Tech Talks vol.22 – QA Engineers

About Tech Talks

In this Tech Talks series, we will share with you the attitude and vibe of the PayPay Tech Team through the voices of the unique product members from around 50 countries! In this issue, we talk to three members who are working as QA engineers in the QA Operation team.

What does the QA Operation team do and what is its mission?

Yuka：
PayPay has a QA organization consisting of 6 teams: 4 QA Teams for each product line, a QA Operation Team and a QA Service Team, which execute regression tests and maintain and improve QA-related infrastructure.

The QA Operation team, to which we belong, is responsible for quality assurance of new features released by PayPay. Specifically, we perform regression tests on all weekly releases and are responsible for all products except O2O (Online to Offline).

We also strive to improve the quality of our products. There are so many areas for improvement, but each member has his/her own agenda which they work on using their own initiative.
We currently have over a dozen members and will be welcoming some newcomers in the spring!

Chen：
The team’s primary mission is to eliminate critical bugs.
Since users of PayPay are making transactions every second, quality is very important. We always perform regression testing prior to release, and if there are critical issues, we immediately contact the developer to have them fixed.
Sometimes issues occur only on the production environment, so in these cases we sometimes need to respond urgently.

Another important mission is to improve the application.
We always try to look at new designs from the perspective of whether they really make sense to the user and if they will be useful. But it’s not just about specifications, we also need to think from the user’s perspective.

Shiori：
QA is a team that can touch the product from an end-user perspective and look at it objectively!

Can you give me some specific examples of your work?

Shiori：
The main tasks include feature tests, regression testing, testing associated with refactoring, and quality improvement work, but it varies from day to day as we are working on various tasks in parallel.
The main tasks we do during the week include designing and executing feature tests and regression tests, team management and vendor management, communicating with developers, reviewing, and updating test cases, and finally, working on quality improvement.

Chen：
Since there is so much to do, we have made a checklist of tasks subdivided into smaller tasks to make sure nothing is left out.

Describe some challenges you face at PayPay?

Shiori：
Everything that happens at PayPay is challenging, but if I had to name one thing, it would be the “data-driven” initiative which we have been working on as a team since this year.

After the QA Operation team was set up, it was difficult to design and execute regression tests, secure resources, manage test statuses, and coordinate with the development side, all without a standardized management process.

Therefore, a “data-driven” approach was initiated to manage data more efficiently. We are mainly working to compile and analyze data on man-hours and defects. By sharing areas that are prone to bugs with developers and understanding the areas that need intensive testing, we aim to improve the development process and contribute to better processes and higher quality development.With each day going by at a blistering pace, making improvements based on the data that we are both reflecting on and generating in real time seems like an easy task, but it takes a lot of patience.

Chen：
For this initiative, I am currently working on regression test management. By checking the productivity of each team, we use this information for management purposes, such as how to allocate tasks and understand the progress of resources.
Regression testing is not performed by a specific team but is rotated among members to optimize the process.

Shiori：
Resource management is very important because PayPay updates with new features every week, so as newer features are added, more regression tests are required and more resources are needed, so it is very important to manage resources and optimize tests on a regular basis.

Tell us about your team!

Chen：
Well, I think three words would best describe the QA Operation team: energetic, respectful, and diverse.
First, we are energetic. Our team is very communicative, and everyone is full of energy.

Regarding respect, I think there is a culture where all team members do their best to respectfully support each other. I learn a lot about this every day from my manager, Yuka, and I feel blessed to be working in this environment!

Yuka：
On the topic of diversity, it is true that our team is made up of members of various nationalities, including Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indian, Indonesian, and American.
We have a culture of open communication and mutual respect among our members, who are all unique.

What do you keep in mind when communicating in a remote environment?

Yuka：
Due to our WFA system, most communication takes place on Slack, but we try to communicate frequently, including short online meetings for topics when it’s faster to discuss verbally.
We also set up daily and weekly meetings, as well as 1-on-1s with each member. The 1-on-1 meetings are held once every two weeks for most members, and when a new member joins the company, we try to make time for conversation whenever possible.

Shiori：
Many of our members are not afraid to ask questions or speak up, so Slack is always active!

Yuka：
Slack is also the main way to communicate with PMs and developers, but it is also important to define the cause of the issue before sending your inquiry, as it can lead to a situation in which you are wondering who you’re supposed to contact for help when an issue occurs.
Communication is also an important mission of the team, as many people are involved in the product, not only within our team, but also from the development team and PMs.

Tell us what you hope to accomplish in the future!

Yuka：
Once we have established the regression test rotation operation that Chen-san is leading, we would like to resume the automation tasks that have been pending, as it will allow us to flexibly allocate resources in the future.
Looking back from the time I joined the company, the team is constantly changing, and I hope that our members will do even better this year.

Chen：
Over the past year, we have been working even more with the automation team. Members of the QA team are hired as manual engineers, and members of the automation team also hold study sessions to help us improve our skills.
I’d also like to work with the automation team on the swift optimization of our regression testing!

Finally, do you have a message for potential candidates?

Shiori：
Our team is very flexible, and we have a culture of helping each other. Each member is given a great deal of freedom to make their own decisions, and the culture of taking on challenges without fear of failure is fully ingrained in the team. If you like teamwork and a challenging environment, PayPay is the place to be!

Chen：
The appeal of PayPay is change, challenge, and speed. Another attraction is the diversity and flexibility. For me, as a member comes from China, PayPay is a good company to work at due to its flexible work style even possible to work from overseas!

Yuka：
At PayPay, every day offers a challenging and exciting environment. Plus, our team has a culture of discussing everything and offering support to each other. Ours is an atmosphere where anyone can speak up, even if they are new.
If you’re looking for a challenge in an environment where you will have freedom to make decisions, why not give it a shot?

*The recruitment status is current at the time of the interview.

Special Thanks: Yuka, Shiori, Chen / Author: Moe / Photographer: Tak
*Employees’ affiliations are as of the time of the interview.