About Tech Talks
In the Tech Talks series, we’re excited to bring you the unique culture and perspective of the PayPay Tech Team through conversations with our product members, representing diverse backgrounds from approximately 50 countries around the world.
In this issue, we spoke with Kameyama-san and Miyagami-san from the PMO team, leading product development beyond the engineering team.
Shota Kameyama
Department: PMO, PMO Department, Payment Product Division, Product Group
Hi everyone! I am Kameyama, the manager of the PMO team. I have experience in establishing overseas subsidiaries in IT companies, worked as a CTO, and as the United Nations’ Global PMO. I returned to Japan in 2020 and was fascinated by the rapid growth of PayPay and its development team, which led me to join PayPay in December of the same year. Currently, I am working on cross-organizational process improvements as a manager.
Takahiro Miyagami
Department: PMO, PMO Department, Payment Product Division, Product Group
Hello, I’m Miyagami! I was originally working as a PMO, but I decided to join PayPay in July 2022 to gain more specialized experience in a larger scale company. I have been a user of PayPay even before joining, so I always try to improve the service from a user’s perspective.
Can you tell us about the PMO team’s role and mission?
Miyagami:
The PMO team’s main purpose is to provide comprehensive support to engineers and product managers, to maximize their performance to the fullest. Ideally, we are the go-to when they encounter issues, counting on us for a solution. Our goal is to develop a system where the PMO team acts as a central hub for the source of diverse information gained across the company, ultimately contributing to effective problem-solving.
Kameyama:
The PMO team has three main missions. The first mission is to reduce the burden on individuals and promote cross-organizational cost reduction.
The second mission is process optimization, which includes the group companies. To achieve this, we must drive digital transformation (DX).
The third mission is to create an environment that increases individuals’ productivity. While individual teams focus on optimizing their own processes, our goal is to support the overall working environment.
What projects have both of you been working on recently?
Miyagami:
At PayPay, we have a quarterly process called Product Roadmap, where we plan projects for the quarter ahead and I’m responsible for organizing these projects. We collect proposals initiated from each business department, determine their priority based on company strategies and risk considerations, and decide how far each project within the Product department will be implemented in the next quarter. For those that require development, we estimate the man-hours required and adjust to ensure they fit within the available man-hours. If we also include projects initiated for new products, there are several hundred projects per quarter, and we communicate with over 50 stake holders.
In addition, as a PMO, I mainly oversee financial services product lines. My role includes facilitating communication between the business side and product managers, managing overall progress and schedules, preparing documents and reporting to management.
Kameyama:
Lately, my focus has been on improving cross-organizational processes. As our organization grows, the complexity and the number of processes increases, prompting the need to consider efficiency for developing products. We are currently integrating data from product operations into BigQuery and visualizing the situation based on this BigQuery data and other scattered data. Generally, areas that cannot be visualized tend to have issues, so we dig deeper to understand why they cannot be visualized. If it seems that the issue lies outside of the product, we will approach it outside of the product.
When starting a new process, prioritizing speed usually results in manual handling. As the number of cases increases, not only does processing and coordination become difficult, but individual tracking also becomes necessary.
For overall optimization, it is important that everyone can easily access the data. After streamlining and optimizing the process, we will introduce tools as needed to facilitate data integration. If data integration is possible, we can further visualize the situation and improve the bottlenecks in the process. This is a continuous cycle. As a PMO, we want to first strengthen this visualization and highlight issues in product operations with data.
Synergy as a group company is essential, not just within the PayPay organization. This includes initiatives like Miyagami-san’s efforts with PRDs, where we export our knowledge to other companies, contribute to elevating productivity and quality throughout the entire PayPay organization.
Additionally, to facilitate the progress of Product Group members, we are working on reducing cognitive load. This involves visualizing the health and blockers of projects, creating transparency for anyone involved.
Managing Several Hundred Projects as a Team: Strategies for Handling Volume
Kameyama:
I often tell my PMO members that managing both project and portfolio at this scale is truly a valuable experience.
Miyagami:
There are more than 100 projects I oversee; approximately 60 of them are core projects. We are always aware of the status of each project, but because they differ in scale and stage, I prioritize and concentrate on addressing the areas that require attention.
The fact that there are users of the work that I deliver is a motivator for me. Without consideration of who will be impacted and how, my work becomes self-centered.
Given the inherent differences in perspectives between the business and product sides, it’s crucial to step into each person’s shoes to communicate. Striking a balance between data-driven insights and preserving a creative mindset is something I want to uphold in my approach.
Kameyama:
Our approach involves establishing a system for collecting information from across the company and promptly addressing potential obstacles. We prioritize eliminating inefficiencies in the overall processes, reducing cognitive burden, and ensuring a well-defined and comprehensive portfolio for everyone, which allows us all to work with speed.
PMO’s Challenges and Rewards
Miyagami:
The interesting part about developing products at PayPay is its tech-driven aspect. If we try to work on all the projects entered from various departments every quarter, we can’t manage the development resources and can’t provide the services that are really necessary for the users quickly. That’s why the PMO team under the Product Department walks through each case one by one and delivers it through the Product Roadmap. I initially struggled as I always needed to coordinate with 50 to 100 people. However, the consistent work made the priority of the projects clear and enabled the decision making easier. It’s quite difficult to set a compromise and to align the understanding and recognition of different parties, but it’s also a point where I feel a sense of accomplishment when the problem is solved.
Kameyama:
The ability to think independently and act proactively as a PMO holds the utmost importance. I encourage individuals to actively contribute to the team, rather than stay passive. This way, we can offer advice on whom to involve. I’d like to see individuals grow and thrive by making the most of PayPay’s environment.
Miyagami:
Kameyama san, my mentor at the time, left for a six month childcare leave, three months after I joined PayPay. It was just when three major projects were kicking off, and I had been assigned to managing them. However, back then, there were no rules or templates; specific responsibilities of the PMO were yet to be defined. I kicked things off by introducing myself and gradually started working with projects based on what I believed was necessary. It was a happy moment when I began receiving requests to apply similar approaches in other projects. Despite being new to the company, taking initiative led to gaining valuable project management experience!
Lastly, a message for our readers please!
Kameyama:
Everyone on the PMO team has project management experience. While many have backgrounds in IT project management, we have diverse industry experiences, including banking and marketing.
The qualities that stand out in successful team members include autonomy, the ability to act independently, and grit, or in other words, the perseverance to see tasks through to the end. PayPay fosters a culture where failure is accepted as part of the journey. Think independently, take initiatives, don’t give up and keep moving forward.
Miyagami:
An environment where failure is acceptable is a key aspect. If you are a multi-tasker, like to work with a variety of people, and are flexible, logical and creative, you’d be suited for this role.
Additionally, in the PMO team, we regularly exchange tasks. With everyone approaching each assignment as if it were their own, the atmosphere of willingly assisting each other is fun and appealing.
Kameyama:
As PayPay undergoes company-wide growth, the landscape changes with each phase, bringing alterations to tasks and required skills. This prevents a sense of stagnation and provides opportunity for continual growth and development. It’s an exciting environment where you can consistently acquire new skills and tackle fresh challenges. We look forward to your applications!
Current Job Openings
*Job openings and employee affiliations are current as of the time of the interview.