CEO Decision Log

CEO Decision Log (D9-D14)
CEO Decision Log (D9-D14) 
 Context: Major architectural and strategic decisions made during Drop Srbija v2 rebuild. 
 All decisions D1-D8 documented in existing docs/05-decision-log.md . This chapter covers v2-specific decisions D9-D14. 
 
 D9: Legal Entity — ALAI Tech d.o.o. 
 Date: 2026-04-16 
 Decision ID: D9 
 Status: Active (Incorporation Pending) 
 Context: 
 Early Drop Srbija documentation referenced "Drop Srbija d.o.o." as the intended legal entity for Serbian operations. This implied separate incorporation per product line (Drop, Bilko, Tok). 
 Decision: 
 Drop Srbija operates as a product line under ALAI Tech d.o.o. (single Serbian subsidiary of ALAI Holding AS). No separate "Drop Srbija d.o.o." will be incorporated. 
 Rationale: 
 
 Corporate simplicity: One entity for all ALAI Serbian operations 
 Cost efficiency: One incorporation, one tax filing, one audit (vs 3x overhead) 
 Capital pooling: EUR 125,000 NBS PI license capital serves all products 
 Regulatory efficiency: Single NBS/Poverenik/APML relationship 
 Brand architecture: Legal entity = ALAI Tech, product brands = Drop/Bilko/Tok 
 
 Consequences: 
 
 ✅ Reduced costs, simplified structure, easier capital management 
 ❌ All products share liability under one entity 
 ⚠️ Must maintain strong compliance (one NBS audit covers all) 
 
 Related Documents: 
 
 Legal entity structure: docs/bookstack/01-legal-entity.md 
 Full decision context: docs/05-decision-log.md#d9 
 
 
 D10: Backend — Kotlin/Ktor (ALAI Standard) 
 Date: 2026-04-17 
 Decision ID: D10 
 Status: Active 
 Context: 
 Drop Srbija v1 prototype used Hono (TypeScript) backend. ALAI standard mandates Kotlin/Ktor for all products (CEO decision 2026-02-25). 
 Decision: 
 Drop Srbija v2 backend uses Kotlin 2.1.0 + Ktor 3.1.2 , replacing Hono/TypeScript. 
 Rationale: 
 
 ALAI standard: All products must use Kotlin/Ktor (consistency, shared knowledge) 
 Type safety: Kotlin compiler catches errors at compile-time (vs runtime in TypeScript) 
 Performance: Ktor netty transport faster than Node.js event loop 
 Ecosystem: Better PostgreSQL support (Exposed ORM vs Prisma/Drizzle) 
 Team expertise: Petter Graff (CodeCraft lead) Kotlin expert 
 
 Alternatives Rejected: 
 
 Keep Hono/TypeScript: Violates ALAI standard, divergent tech stack 
 Node.js Express: Slower than Ktor, callback hell 
 Go: No ALAI expertise, steeper learning curve 
 
 Consequences: 
 
 ✅ ALAI standard compliance, better performance, type safety 
 ❌ Full backend rewrite (20 modules, 22 migrations) 
 ⚠️ Learning curve for team members without Kotlin experience 
 
 Evidence: 
 
 Backend directory: backend/ (Kotlin/Ktor, not TypeScript/Hono) 
 617 tests passing (79 Kotest files) 
 
 
 D11: Frontend — Drop Norway 1:1 Copy 
 Date: 2026-04-17 
 Decision ID: D11 
 Status: Active 
 Context: 
 Two frontend strategies considered: 
 
 Redesign from scratch (new UX, new components) 
 1:1 copy from Drop Norway (proven UX, localize for Serbia) 
 
 Decision: 
 Drop Srbija v2 frontend is a 1:1 copy of Drop Norway with minimal changes (NOK→RSD, BankID→OTP, Vipps→NBS IPS, nb-NO→sr-RS). 
 Rationale: 
 
 Proven UX: Drop Norway tested with real users (positive feedback) 
 Faster time-to-market: No need to reinvent UI patterns 
 Focus on localization: Effort on Serbian language/culture, not design 
 Lower risk: Known UX, fewer unknowns 
 
 Changes: 
 
 Currency: NOK → RSD 
 Auth: BankID → Phone OTP 
 Payment: Vipps → NBS IPS 
 Language: Norwegian (nb-NO) → Serbian (sr-RS) 
 National ID: Personnummer → JMBG (13 digits) 
 
 Consequences: 
 
 ✅ Faster MVP, proven UX, lower risk 
 ❌ Less differentiation from Drop Norway 
 ⚠️ Serbian users may expect different UX patterns (future feedback) 
 
 Evidence: 
 
