Being a Community Leader: Reviving Exadel's QA Tribe

Exadel’s Communities are where engineering culture lives and breathes. They’re not just groups, they’re tribes, led by role models who inspire others through what they do every day. One of those leaders is Katsiaryna Vauchok, Senior QA Engineer, who brought the QA Community back to life after a long quiet stretch.

Reviving a Quiet Community

“Every quiet period must come to an end,” Katsiaryna says. “If you want to change something, take action yourself.” With that spirit, she reignited the QA Community — creating events, meetups, and a space where QA specialists feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow.

The Values That Hold Us Together

She believes being part of this community isn’t about titles or seniority. It’s about how we show up:

1. We Grow Together – Continuous learning, shared knowledge, better skills.
2. Open to Everyone – No question is too simple, no idea too bold.
3. Empathy Is Our Compass – Respect and kindness first, always
4. Proactive Beats Passive – Don’t wait to be assigned — step in and lead.
5. Celebrate Small Steps – Progress matters more than perfection.

These values aren’t just words. They’re the habits that make a community thrive.

Encouraging the Right Mindset

The best communities are built on generosity: patience, honest feedback, and open communication. In QA, that means sharing your lessons learned, not hoarding them. What doesn’t belong? Negativity, closed-mindedness, or defensiveness. Those only silence voices and stall growth.

The Challenges of Leadership

Leading a community isn’t easy. Many enjoy attending but hesitate to step forward as speakers. Balancing content for everyone is tricky. And keeping energy high while people juggle projects and deadlines? That’s a challenge every leader knows. But Katsiaryna sees each challenge as a chance to innovate.

Recognition That Fuels Growth

By the end of 2025, the QA Community will launch QA Recognition Awards to spotlight the people who raise the bar:

🏆 Sparkling Speaker Award – Inspiring talks that light up the room.

🔬 Significant QA Researcher Award – Pioneering insights and practices.

🤖 Automation Guru Award – Smarter, faster, scalable testing.

🚀 QA Process Improvement Award – Real impact on workflows and results.

🎯 Test Leadership Award – Empathetic leaders who mentor and guide.

Every contribution matters, from a thoughtful question to a bold new idea. And sometimes, a small badge, like our “Great Speaker” token, is enough to inspire courage to take the next step. Because when people feel recognized, they grow. And when people grow and succeed, the community thrives.