Hello, I'm Osaka, a coder in the Coding Factory (CF) department.
Previously, Tanaka and Kanno from the same CF department had planned a project to ask about their work methods and ways of thinking, so I thought to myself, "I'd like to ask the same thing!" and decided to carry out the same project.
My conversation partner was Nakagawa, a former CF coder who is now part of the technical direction team in the creative department, and with whom I have a lot in common in that, although he is a former coder, he is now focusing on direction work.
It's better for both of us if we tell others before they ask.
My first interaction with Mr. Osaka Nakagawa was during live coding* when I joined the company. When did live coding itself start?
* Live coding: Coding a web page in real time in front of a third party. Nakagawa held these sessions as study sessions, and if there was anything unclear or concerning, the participants were asked questions and the problem was resolved on the spot.
Nakagawa: It was around the time Sugano-kun joined the company, so I wonder when it started? It might be quicker to ask "When did Sugano-kun join the company?" (laughs)
*Kanno joined the company in October 2010
Osaka : I see (laughs) So Sugano was the leading expert.
Left: Osaka, Right: Nakagawa
Nakagawa : That's true. At that time, it wasn't called live coding. I was busy and I didn't think Kanno would understand anything, so I asked him to just watch the work. If there was anything I didn't understand, I told him to just ask.
I had had him work on mass production projects before, but he had never worked on normal projects, so I had him observe my work for a day so he could get an idea of what it was like.
His technical skills improved remarkably after that. I realized that there is a limit to how much you can explain things verbally. In fact, coders understand things faster if you show them the source code than if you explain it to them verbally.
Osaka: As a new employee, I also appreciated the fact that I could ask questions about the source code on the spot.
Mr. Nakagawa, even though you've been transferred from the Cloud CF Department and your job has changed to being more of a direction-oriented one, is there a reason why you still do live coding with new coders?
Nakagawa: I often had new recruits ask me the same questions as before, like "How do you do this?", so I thought it would be better to do it myself before they asked me. By improving my skills, it would be good for both the company and myself.
Osaka : Still, the fact that Nakagawa has continued doing it for so many years is typical of the caring Nakagawa.
Nakagawa: I don't think it's right to say "I'm done with CF" just because someone has moved to a different department. So I ask them to do it, and leave it up to them to decide whether they want to do it or not.
From coder to director
Osaka
When you were transferred from the CF department to join the direction team, was it decided that you would become a director from the beginning?
Nakagawa : No, I hadn't decided at first. I had been directing production since I was at CF, so I was doing both direction and coding, but when the proportion of direction increased, my boss, Nagai, asked me, "Which would you like to be, a director or a coder?" and I answered, "A director."
From there, the number of projects increased and I began working as a technical director, as I do today.
Osaka : That's surprising. I had the impression that he had decided, "I'm going to be a director!" and set off on his own.
Nakagawa : No, not at all. I felt that there were limitations to what I could do as a coder.
Basically, I don't want to write complicated code if possible.
Osaka : Huh? Is it okay to say that?
Nakagawa: It's true. I tell my customers clearly, "I can't do this." But I also tell them clearly, "Instead, I can do that."
Osaka : Well, from the listener's perspective, if it's clear what you can and can't do, it doesn't feel like much of a negative thing.
Nakagawa: There's no point in hiding it just because it's negative. It's easy to say "I can't do it," but you can't say it clearly unless you have a good reason and other benefits.
Osaka : I see, that takes quite some courage...
Change your production style to suit your needs
Osaka: The restructuring of your department changed, and your job title changed from coder in the CF department to coder on the direction team. Has that changed the way you work or the way you think about things?
Nakagawa: Speaking as a coder, I've become more conscious of creating code that suits the customer, rather than following the CF guidelines. I think the CF guidelines place emphasis on the goal of standardizing quality within the team, but since I moved to my current team, the delivery destination is directly the end client, so I create with the assumption of how to create the most efficient way for people who are not very familiar with that kind of coding, or for people who want to operate the site in-house in the future. To do that, I try to customize it so that it is better to put it together in a certain way, rather than following the guidelines.
So you changed your production style to suit Osaka customers.
Nakagawa :That's right. We also changed the way we check things. Instead of making things exactly as designed and checking them exactly, we make the first run and eliminate only the critical errors, and then we match them to the parts we have if we have them. What is a must-have varies depending on the customer's needs, so we have become more conscious of this when checking and correcting.
Osaka: It's true that there are times when it's best to respond flexibly with the right people in the right places. Since CF is made according to the design and checked according to the design, I think that prior consultation is especially important.
Nakagawa :That's right. It's important to check the design carefully, expand on the image by asking questions like, "Maybe this part will be like this?", and then make a guess and ask as many questions as you can.
Osaka :I see. When I attend meetings with other directors, I often feel that they are good at eliciting information. However, it is quite difficult to guess and hit on aspects other than specifications and design.
Nakagawa : By continuing to ask questions, I was able to expand my knowledge. As you handle more cases, you will inevitably come across areas where you struggled in the previous case. If you summarize those points of reflection, I think it will be easier to hit the mark next time.
Understand, predict, and propose.
Osaka: Although I am also a coder, I have been given more and more work that places a greater emphasis on direction, so I would like to ask you about the important things in direction and how to work.
Nakagawa: My way of working hasn't changed much since I became a director. I don't think there is any boundary between the way a coder and a director work.
Osaka
You also direct the production of commercials. Is this an extension of that?
Nakagawa : That's right. The director has nothing to do while production is in progress. Instead, he has to spend his time communicating with the in-house production team. If it's not urgent, we can wait until tomorrow to contact the customer, but if we wait until tomorrow to contact the in-house team, the next stage of production won't move forward, so it's important to manage man-hours and schedules.
I am keenly aware every day that managing a schedule in Osaka is difficult. If you have any tips for managing your schedule well, please let me know.
Nakagawa: It's important to make some estimates for the processes in the schedule. The part at the end of "please do it within this period" may not be a must depending on the project, so if it's not a must and the schedule is tight, you can swap it for another process, or you'll have a lot of options.
Osaka : That's true. Looking back, there are many times when I think it would have been fine if it wasn't a must.
NakagawaEven if it's the same process, the importance of each day is completely different. It's important to understand, predict, and propose.
The importance of continuing the ordinary
Osaka : Do you have any selling points that you are strong at?
Nakagawa : I wonder? I've never really paid any attention to it.
Osaka-san, is there anything?
Osaka: "Being able to communicate with customers in a polite manner." I was once actually praised by a customer for this, and since then I've been conscious of this when communicating with them. When I feel like it's hard to get my point across, I prepare supplementary materials, and when writing emails, I check the structure multiple times, taking into consideration how the other person wants to understand. It's a simple thing, but I think customers notice it often.
Nakagawa: That's important. I saw a line in a manga or drama that said, "Even if you have an idea, if you don't actually do it, it's the same as not having thought of it." I think it's good that you're actually taking action.
Osaka: Although I can take action, I'm not good at continuing, so next time I'll try to be conscious of continuing.
After the conversation
I realized that listening to how people work is a different learning experience from instructing them on the job. What surprised me about Nakagawa's story was that he didn't decide to become a director on his own. My preconceived notion was that "before deciding on something big, there is a trigger, you solidify your opinion on it, make a decision, and then act," and that this is something that should be done after going through a process. However, when I listened to him, I found out that although he had his own ideas, he was of the "whatever will be, will be" type. On the other hand, it may be more important to be flexible and think, "If it doesn't work, I'll do it this way."
This interview was a great inspiration for me, so I plan to start using the techniques I stole in my future work.
"Nakagawa-san, please continue to support us!"
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