteers Youth Volunteering Organisation, which focuses on providing free English education for a local education centre in Mandalay.

In this blog, I will share my experiences and provide a step-by-step guide to help you start and launch an impactful project. As someone with a Product Management (PM)  background, I will also share how PM concepts and tools can be useful in executing your project effectively.

1. Research

Starting an impact project can be an exciting time filled with passion and drive to make a difference. However, it is essential not to rush into implementation without conducting thorough research. One of the most crucial steps in the process is gathering deep insights and truly understanding the issue at hand.

While you may already have some understanding of the problem you are trying to solve, it's important to dig deeper and validate your observations. Don't settle for surface-level data or a few supporting quotes from the target community as the basis for your solution. Instead, break down your target community into different subgroups and conduct interviews with each group to gain a deeper understanding of their specific needs and experiences. This will allow you to better understand the root causes of the problem and develop a more holistic and effective solution.

One method that Product Managers typically use to understand target users better is the Empathy Map. It is a powerful tool that helps you better understand your target community by breaking down their needs, emotions, and behaviours. You can use the template below as a guide while conducting interviews and gathering insights from your users.

Next, to effectively solve a problem, it is crucial to differentiate between its symptoms and root causes. The symptoms are the visible effects or indicators of a problem, while the root causes are the underlying issues that create the symptoms.

Before I started STEPs VolUnteers to conduct English lessons for children from Salay free education centre in Myanmar, I was told by the teachers there that students studies English as part of their school curriculum but are not able to speak in English at all due to a lack of confidence. While this was a symptom of the problem, I realized that stopping at this stage would not address the underlying issues.

One way to dive deeper into identifying root cause is ask up to 5 times of "Why?"  The diagram below shows how I broke down the problem to uncover its root causes.

By conducting thorough research, you will be able to build a strong foundation for your project and ensure that it is truly impactful. So, take the time to identify root causes, ideate and validate your solutions before moving onto the planning and execution phases. Remember, starting an impact project is a marathon, not a sprint, so take the time to do it right.

2. Define

The second stage in starting an impact project is to Define. This stage is crucial in setting up the project with the right expectations for all stakeholders.

Create a written document of the following :

• Target community - be specific and narrow down to a specific target group to ensure that the project is tailored to their needs and is feasible.
• Your eventual goal or North Star - what is the one vision sentence you need to read to motivate you and your team
• Objectives of your project
• Scope (what will be covered and what will not be covered)
• Key deliverables - set expectations with your project team as well as partner community
• Time frame - set an end date to the project
• Resources available to you (Manpower, Finances etc)
• Metrics - what are the criteria you will use to measure if your project has acheived its intended outcomes.

3. Plan/ Strategise

The third stage in starting an impact project is to Plan. There are 4 levels of planning you can do from basic project management at the very minimum up to strategising about project sustainability.

1. Basic project management: At this stage, you will plan the timeline of the project, allocate manpower and resources, set up communication channels, and establish the workspace for the project team.
2. Checkpoints for continual assessment of problem: In this stage, you will plan checkpoints to assess the fit between what you are doing and the problem you are trying to solve. You will also assess the task-people aspects of the project to ensure that the project is on track.
3. Strategies to achieve Impact metrics: At this stage, you will plan activities and measures targeted at achieving the impact metrics you have set out to achieve.
4. Project sustainability: The final stage of planning is to plan for project sustainability. This involves planning beyond the initial project period and considering how the project will continue to create impact in the long term. This may involve developing a sustainability plan that includes strategies for project handover, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement.

Overall, planning is a critical stage in starting an impact project as it helps to ensure that the project is well-organised, aligned with the intended outcomes, and sustainable in the long run.

This planning stage does not end once execution starts. You need to regularly review, refine the plan based on feedback, new information, and changing circumstances and introduce new measures and activities into your execution.

