I joined Colorkrew as a QA Lead in July 2025. Before that, I had already been working in Japan, but I was in the middle of a career change. Like many people in that position, I was looking for a place where I could not only do my job but also grow and ideally help shape how things are done.

Looking back now, Colorkrew turned out to be exactly that kind of place.

In this post, I want to share my journey so far: why I chose Colorkrew, what my day-to-day work looks like, the challenges I’ve faced, and what kind of people I think would fit well here. If you’re considering applying, I hope this gives you a clearer, more realistic picture than a job description ever could.

From Career Change to QA Lead

My path to becoming a QA Lead wasn’t a straight line. I changed careers, and I was already living and working in Japan when I started looking for my next role. Because of that, I was very conscious about where I would join next.

I wasn’t searching for a “perfect” company with flawless processes and everything already figured out. Instead, I was looking for a place with potential somewhere that still had room to improve, where my ideas and experience could make a difference.

That mindset played a huge role in why Colorkrew stood out to me.

Why I Chose Colorkrew

During the hiring process, what caught my attention wasn’t how polished everything was, but rather the opposite.

At Colorkrew, there were clear areas that could be improved. Processes weren’t overly rigid. Some things were still decided based on experience, intuition, or “vibe,” rather than strict rules. For some people, that might sound like a red flag-but for me, it was an opportunity.

I saw a company that was:

• Still evolving
• Open to new ideas
• Willing to listen, even if the suggestion challenged the current way of working

I felt that if I joined, I wouldn’t just be maintaining existing systems-I’d be actively involved in building better ones.

What I Do Day-to-Day as a QA Lead

My daily work as a QA Lead covers several areas, but at its core, it’s about supporting product quality and improving how we release software.

Some of my main responsibilities include:

• Release testing, covering both new features and regression testing
• Collaborating closely with developers before and during releases
• Supporting and improving test automation
• Helping new team members onboard into QA practices and tools
• Thinking about how our release pipelines can be more structured and reliable

On paper, these might sound like standard QA tasks-but a lot of the work involves discussion, coordination, and proposing better ways of doing things.

The Challenge: Immature Processes

One of the biggest challenges I faced after joining was the lack of mature, well-defined processes, especially around releases.

For example:

• Decisions were sometimes made based on intuition rather than shared standards
• Release workflows weren’t always clearly defined, especially when the task required someone outside of the development team
• QA involvement in the pipeline varies depending on the project or timing

As a QA Lead, this can be frustrating. When processes aren’t clear, quality can become a moving target, and responsibilities can feel ambiguous.

At the same time, this challenge was also the exact reason Colorkrew appealed to me in the first place.

What Helped Me Deal with It: Culture

What really helped me navigate these challenges was Colorkrew’s culture.

People here are genuinely open to:

• Hearing new ideas
• Discussing problems openly
• Admitting when something isn’t working well
• Trying improvements, even if they’re not perfect at first

When I suggested changes-whether related to testing strategy, release structure, or communication-those ideas were taken seriously. Not every proposal was implemented immediately, and not everything worked on the first try, but the important part was that discussion was always possible.

That openness makes a huge difference, especially in a role like QA, where improvement is continuous rather than a one-time fix.

About the Team

My team is highly collaborative. People are generally willing to help, share context, and work together across roles.

That said, there’s still room for improvement, especially when it comes to feedback is given and received. This isn’t something unique to Colorkrew; it’s common in growing teams. But the key point is that we can talk about it. Feedback itself is becoming a topic we actively try to improve.

For me, that’s a positive sign. It means the team isn’t complacent.

Before vs. After Joining Colorkrew

Before Colorkrew, my experience in other environments often looked like this:

• I could improve one small area
• Or I could work strictly within already-built processes
• Innovation was limited by legacy systems or fixed rules

At Colorkrew, it feels very different.

Now:

• I regularly find areas where processes can be improved
• I can propose changes and experiment with them
• Improvement isn’t a “special project”-it’s part of the ongoing work

This shift has been one of the most rewarding parts of my role here. Instead of waiting for permission to innovate, I’m expected to contribute to improvement.

Who I Think Fits Colorkrew Well

Based on my experience so far, Colorkrew is a good fit for people who are:

• Open-minded and curious
• Willing to learn and continuously improve
• Comfortable with some level of ambiguity
• Not afraid to ask for help
• Happy to offer help to others without being asked

If you strongly prefer perfectly defined processes and strict structure from day one, Colorkrew might feel stressful. But if you enjoy building, shaping, and improving how things work, that’s where this company really shines.

Final Thoughts for Candidates

When I was job-hunting, I would have loved to read something honest like this-something that didn’t pretend everything was perfect but showed that growth was possible.

Colorkrew is still evolving. It’s not a finished product, and neither are its processes. But if you’re the kind of person who finds motivation in improvement and collaboration rather than perfection, you’ll likely feel at home here.

And for me, that’s exactly why I joined and why I’m still excited about what comes next.

▶ Recruitment site: https://www.colorkrew.com/en/recruit/