Hello everyone, my name is He Minghao, also known as Ethan. I am honored to be the lead of our Community Impact Project group and to write this Team and Personal Report. In our team, I handled most of the text work, prepared files including slides, took part in every sub project, and coordinated communication across the whole project. Since this report is not only about my own work, but I will also first describe the team’s work in time order and share my comments on each member, and then I will present my personal section.
1) Team Report and Timeline
When we first learned about the project, I divided the work according to each person’s strengths, skills, and actual situation, and also according to the nature of the project. We split the work into text, video production, website design, and visual design. After discussion, we made the following arrangement. Zhou Jiecheng, who is strong in filming and editing, oversaw the video sub project. Jin Zhiyi, who studied art in high school, was responsible for our logo, posters, and visual style. He Houru took care of the website design. Because the workload of each sub project was not clear at the very beginning and because Gao Fang had personal matters, he would support different tasks as needed. As the project lead, I took charge of all writing and I also joined the production of every sub project in person. I treated the first presentation as the midpoint. Before that point, everyone planned his or her part and produced a rough draft. This was the consensus we reached in our first group meeting.
In our second meeting, we discussed about six to seven topics. After we learned about the client’s background, I felt that since this was the company’s first social impact project and since both sides lacked experience, it would not be wise to choose a topic that would demand too much time and too many resources. Therefore, we decided to put feasibility and achievability first. Based on what we had experienced and what we had learned about Singapore during the past year in our Higher Diploma, we chose two topics, mental health and food waste. After we spoke with our tutor, both topics were approved.
We understood the first presentation to present our analysis and ideas in draft form so that the client could choose one topic. We understood the final presentation as a chance to show our completed work and explain the production process. From then until the first presentation, everyone focused on his or her own part. Most members sent me their drafts early so that we could discuss them together, and they shared their thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the two topics. Two days before the presentation, I prepared the slides and the speaking notes for each person and reminded everyone to practice.
After the first presentation, the client chose the food waste topic. We then held a third meeting to plan how to complete each task in an orderly way. I discussed with Zhou Jiecheng what locations and shots we needed and what extra help might be required. I spoke with Gao Fang, who had already cleared his personal matters, and he joined the field shoots as an assistant. I talked with He Houru, who suggested that our website should not only serve as a submission platform. It could also be refined as the official site for our Zero Waste project, with several sub-pages. I asked Jin Zhiyi to finish the logo first and then move on to the posters, so that other members could use the logo in their work.
During the production stage, I kept in touch with the members, except for Jin Zhiyi, at least once a week to schedule and track progress. He Houru built the website structure very quickly and by the second week the basic framework was ready, waiting for us to add content. After I completed the research phase, I worked with Zhou Jiecheng on the script and the shot list. Considering efficiency and manpower, Gao Fang joined the shoots throughout as a project assistant.
I had difficulty reaching Jin Zhiyi. Many times, she did not reply, and she seldom came to class, so I could not know her progress. Around the third week, which was a little more than one week before the deadline, she submitted the logo directly to the client without showing it to me or anyone in the team. We only learned about this when Mr Andrew, our client, mentioned it to me in class. The quality was poor and the client was not satisfied, so I reported the situation to our tutor and to the client. After I consulted Mr Andrew, I adjusted her tasks. Gao Fang and I took over the logo design. I gave Gao several templates as references and he produced the logo in Photoshop. After several rounds of revision, we finalized the logo. For the posters, I set a deadline and explained a simple and effective workflow that she could follow. If she could not deliver, I would take over. She did not follow the process. Under pressure, she produced several posters using artificial intelligence, which had obvious signs. Even after repeated feedback, there were no real changes. The final version was basically the same, only with a QR code added. As for the visual style, there was no real progress from her side. The style we used came from my communication with the team and with Mr Andrew so that we kept things as consistent as possible.
We carried out four main shoots and two minor pickups. Zhou Jiecheng joined all of them, and both Gao Fang and I joined three of the main shoots. I contacted all interviewees. Although there were small surprises such as last-minute changes, the team, and especially Zhou Jiecheng, worked efficiently and adapted well, so we completed the filming smoothly. Zhou Jiecheng, Gao Fang, and I all played important roles in this process.
In the end, all sub projects except the posters met the expectations of the client and of our team, which made us very happy.
2) My Work
In this project, I handled almost all text related work. I drafted and edited the key content and kept the tone consistent with our shared direction. I stayed in regular contact with each sub project lead and gave feedback that was specific and practical, not just general comments. I also joined the work of every sub project, so I could see the real issues on the ground and help find workable solutions.
Beyond writing, I managed the interviews from outreach and scheduling to question preparation. I recorded the voiceovers and checked that they sounded clear and that they matched the style of the videos. I prepared the presentation slides and wrote speaking notes for the team so that our delivery in class would be smooth and confident.
3) Personal Gains
I have had short internships in China, but this was the first time I led a team through something very close to a complete project from start to finish. It was a challenge and a valuable chance to grow. I built skills in planning, coordination, problem solving, and creative direction. I learned how to keep the team moving when small surprises showed up, and how to adjust plans without losing sight of the final goal.
More importantly, I began to understand what it takes to manage people and not only tasks. I learned to listen to different views while still making clear decisions, and to set a pace that keeps everyone engaged without burning anyone out. I believe these lessons will help me in my future study and work.
4) Personal Reflection
Looking back, I can see places where I did not do well enough. I lacked management experience, and I did not connect the different sub projects tightly during production. Most communication passed through me, which gave me a full picture, but it also meant many decisions were based on my view rather than a wider team discussion. That limited the range of ideas and sometimes made it harder to make sure the team was fully on track.
I was also too slow and cautious when I dealt with the issues around Jin. Because I did not act earlier, we had to spend extra time on the logo when we were already busy with filming, which affected the schedule for Gao and for me. Although I completed research at an early stage, I did not link it strongly enough to production, especially for the website. This was a missed chance to guide design and content more directly.
If I could do this project again, I would set up clearer communication channels among members from the start, so that updates and ideas could flow directly within the team. I would also act faster when quality or progress problems appear, so that the overall pace stays steady. These are the areas I plan to improve, and I see them as part of my growth as a team lead.
5) Team and Personal Summary
Looking back at the Community Impact Project, our team tried our best to deliver a complete and practical plan within limited time and resources. We faced unexpected situations, such as uneven progress and quality from a member and the need to adjust tasks, but through good communication, flexible planning, and mutual support, we achieved most of our goals. In several areas, such as video production and website building, the results were even better than we first expected.
For me as the lead, I learned that it is not enough to join every step. It is also important to set up a simple workflow and a clear communication system at the start. Such a setup reduces pressure from sudden problems and helps the team get into a steady rhythm. One key lesson was to act more quickly when issues arise, instead of waiting, so that the team’s pace does not slow down.
As a team, our strengths were complementary skills and reliable execution at key moments. Everyone made important contributions in his or her area, especially in filming, editing, and website work. At the same time, we did have a weakness in the early stage. Too much communication went through me, and there was not enough direct exchange between members. This limited our creativity and lowered collaboration efficiency.
Overall, this project gave me hands on experience in management and coordination and gave our team a real chance to improve our ability to adapt and solve problems through a multi part collaboration. Both the successes and the gaps will guide our future study and work.
He Minghao
9th August 2025