Hi, I am Jay from the Overseas Establishment Team of the Engineering Division.
In November 2022, Sasan announced the establishment of a development center in the Philippines to strengthen Sansan's product functions for global markets. We began preparations and actively scouting for talented engineers in Cebu prior to the public announcement. By the end of January 2023, we had hired 9 highly skilled individuals.
In this series of blogs, we will introduce and report to you our team's progress on both technical and cultural aspects. For this first installment, I am excited to introduce you to the pioneering team and work culture at Sansan Global Development Center, Inc., our newly established company based in Cebu, Philippines.
The Engineering Team of Cebu and its Work Environment
As a new team, we're still adjusting to the ways of Sansan, Inc., and learning the technology behind the Bill One project. Everything is still new to us and we are faced with complex challenges that require focus, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Fortunately, the Bill One team has provided some guides through their onboarding process to enhance our productivity and shorten our learning curve. In addition, we added our own “Katachi” – our own “personality” to help us approach these challenges that we face everyday.
The Monday Morning “Chōrei”
We start our week with a chōrei every Monday morning. This is to provide a regular update to all engineers and the management to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Each week will have a different engineer to facilitate the chōrei to promote active participation and help enhance their communication and presentation skills. During this time, we also acknowledge each one's contribution to boost their work performance and morale.
The Daily “Asakai”
We conduct “asakai” everyday for project specific updates. We use this opportunity to track the progress of the ongoing projects. During this meeting, we identify any potential roadblocks or delays and ensure that the project stays on track.
The Japanese word of the day
We are very much interested in learning the Japanese language, thus we teach some Japanese words of the day to the engineers to increase their Japanese vocabulary. Communication is important to us and a few words a day may not be enough but we take simple steps everyday to help overcome the language barrier issue.
Team Lunch
Having lunch together is a great way to promote team camaraderie. At Sansan Cebu, we value family-centric relationships and aim to cultivate that same bond within our organization. While we may not be discussing projects during these moments, it fosters an atmosphere of camaraderie, respect, and understanding among team members. This leads to effective teamwork, making the daily demands of work more manageable and stress-free.
The Team
This is the current team members of Sansan Cebu.
Future Plans
As we expand our engineering team in Cebu and take on more projects, we anticipate encountering complex challenges. However, we are committed to preparing for these challenges by continuously improving our development process, investing in training and development, conducting team building activities, defining roles and responsibilities, and addressing language barrier issues by learning Japanese. By implementing these measures, we can grow and scale our engineering teams while maintaining a positive team culture, achieving our goals, and overcoming obstacles.
Furthermore, we approach challenges with a positive mindset, seeing the glass as half-full. We believe in positive outcomes and reframe obstacles as opportunities for growth and innovation. By perceiving challenges as paths to numerous solutions, we can stay optimistic and drive progress.
Next blog
For the next blog, we will delve deeper into our technologies and engineering. So we hope you look forward to it!
Jay Pegarido
Deputy Head of Overseas Establishment Team
Engineering Division