4. Team Set up

In the fourth stage of starting an impact project, you will need to form a team and dedicate roles for each team member. It's important to ensure that the team is equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to execute the project successfully. At a minimum, you will need at least four types of members:

• The Visionary - Strategic, Influencer, Provides direction, Innovative
• The Implementer - Coordinator, Keep everyone on task, Get things done
• The Analyst - Detailed-oriented, Quality Assurance, Sees risks/ problems
• The Relationship Builder - Empathetic, Communicator, Fosters positive team culture

In addition to defining roles, you should also set the expectation on the number of hours each team member needs to commit per week. Regular sync-ups and meetings are also important to keep the team aligned and on track. Bonding activities should be incorporated into meetings to build a strong team culture.

Finally, it's important to provide training and enablement for the team to ensure that everyone has the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out the project successfully. For Overseas Community Involvement Projects (OCIPs), technical training sessions such as emergency protocols, first aid, cultural sensitivity, and health and safety training are crucial, especially for the leaders of the project, to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone involved.

5. Execution

[Coming Soon...]

6. Post-execution

The final stage in starting an impact project is the Post-Execution phase. This is where you measure the project's performance using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the success of the project. It's also essential to communicate the results to stakeholders and consolidate the learning from the project to inform future initiatives.

During this stage, you should also take time to appreciate everyone who contributed to the project's success, including volunteers, partners, and donors. It's an opportunity to thank them for their efforts and show your appreciation for their support.

Lastly, it's crucial to plan for the handover of the project to ensure its sustainability. This includes identifying talent within the team to lead the project going forward, establishing a handover plan, and ensuring that all relevant documentation and resources are transferred to the new team.

Additional Golden Nuggets

[Coming soon...]

What's covered in this blog :

• What is Information Systems?
• Differences between the 5 majors in NUS School of Computing
• What do you study in Information Systems (and Econs) DDP
• Special programmes for IS students
• Career prospects of IS students

First of all, what is Information Systems all about?

In short, I would say -

"Application of technology in solving business problems and powering businesses"

It is a very interdisciplinary subject where you will learn a wide range of technical and management modules. The IS curriculum in NUS is technically intensive, since it is parked under the School of Computing, meaning that in about half the modules you take, you will definitely have to code intensively, unlike the many IS programmes that other universities offer that tend to focus on management aspects of IS. So, what do we code?

We learn to build business oriented applications called Enterprise Systems, which are large scale softwares used to manage all the operations of complex organisations and businesses. You may have heard of HR Management softwares, Finance & Accounting Management softwares, E-learning softwares, Inventory Management Systems - all these are examples of business-oriented tools that we learn to build in IS.

Here are some of my past projects from IS3106 Enterprise Systems Interface Design and Development and IS4103 Information Systems Capstone Project -

What is the difference between Computer Science, Information Systems and Business Analytics?

NUS School of Computing offers 5 majors and I have created a visualisation of the differences between the majors in the diagram below.

While Computer Engineering and Information Security are more straightforward in their distinctions, the differences between the other 3 majors may be a bit challenging to see.

Among all the real world applications of technology/ computing, Information Systems (IS) & Business Analytics (BZA) specialises in applications in business contexts. While IS focuses on building large scale business software systems to manage the entire operations of different business departments, BZA focuses on using data and machine learning to generate business insights for decision making. On the other hand, Computer Science is more about being more broadly relevant to this entire field of computing as a science - in addition to software development and data management, you will also study about optimising the efficiency of codes, fundamentals of computing devices, operating systems etc.

What do you study in Information Systems (and Econs DDP) across the 4 years?

In terms of theoretical knowledge, the IS degree covers a broad range of technical and management modules, while my Economics degree complements my IS degree by unlocking my understanding of how firms and markets operate and makes decisions from analytical and statistical standpoints.

In Year 1, IS students are required to take core modules such as Programming Methodologies (IS students study CS1010J in Java), Data Structures and Algorithms, Maths & Statistics modules similar to other SoC students from CS and BZA.

In Year 2, we take core modules that are more specific to IS major, starting with Enterprise Systems backend development, followed by frontend, then full stack. On the other hand, most of us clear Management side core modules like IS Leadership & Communication as well.

From mid Year 2 onwards, we start to take elective modules (unlike core modules, we can choose the electives we want) based on the specialisations we intend to take. You can find the electives and modules required for specialisations here.

