When we first met Reifa Tangon, what struck us most was her humility and kindness. She speaks about her community not with self-praise, but with genuine care and always focused on how others can learn, grow, and succeed. To Reifa, community building isn’t about numbers, fame, or recognition; it’s about giving people a space to belong and helping them discover their potential.
Her story over the past decade is one of persistence, generosity, and quiet leadership which is a reminder that real impact often begins with simple intentions and a heart to help.
Below is our conversation with Reifa, where she shares how it all began, the challenges of growing a nationwide QA movement, and her hopes for the future of testing in Indonesia.
Q: Could you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you found your way into QA?
A: I’m originally from Manado, in the northeast of Indonesia, very close to the Philippines. I studied abroad, first in Canada for high school and then in the US for university, where I double-majored in business and IT. My first job was as a .NET developer, and I never thought about QA until a friend mentioned an opportunity. At that time, it was also my chance to get sponsorship to stay in the US. That’s how I stumbled into my first QA role, about 13 or 14 years ago.
Back then QA wasn’t really seen as a profession, more like an extra skill on top of software development. But once I got into it, especially working in the healthcare industry, I realized how important it was. The systems we tested were literally life-and-death, like migrating from ICD-9 to ICD-10 medical codes. If something went wrong, it could cost lives or millions of dollars in insurance. That experience shaped me, and it also taught me early on that automation is powerful, but you can’t depend on it alone.
Q: You spent quite a few years in the US. What made you decide to return to Indonesia?
A: I tried twice for a US visa under STEM but didn’t get it. My friends kept saying, “Don’t go home, there’s no career for QA in Indonesia.” But I felt differently. I wanted to build something meaningful, not just stay abroad for the sake of it. So in 2014, I decided to return.
At first I worked remotely at night for my US company, but it was exhausting. And moving to Jakarta was hard. I had never studied or lived there, so I had no network. Coming from Manado, which is still quite rural, Jakarta felt overwhelming. I was basically starting from scratch.
Q: How did that lead to creating ISQA?
A: In 2015 I started working for a big telco through an outsourcing company. I really missed the kind of QA meetups I used to attend in the US, in cities like Raleigh and Denver. When I searched in Jakarta, I found nothing except a big Python group.
One colleague simply said, “Why don’t you start your own QA community?” That stuck with me. So in April 2016, we launched ISQA, the Indonesia Software Quality Assurance community. At the beginning it was tiny. We tried using Slack and other platforms, but they didn’t work. So we focused on offline meetups. Sometimes only two people showed up, but we kept going, sharing experiences and building connections.
Q: Looking back after nearly 10 years, what are you most proud of, and how does it feel to see the community grow from such humble beginnings?
A: What I’m most proud of is the people. Many who joined our early meetups are now QA Managers, Heads of QA, even a VP at a major e-commerce company. Watching their growth has been the best reward.
It’s amazing to think that all of this started from a simple suggestion, “Why not create a community?” Ten years later, it has grown into something alive and ongoing. What makes it special is that no one expected anything in return. People came together to share, solve problems, and support each other, and from that came something much bigger than any one of us.
Q: You’ve hosted some of the biggest QA meetups in Indonesia. How did that happen, and what role have volunteers played in the journey?
A: Yes, we’ve had some of the biggest QA meetups here, even larger than in some other countries. But it was never just about me. It happened because of the leaders, the volunteers, and the community members.
Volunteers have played a huge role. There were times when I had to step back for personal reasons and I worried the community might fade away, but it had grown strong enough that others stepped up. People took ownership, organized meetups, and kept the momentum alive. Over the years many volunteers have come and gone, yet all of them contributed their time and energy without expecting anything in return. That’s why I’m so grateful. Community work is never about one person, it’s about everyone who shows up and helps it grow.
Q: You’re preparing to celebrate 10 years of the community. Can you tell us about that?
