Alexander Vassbotn Røyne-Helgesen PRO
Lover of life, technologist at heart
From discovery
to delivery
What we found in the platform, where we take it, and how we get there without disrupting customers.
Alexander · Tech Lead
01
What we found
A working product on a heavy platform
~80operator companies in production, each with its own database
5user interfaces built on different stacks
234klines in one Python codebase, deployed as 7 services
0automated checks before a change reaches production
No service is missing. What slows us down is the engineering system around it: testing, release, protection and operations.
Source: architecture discovery, October 2026 (static review of 19 repositories, refreshed 13 October; no production access).
Six things that make change slow and risky
- ProtectionSecurity is opt-inOpen unless someone closes it.
- Safety netNo tests, no gatesCustomers find the bugs.
- BranchesEnvironments driftFar from production.
- StructureRules duplicatedPer channel, in many places.
- OperationsSilent failuresMetrics exist; nothing alerts.
- KnowledgeHeld by the supplierQA, devops and releases.
Half of what we ship is fixing what we shipped
53%of shipped tickets are fixes
22 daysmedian lead time for a feature, from start to release
- ChangeNo tests.
- Manual QAOn a drifted branch.
- ReleaseWeekly, no rollback.
- CustomerFinds the rest.
11.6M NOK a year, excl. VAT
| Item | NOK/yr | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Gture (offshore) | 8.70M | 75% |
| AWS | 1.09M | 9% |
| Google (Maps) | 1.01M | 9% |
| Folq (UX, 20%) | 0.70M | 6% |
| Terraform | 0.11M | 1% |
Opportunity
Maps: ~83k NOK a year per 10% moved
834k of the Maps spend can move to our own map service, once it is in production.
Owners needed
~163k NOK a year of analytics and metrics
Prometheus and Grafana now traced. OpenSearch, Glue, Redshift and QuickSight: no repository, no owner.
Source: IT cost export Oct 2025 – Sep 2026, excl. VAT. Internal: contains supplier costs.
02
Where we go
Django out, one TypeScript platform in
- Standalone apps. Each product in one monorepo, deployed on its own.
- A thin BFF. Login and composition, no database access.
- An API by domain. Versioned packages, released separately.
- A small core. Tenancy, identity, access and tiers. No business logic.
Web appsFrontend monorepo
MobileDriver and passenger
Partners and AI agentsTiered API products
BFFTypeScript / Express
GatewayScopes, quotas, metering
API monorepoOrder-to-trip, finance, workforce, integrations
CoreTenant context, identity, entitlements, audit
R0–R5: each stage has a gate
| Stage | Goal | Gate to move on |
|---|---|---|
| R0 Safety | Make change safe | Error tracking live, backups confirmed, CI gates on |
| R1 Frontend monorepo | One home for the apps | v5 builds, tests and deploys from the monorepo |
| R2 BFF | Retire Django in the UI | The old frontend serves no traffic |
| R3 Tiers | Mechanism to sell modules and API | Enforced for a pilot operator and partner |
| R4 API by domain | Clean seams | Each domain has a contract, no forbidden imports |
| R5 Port | Move each domain to TypeScript | Parity in shadow mode, then switch |
Three obligations, one track of work
- ISO 27001Required for UK operatorsISMS scope, risk assessment, supplier rules. Owned by the CISO.
- GDPRApplies todayRegister of processing, retention and erasure, personal data out of logs, processor agreements.
- AccessibilityWCAG AA, aiming for AAANorwegian requirements, for every product. Automated checks in the new monorepo.
R0 is certification groundwork. Access control, backups, incident handling, logging and supplier security are the same work.
One place for every customer, from deal to live
Today a signed customer becomes manual work. HubSpot holds the customer, Google Drive the contract, and the platform the rest.
- Deal wonHubSpot stays the CRM.
- ContractCreated in the field, signed with BankID.
- ProvisionTenant set up automatically, no ticket.
- SubscribeModules and tiers switched on per customer.
HubSpot or a separate app: the CEO decides on proposals. Either way the same flow, ending in customers who sign up and activate themselves.
03
How we get there
Bring the platform close to home
Team · first setup
Our own team in Oslo
Tech Lead, two full-stack developers, one frontend developer and one UX / UI designer. Devops is shared by the team.
Leadership
CTO → CISO, Tech Lead → CTO
Security and ISO 27001 get an owner. The Tech Lead leads the team and the transition.
- Mid-NovemberWe advertise four roles.
- JanuaryTwo bridge contractors start.
- 31 JanuaryThe supplier's last day.
- April – MayThe new team is in place.
Initial dates, not final: they can move, for example with the supplier's notice terms or hiring.
Cheaper by March, ahead by May
Initial dates, not final: they can move. Delivery is the plan (today's team = 100), measured every quarter.
Ownership moves by readiness
- H0 · AccessEvery account has a company-held admin.
- H1 · RunbooksWritten by the supplier, tried by someone else.
- H2 · PairBridge contractors pair with the supplier in January.
- H3 · OwnThe Oslo team takes over, area by area.
- H4 · SteadyCompany-run operations, access reviewed.
Firstv5 modules, sales and settingsLowest concentration of knowledge.
Last, before the supplier leavesFinance, payments, devops and releasesWhere knowledge is most concentrated.
What happens, in order
- Days 1–30ConfirmSecurity checks and edge containment. Rotate credentials. Confirm backups. Error tracking and alarms. Payment baseline. Account register.
- Days 31–60StabilisePayment fixes. Feature flags. A local stack that works. CI gates. Runbooks written. Hiring for the Oslo team.
- Days 61–90Hand overEvery account and access taken over. Runbooks tried by someone else. Operations and releases to the bridge contractors.
How we will know it works
| Measure | Today | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Open write routes without login | 135 | 0 |
| Backup restore drill | Not evidenced | Tested, on a schedule |
| Changes passing automated gates | None | All |
| Share of shipped tickets that are fixes | 53% | Down |
| Feature lead time (median) | 22 days | Down |
| Payment reconciliation mismatches | Unknown | Known, then zero |
| Navigation on v5 | Not live | Up |
Decisions needed, answers pending
DecideOur own team: four hires, supplier ends 31 January
DecideISO 27001 date and scope
DecideTiming of CTO → CISO
Pending · CTOBackups, accounts, costs, commitments
Pending · FinanceOne-time Stripe reconciliation
Later · ProductTier catalogue, once we know what to sell
Questions
Alexander · Tech Lead
Ferdia Management: From discovery to delivery
By Alexander Vassbotn Røyne-Helgesen
