The document summarizes the role of the QA manager at Rakuten Travel and efforts to improve their QA processes. It discusses how the QA team acts as the final quality gatekeeper before product releases. It also describes improvements made to the domestic booking service by transitioning to smaller, more modular development and incorporating more automated testing. The goal is to establish a sustainable QA process management system through test automation, release planning and integrating QA earlier in the development cycle.

1. The Quality Gatekeeper
Rakuten Travel QA
Created by Nokota Susumu
QA Manager of Rakuten Travel
Tech Conference 2016

2. Contents
1.Introduce about Travel & Myself
2.Travel Development Organization
3.Travel QA Improvement
3-1. Service Improvement Story
3-2. Sustainable QA Process Improvement
4.Summary Rap Up

3. Introduction about Myself

4. 15

5. Introduce about Myself
2001
2003
2005
2011
2014
Join in my trip company working
as Engineer
Job’s Biography
Join in Rakuten working as
Engineer
In charge of Domestic Services
working as Team leader
In charge of
Overseas/Accounting Services
working as Group Manager
In charge of Quality Assurance
working as Group Manager
Private Info
Nokota Susumu
⁃Rakuten Travel
⁃QA Manager
Mt.FUJI

6. Introduction about Travel Service

9. 9
Mytrip.net Rakuten Travel Inc.
2004: Rakuten Travel Inc. and Mytrip.net were merged. The company name became Rakuten Travel
Inc.
2005: Star Tours Japan (currently Rakuten Bus Service) was acquired.
2014: Rakuten Inc. and Rakuten Travel Inc. were merged
1996: Hitachi Zosen’s service “Hotel no
madoguchi” was launched
2000: Separation from Hitachi Zosen
1999: Renewal as “Tabi no madoguchi”
2001: Rakuten Inc. begins a new service called
“Rakuten Travel”
2002: Separation from Rakuten Inc.
2003: Rakuten Inc. acquires 100% of
Mytrip.net.
2006: Rakuten Group and ANA Group formed Rakuten ANA Travel Online.
Rakuten Travel History in Details

10. Hotel rooms & plans,
Airplane seats,
Rental cars,
Bus etc…
SEO/SEM,
Mail magazine,
Affiliate Partners
Cross Use with
Rakuten Ichiba,
Super Point
Rakuten Travel services are based on the triangle concept of
Matching , Inventory and User Traffic.
Search, User reviews,
Recommendations,
Personalization
Matching
(Booking)
Web
Traffic
Inventory
Basic Concept of Service Produce

11. 11
Online Travel Agent
in the world
No.1

12. 12

13. Travel Development Organization

14. Travel
Service
PDM
DevQA
Travel Development Organization
Travel Development Organization is
consists of 3 section’s.
SDD = Development Team
PDM = Product Management Team
QA = Quality Assurance
Also, we are working with overseas
company such as India & China & USA.
Development Sections

15. Travel Development Organization Expansion Plan to 2020
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
SDD(DEV ENG) PDM(Product Management) QA (Quality Assuarance)
Growing Development Organization

16. Current Travel Development Flow & Figure
Travel Development Flow
Issue/idea
Come up
Discuss the
business
Opportunity
impact
File a Wish list
Entry
Review inspect
The Wish list
Write down a
PRD
Anyone
In a Brainstorming
In Daily Business
BU
PDM
Support Desk
BU
PDM
Lead / SSD / BU
Prioritize the Wish list
Sort out Bug / DCR / Feature
Assign PDM / SSD
PDM
SSD
Designer
Integrator
Lead
SSD
Integrator
Developer
SSD
Architect
PDM
Integrator
Lead
Integrator
PDM
Developer
Tester
Integrator
PDM/BU UT
Review the
PRD
Developer
Spec
Test Spec Develop Release

17. 100
200
400
20 30 6030 40
80
50
100
150
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
2015 2016 2017
PRD (Large Project)/DCR (Small Project) DEV (Development Improvement)
MenteBug (DevOps, Bug & Improvement) Urgent Bug Fix
How many projects we have testing a year?
Number of Development PRD/DCR’s
More than 400 PRD’s
More than 200 PRD’s

18. Number of Kaizen Figure (Reported at 2016/1-6)
How many Kaizen we have last half year?
Urgent: Need to fix this as soon as possible. (Incident level)
P1: Need to investigate within a few weeks at latest
P2: Need to investigate within a few months at latest
P3: Nice to investigate and it will be fixed when the dev are available
Need to Investigate