As of 2023, IS offers 3 specialisations :

1. Digital Product and Platform Management Specialisation - this is about building and managing software products and platforms end to end in the entire product lifecycle, solving market & business challenges. This specialisation is suitable for those who want to go into Product/ Project Management, Tech Consulting, Strategy Consulting, etc.
2. Financial Technology Specialisation - this is by far the most technical specialisation where you will work with a lot AI/Machine Learning and understand the financial market concepts to better empathise with the problems in Financial Services to be solved. If you're interested in blockchain, stock markets, fintech, this specialisation will be suitable for you.
3. Intelligent Systems Solutioning Specialisation - this specialisation is the second most technical specialisation in my opinion. The focus lies in using intelligent (AI, ML) solutions to solve business problems and required modules to fulfil this specialisation has a mix of technical modules and business-problem-solving modules.

In SoC, we are not required to specialise, and it is okay not to specialise job market requirements wise, unless you are intending to go into more specific industries like FinTech, where it is helpful to take a specialisation.

What kind of special academic programmes are available for IS students?

In the list below, I've consolidated list of all academic special programmes that IS students can take to value add their IS degree. While some programmes are offered during your admission process, you can still apply for additional degrees/ majors/ minors during your undergraduate years, until the end of your 2nd year. I upgraded from double major to double degree in my second year and some of my friends even changed their faculty in their first or second year. If you are a scholarship holder, you will need to get approval from NUS Scholarships administrator to change your course, but the process of getting approval is fairly straightforward - an email outlining clearly your reason for the change.

1. Concurrent Degrees Programmes - Bachelor + Masters degree in 4.5 to 5 years
2. MS (Engineering & Technology Innovation Management) Programme at Carnegie Mellon University + BComp (Information Systems) at NUS - for this programme, you spend 3.5 years in NUS and 1 year overseas in Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, US
3. MSc (Mgt) Programme by NUS School of Business + B.Comp. (Hons.) by NUS School of Computing - completed in 5 years, students who complete this concurrent programme are eligible for European Master's in International Management (MIM). Through this route, you can get three degrees: Bachelor + MSc(Mgt) + MIM in ~5.5 to 6 years.

2. Double Degree Programmes - 2 * Bachelor degrees in 4.5 to 5 years

• Double Degree in Information Systems & Business Administration/Business Administration (Accountancy)
• Double Degree in Information Systems & Economics

You can complete double degree in about five years (for double honours) or four-and-a-half years (for single honors, meaning that your second degree is a non-honors degree).

You can also design you own double degree programmes between Computing with another discipline after admission.

3. Double Majors

This double major combination for IS is offered by SoC for direct admissions :

• Information Systems with a second major in Economics

If you want to take double major with IS and other subjects, you can apply for it after your admissions during your undergraduate years.

• Double Majors offered by the School of Business
• Double Majors offered by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
• Double Majors offered by the Faculty of Science
• Double Major offered by the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health

You may find the full list of double majors offered to SoC students at direct admissions here.

4. Minors

The following 4 minors for IS are offered by SoC for direct admissions :

• Information Systems with a Minor in Economics
• Information Systems with a Minor in Entrepreneurship
• Information Systems with a Minor in Interactive Media
• Information Systems with a Minor in Management

You may find the full list of minors offered to SoC students at direct admissions here.

What kind of jobs do IS students go in to after grad?

The mix of modules in IS designed to home both technical and business competencies in students mean that you will have the flexibility to pursue more technical software development roles or more business oriented roles or a mix of both.

Here are some of the roles (non-exhaustive list) that my seniors have gone into after their grad :

Final Personal Thoughts

So far,  I really enjoyed my past 7 semesters in the NUS IS double degree programme, particularly the holistic coverage of technical and business areas of study in this programme, the rigorousness of the modules that spurred off many deep, interesting conversations with my project group mates and the extensive career opportunities available that helped me feel more prepared to enter the workforce. I also especially appreciate that there was ample opportunity for me to work on real-world projects on end to end enterprise system development by collaborating in teams.