A: Yes, in April we’ll hold a 10-year anniversary celebration. It will be a virtual conference. Because Indonesia is so large, virtual makes it easier for everyone to join.
We also want to make it meaningful for local members. Not just with money or vouchers, but with training and knowledge sharing. I’d love to see more local instructors teaching Katalon Academy courses in Bahasa Indonesia. That way, knowledge comes first, and it benefits people in their own language.
Q: What was it like creating the first meetups back in 2016?
A: It was tough. At the first meetup, only two people showed up. But we still sat down and had a roundtable discussion. Most people came with frustrations and their bosses didn’t understand the role of QA or the value of testing. So from the start, our focus was education.
At the same time, I was working in startups, including two of the first unicorns in Indonesia. My role was to set up QA processes: test case management, standards, collaboration with overseas teams. I’d test these ideas at work, then bring them back to the community.
Other companies started to notice. If a unicorn had a QA role or process, they wanted to copy it. That’s how roles like test architect became recognized here. Eventually, I was promoted from QA manager to head of QA, leading more than 160 testers. I always asked myself: whatever I learn from this job, how can I give it back to the community?
Q: What has changed the most in 10 years?
A: The community has far exceeded my expectations. We now have around 8,000 members. But more importantly, it has become a trusted space for career growth.
There are two big impacts: helping members find jobs, and raising the value of QA, including salaries. People trust the community enough to ask sensitive questions, like how much they should be paid. Others even share interview take-home questions, though we sometimes remind them the hiring managers are probably also in the group. That trust is the biggest sign of growth.
Q: When did you first connect with Katalon?
A: My first contact was in 2018. On August 4th, I sent an email introducing myself as the founder of the only QA community in Indonesia, with 2,000 members at the time. I invited Katalon to join our meetup. Back then, Katalon was still quite new, still part of its parent company. That’s when our connection began.
Q. When did you first try Katalon, and what problem were you hoping to solve at the time?
A: The first time I used Katalon was back in 2018, when there was a need to automate an e-commerce app. At that time, Katalon was still quite new in Indonesia but was already gaining momentum because it was a free plug-and-play automation tool. I wanted to combine a test management tool with an automation tool so that there would be no redundancy in our QA process.
Q. What features or improvements would you love to see next to better serve Indonesian teams?
A: I’d love to see Katalon become a stronger partner for Indonesian QA teams by making automation more accessible and human-centric. Localized support (Bahasa Indonesia docs, templates for common apps), stable AI-assisted features that teach instead of replace, and robust improvements like self-healing locators, smarter waits, and lightweight agent execution would help teams jump-start their automation careers faster. With better integrations, offline enablement, and more reliable UX, Indonesian QA professionals can adopt Katalon confidently while staying in control of their testing process.
Q: Looking forward, what’s your vision for the next 10 years of the community?
A: My vision is simple: that we thrive together. But there’s still work to do. QA must be recognized on the same level as developers. Right now, we joke though it’s a sad truth that QA comes last, but gets fired first. That’s the mindset we want to change.
With AI and GenAI, there’s even more pressure. People are starting to ask if QA is still needed at all. Could automation just run itself? That’s why we need to evolve. Tools like Katalon can help, but the bigger question is how we make QA central to CI/CD, and how we ensure QA jobs remain sustainable in the age of AI. That’s the challenge for the next decade.
Q: Outside of QA, what do you enjoy?
A: I’ve always loved gadgets and tech. When I lived in the US, I enjoyed trying out new devices. These days my focus has shifted to learning and leadership. I’m involved with international QA organizations like ISTQB and Asia Software Testing Alliance, and I also manage my own business outside of QA. I enjoy simulator games and traveling, which lets me meet people from different cultures and get inspired by them.
For me, the best part of community building is meeting people who may not be famous but are trusted leaders in their own circles. Those relationships mean more to me than any commercial transaction. My biggest inspiration is to showcase people like that on a global platform, so others can see it’s possible to start small and grow.
-The Katalon Community Team