19. To Be - Future Test Coverage
As Is - Current Test Coverage
QA Responsible Test Coverage Goal
Engineers QA
UT IT QA Release SAT
Engineers QA
UT IT QA Release SAT

20. Travel QA Improvement
Service improvement story of Domestic DP Service

21. Legacy
Architecture
New
Architecture
Something in between
Monolithic to Micro Service?!

22. Too many bugs
(Not enough test)
Domestic DP Development Issue vs Regression
Development Speed＆AgilitySlow Fast
Legacy
Architecture
New
Architecture

23. Domestic DP Development Issue vs Regression
Development Speed＆AgilitySlow Fast
Take off all bugs
(QA Process)
Legacy
Architecture
New
Architecture

24. How to improve QA Process?!
PRD/DCR
DEV
Mente
JIRA
1 Test
Scope
2 Test
Planning
3 Test
Case
Design
4 Test
Execution
5 Release
Confirmat
ion QA Process
Improvement

25. Domestic DP Development Issue vs Regression
Small LargeRegression Manual
Development Speed＆AgilitySlow Fast
Take off all bugs
(QA Process)
Legacy
Architecture
New
Architecture

26. Domestic DP Development Issue vs Regression
Small SmallRegression Manual + Automation
Development Speed＆AgilitySlow Fast
Take off all bugs
(QA Process)
Legacy
Architecture
New
Architecture

27. Travel QA Improvement
Sustainable QA Process management

28. Travel Development Flow
Issue/idea
Come up
Discuss the
business
Opportunity
impact
File a Wish list
Entry
Review inspect
The Wish list
Write down a
PRD
Anyone
In a Brainstorming
In Daily Business
BU
PDM
Support Desk
BU
PDM
Lead / SSD / BU
Prioritize the Wish list
Sort out Bug / DCR / Feature
Assign PDM / SSD
PDM
SSD
Designer
Integrator
Lead
SSD
Integrator
Developer
SSD
Architect
PDM
Integrator
Lead
Integrator
PDM
Developer
Tester
Integrator
PDM/BU UT
Development Main Frame
Review the
PRD
Developer
Spec
Test Spec Develop Release

29. Travel Development Flow
Current Development Flow
Test Spec
Test Case
Design
Manual
QA (STG)
Manual
QA (PRD)
DevelopmentPRD / DCR DEV Spec
Bug Fix &
Integration
Release
Operation
Lead
SSD
Integrator
Developer
SSD
Architect
PDM
Integrator
Lead
Integrator
PDM
Developer
Tester
Integrator
PDM/BU UT
Development Main Frame
Review the
PRD
Developer
Spec
Test Spec Develop Release

30. Sustainable QA Process Improvement
Release
Planning
Release
Management
To be
Test Spec
Test Case
Design
Manual
QA (STG)
Manual
QA (PRD)
DevelopmentPRD / DCR DEV Spec
Bug Fix &
Integration
Release
Operation
Test Spec
Test Case
Design
Manual
QA (STG)
Manual
QA (PRD)
Development
PRD / DCR
DEV / Mente
DEV Spec
Bug Fix &
Integration
Release
Operation
Merge to
Regression
As Is
1
2
3

31. Sustainable QA Process Improvement
Release
Management
QA Process Management Vision for 2017
Manual Test
Spec
Test Case
Design
Manual
QA (STG)
Manual
QA (PRD)
Development
PRD / DCR
DEV / Mente
DEV Spec
Bug Fix &
Integration
Release
Operation
Marge to
regression test
Automation
Case Design
Spec
Automation
QA (STG)
Automation
Development
Marge to
regression test
Release
Planning
Automation test (IT & E2E)
adapt to DEV team

32. Travel QA is the Final Quality Gatekeeper
Travel QA has the responsibility for all bugs, after the product
environment release. Therefore, we have 2 Authorities about QA testing
& Product Release. This is the one of the big difference between other
internet companies.
Judge all projects, whether QA Testing is necessary or not.
Judge and determine, whether it can release or not.
1, QA Testing
2, Application Release

33. Summary & Wrap Up

34. Summary & Rap Up
1 2
43

35. http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/
We want you!!
Be a quality gatekeeper