Zen! Q&A: How Does IT Work at ZenGroup? We Asked the DX Team

Hello, everyone! This time, we’re introducing ZenGroup’s DX Team.

“What kind of work does the DX Team do?”

“What kinds of IT tools and AI does ZenGroup use?”

“What is the work environment like for people who are interested in IT and AI?”

We’ll answer these questions while introducing the work of ZenGroup’s DX Team and how IT and AI are used across the company.

QUESTION:

What does the DX Team do?

ANSWER:

Our work falls into two main areas: automating tasks for other departments and leading larger, company-wide automation projects from design and development through implementation.

Our work can be broadly divided into two areas.

The first is developing business automation applications based on requests from other departments. We also sometimes show people in those departments how to use AI and IT tools so they can eventually manage and improve their own processes independently.

The second is identifying manual processes that have become major bottlenecks across the organization and taking ownership of the entire automation process, from design and development through implementation and ongoing operation. While this overlaps somewhat with the first type of work, these tend to be larger projects that can take anywhere from several months to about a year.

Real Voices: From the DX Team

“How do you approach your work?”

Requests typically come in through the DX Team’s consultation channel. From there, we meet with the requester to better understand the issue they would like to address. Requests vary widely, from questions about how to use internal tools to the development of automation tools and data aggregation or analytics tools tailored to a specific department.

Rather than simply delivering exactly what has been requested, we look at the issue from multiple angles—for example, whether the task itself is truly necessary or whether there may be another way to solve the underlying problem. When needed, we may even redesign the entire workflow from the ground up.

Once development begins, we manage the project and share progress using Asana, while development code is managed on GitHub. After an application is completed, we first provide a test version to the requesting department for user acceptance testing. If there are no issues, we then move it into full production. That is the general workflow.

The DX Team reports directly to the CEO, but the management style is not top-down. Our opinions are heard and taken seriously, which allows us to approach our work with a strong sense of autonomy.

“What kinds of IT tools and AI does ZenGroup use?”

We use IT tools and AI such as Zapier and ChatGPT. ChatGPT is used for tasks such as translation, script writing, document creation, and drafting designs, while Zapier is used to automate data transfers and notifications. We have even built systems that automatically reserve meeting rooms. Daily tasks and departmental projects are managed in Asana, and because progress is visible, we are also able to focus on identifying and improving bottlenecks.

We also have Slack channels where people share the latest IT news and examples of automation, with team members actively posting things like, “Here’s something interesting!” or “I automated this process!” There is a strong culture of proactively keeping up with new information and finding ways to apply it to our work.

Many people here are not interested in technology simply for the sake of curiosity—they also think about how it can be applied to real work. In that sense, I feel ZenGroup has a lot of early adopters.

“Can you tell us about a project that was particularly memorable?”

There are many, but one that especially stands out was automating the process of downloading qualified invoices.

Before I joined the company, I was told that members of the Accounting Team were downloading them manually or had built a workflow using Power Automate. However, there was simply not enough time to manually handle the enormous number of downloads required each month. There were also issues with Power Automate, such as not having enough time to fix errors and having other work come to a stop while the automation was running. As a result, the download process itself was not functioning effectively.

We therefore began developing an application that could perform the downloads autonomously. One of the biggest challenges was that the process for accessing the download page differed depending on the website. We had to find ways to make the entire process—from retrieving the data to uploading it to our internal cloud environment—as stable as possible.

If we assume that one download takes 30 seconds, for example, processing 100,000 downloads would amount to approximately 833 hours of work saved. The project is still ongoing as we continue working to make the application even more useful.

“What makes ZenGroup’s IT and AI environment unique or interesting?”

Because there is a culture that encourages people to take ownership of their work, I think you can genuinely feel that you are contributing to the company. It is an environment where you can use flexible thinking and IT knowledge to change the way work itself is done in order to maximize your team’s performance. We also have access to the latest AI technologies, so there are plenty of opportunities to test the ideas that come to mind.

Turning an idea into reality creates a sense of accomplishment, and that success makes it easier to take on the next challenge. I think that is the kind of environment ZenGroup offers.

“What kinds of DX and AI initiatives would you like to pursue at ZenGroup going forward?”

I would like to develop guidelines and manuals for the use of AI.

AI is advancing at an extremely rapid pace, and while it is becoming increasingly useful, it is not without security risks. At the same time, simply interacting with AI through chat is no longer enough to fully take advantage of what these tools can do.

We need to create guidelines that cover how to use AI agents such as Codex and Claude Code, and establish an environment where they can be used appropriately and securely across the company. At the same time, I would also like to hold internal study sessions to improve IT literacy throughout the organization.

“Do you have a message for people considering applying?”

We are looking for people who not only stay curious and keep up with the latest developments, but who are also proactive about turning their ideas into practical improvements in the workplace.

As AI becomes more capable, the range of tasks it can perform in place of people continues to expand every day.

In that environment, I think people who can quickly determine—based on their own knowledge and experience—what AI can and cannot do, rather than simply leaving everything to AI, and who can clearly articulate the designs and ideas they have in mind, will be especially well suited to the way we will work in the future.

Summary

What did you think? At ZenGroup, we use IT tools and AI across a wide range of work as part of our ongoing efforts to improve how we operate every day.

One of the things that makes working at ZenGroup interesting is that we do not simply use new technologies for the sake of using them. We think about how they can be applied to our work and turn our own ideas into real improvements.

“I want to actively try new IT tools and AI.
“I often find myself wondering whether there’s a more efficient way to do things.”
“I want to put my own ideas into practice at work.”

For people like this, ZenGroup offers an environment where you can take on a wide range of challenges.

ZenGroup is currently hiring for a variety of positions. If anything you read here sparked your interest, please take a look at our current openings!

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Zen! Q&A: How Does IT Work at ZenGroup? We Asked the DX Team

QUESTION: