Works 4 days a week to balance childcare and childcare. How Mr. Watanabe works, a QA tester who protects the quality of Mr. Adjustment/TimeRex

This is an interview series introducing the team members who support Chouseisan and TimeRex. This time, we will introduce Watanabe-san, who supports the team as a QA tester.

As a QA tester, Watanabe repeatedly performs detailed tests to check whether the product is working properly, whether there are any bugs, whether there are any notation errors, etc., and strives to make improvements every day so that users can use it comfortably. In her private life, she is also a powerful mother who balances childcare with work, with two elementary school-aged sons.

We interviewed Watanabe about how he works at Mixtend and what he values!

First, please introduce yourself!

I am in charge of system testing at Mixtend. I actually operate applications before their release, checking in detail whether they work as expected, whether there are any errors in the contents, whether the user can operate them, etc.

In my private life, I am a family of four with two elementary school-aged boys. I love traveling, so I am planning a trip to Okinawa during the summer holidays! Since I am now able to live without leaving the house, I have gained weight during the coronavirus pandemic. Recently, I have started going out for walks with my husband at night. I used to hate commuting, but it seems to have helped me stay healthy (laughs)

We’re a fully remote company, so I understand how important commuting is (laughs). What is your typical work schedule?

I have two elementary school-aged children, so I work reduced hours, from 9am to 4pm.

• 7:30 Breakfast
• 8:10 Children arrive at school
• 9:00~12:00 Work (check the schedule for the day → check and prepare test requirements)
• 12:00 Lunch (If my husband and I have the time, we enjoy eating out together somewhere nearby)
• 13:00~16:00 Work
• 16:30 Pick up second son from after-school care
• 18:30 Dinner

My previous job was also at a company that was understanding of families with children, but Mixtend is completely remote, so it’s helpful because I can pick up my children earlier and start preparing dinner earlier.

お仕事は、これまでもQAテスターとして働かれていたんですか？

No, I had experience in web testing before, but Mixtend is my first time working as a full-time QA tester.

Up until now, after graduating from university I have worked as an SE for three companies.

Unfortunately the first company I joined went bankrupt, so I was transferred to the next company with my department. Also, at the second company I was transferred to, the company was split up into separate companies for each business, so I was transferred to the third company. I have never quit my job, but as a result I have worked as an SE for three companies (laughs).

My duties included web testing, making requests to developers, and system consulting, including overseas support.

In the end, you worked for three companies! That must have been a valuable experience. You first came to Mixtend as a temporary employee.

After our children were born, my husband and I worked together to somehow balance work, housework, and childcare, but when our eldest son started elementary school, we wanted to be able to devote more time to our children.
I wanted my child to start taking lessons, but it was difficult to coordinate this with my previous employment, so I quit my job and decided to work as a temporary employee.
I have now been approached by Mixtend and am working as a full-time employee!

Why did you choose Mixed Stained?

The main reasons were that I was excited about the opportunity to utilize the experience I had gained from web testing, requesting developers, system consulting, etc., the freedom of working fully remotely, and the opportunity to work in a scheduling SaaS industry that is growing due to the increased need for online meetings caused by COVID-19.
In addition, during our first interview, the CEO, Mr. Kitano, was very understanding about childcare and family issues, and I thought I would have fun working with the CTO, Mr. Raj, because he has experience in dealings with overseas companies, so I decided to work with Mixtend.

Now that you’ve actually worked there, is there anything you like about the company?

Actually, at first I thought I would be happy to stay as a temporary worker for about three years.

However, my motivation increased when I heard that a close mom friend was using the web application I had been involved in, and the company was flexible in accommodating sudden family circumstances, making it a very comfortable working environment, so I began to feel sad as the end of my temporary period drew near. I had always wanted to work here, so I was very happy when the company approached me about becoming a full-time employee.

Just like when I was a temporary worker, I work four days a week, so I can take my children to and from their lessons as I had originally intended, and I also like the fact that I can work at a relaxed pace as I can get housework done in the middle of the week.

Being able to work flexibly is important when raising children. What kind of system does Mixtend have for testing work?

The tasks for the week are decided at the development meeting every Monday, and then we proceed with the tests in order. In order to be able to share the content as a team, we create a spreadsheet for each test and compile the progress and any bugs. We generally communicate with the development team using Slack and Google Spreadsheets.

When you find a problem during actual testing, what is the process for resolving it?

I will try to isolate the cause of the problem until I find it. I will thoroughly check things like whether the problem can be reproduced, whether it’s a browser-dependent problem, or whether it’s language-dependent. After that, I will write down the details of the problem in a Google spreadsheet and contact the developer on Slack to ask them to resolve the problem.
Once the developer has fixed the problem, we will test it again and release it if there are no problems.

Is there anything you pay particular attention to when performing testing?

Even if I find a bug, I try not to report it to the developer right away in the heat of the moment. I try to carefully isolate the environment to find out where the problem is, and try it out a few times myself to see if it can be reproduced.

If I found a problem, I might panic and report it…

Yes, to avoid that, I am conscious of whether I can explain the phenomenon in my own words. If I report in a hurry, it won’t get across… It is important to be able to say in detail everything, such as “how and why this phenomenon occurred.”

It seems like you have a lot of contact with the development team. Is there anything you pay particular attention to when communicating with the team?

All the development team members are very kind, so even though I don’t understand the technical details, they seem to understand and pick up on what I’m trying to say. I’m really grateful… (crying) (laughing)

So even though I don’t understand the difficult technical terms, when I find a problem I’m able to explain it all.

I can feel the warmth and supportive communication! Looking back over the past year or two, is there anything that stands out in your memory?

When testing a function, we coordinate the test requirements with the developer, but it is up to me to decide whether to look at other details or not. So I was initially worried that I might have missed something.

However, a developer who has been working with TimeRex for longer than I have commented to me, “I was able to implement it with peace of mind because you checked every detail,” which made me very happy. I was feeling anxious and groping around, so receiving that comment gave me confidence. It made a big impression on me.

That’s a wonderful story (tears) Finally, please say a few words to those reading this blog!

It is true that I was attracted to Mixtend’s relaxed corporate culture in that I decided to join the company, but a big part of why I decided to join was that I was excited about the opportunity to work in the scheduling SaaS industry, which is a rapidly growing industry due to the increased need for online meetings caused by COVID-19.

TimeRex is constantly being updated, but since adopting my current work style, I feel I have grown to be able to handle childcare and housework more efficiently and also to be able to maintain a better mental balance.

I would definitely recommend this job to anyone who wants to do creative work creating next-generation services, or who wants to enjoy life while maintaining a good work-life balance.