 30 pages adapted (1:1 copy with changes) 
 6 new Serbian components (JMBG, PhoneSR, IBANSR, PIB, NBSIPS, OTP) 
 145 i18n keys (sr-RS) 
 
 
 D12: JaCoCo Gate — 52% Unit-Only (Temporary) 
 Date: 2026-04-17 
 Decision ID: D12 
 Status: Active (Pending docker-java Fix) 
 Context: 
 ALAI standard: 60% test coverage gate. Drop Srbija v2 backend achieves 60% with unit + integration tests (Testcontainers). However, docker-java issue on M-series Macs causes Testcontainers to hang in CI (GitHub Actions). 
 Decision: 
 Temporarily lower coverage gate to 52% unit-only until docker-java issue fixed. Integration tests run locally but disabled in CI. 
 Rationale: 
 
 Unblock CI: Cannot merge PRs if coverage gate fails due to infra issue 
 Realistic gate: 52% unit coverage still enforces quality (better than 0%) 
 Pending fix: docker-java PR expected Q3 2026 
 Future restoration: Will restore 60% gate (unit + integration) once fixed 
 
 Target Timeline: 
 
 Now (2026-04-17): 52% unit-only gate 
 Q3 2026: docker-java fixed → re-enable integration tests → 60% gate 
 
 Consequences: 
 
 ✅ CI unblocked, PRs can merge 
 ❌ Lower coverage than ALAI standard (temporary) 
 ⚠️ Must manually run integration tests locally before merge 
 
 Evidence: 
 
 JaCoCo report: 52.1% (unit-only) 
 backend/build.gradle.kts : Coverage rule set to 52% 
 Comment in CI: "Integration tests disabled due to docker-java M-series Mac issue" 
 
 
 D13: Script — Latin MVP, Cyrillic Phase 2 
 Date: 2026-04-17 
 Decision ID: D13 
 Status: Active 
 Context: 
 Serbian language uses two scripts: 
 
 Latin (latinica): Standard in tech, banking, official documents 
 Cyrillic (ćirilica): Traditional, used in media, education 
 
 Decision: 
 Drop Srbija MVP uses Latin script only . Cyrillic support added in Phase 2 (post-MVP). 
 Rationale: 
 
 Banking standard: All Serbian banks use Latin for digital interfaces 
 NBS IPS: NBS IPS API uses Latin (IBAN, PIB, names) 
 Tech ecosystem: Serbian tech products default to Latin (Viber, TikTok, Instagram) 
 Faster MVP: No need for script toggle, translation duplication 
 User preference: Research shows 80%+ young Serbians prefer Latin for digital 
 
 Phase 2 Plan: 
 
 Add script toggle (settings) 
 Duplicate i18n keys: sr-Latn.json + sr-Cyrl.json 
 Auto-detect user preference (browser locale or IP) 
 
 Consequences: 
 
 ✅ Faster MVP, aligns with banking UX 
 ❌ Cyrillic users may feel excluded (mitigated: majority prefer Latin) 
 ⚠️ Phase 2 effort: 145 keys × 2 scripts = 290 translation keys 
 
 Evidence: 
 
 Frontend i18n: sr.json (Latin only) 
 No Cyrillic translation files 
 
 
 D14: Mobile Target — Samsung Galaxy A54 (Not iPhone) 
 Date: 2026-04-17 
 Decision ID: D14 
 Status: Active 
 Context: 
 Drop Srbija is mobile-first (phone-based auth, QR payments). Primary test device must represent majority of Serbian users. 
 Decision: 
 Primary mobile test device: Samsung Galaxy A54 (Android), not iPhone. 
 Rationale: 
 
 Market share: Android 78% in Serbia (Samsung dominant brand) 
 Price point: Galaxy A54 (RSD 40,000 / ~$370) matches middle-class budget 
 Screen size: 6.4" (Serbian users prefer larger screens) 
 Banking apps: All Serbian banks optimize for Samsung (not iPhone) 
 NFC support: Galaxy A54 has NFC (needed for future card payments) 
 
 iPhone Support: 
 
 Still tested (Playwright cross-browser) 
 Not primary optimization target 
 iOS < 20% market share in Serbia 
 
 Consequences: 
 
 ✅ Aligns with Serbian market, realistic testing 
 ❌ iPhone users may experience suboptimal UX (acceptable trade-off) 
 ⚠️ Must still ensure iOS compatibility (no P0 bugs) 
 
 Evidence: 
 
 Playwright config: defaultBrowserType: 'chromium' (Android Chrome) 
 Lighthouse tests: Mobile profile (Galaxy A54 viewport) 
 No iPhone-specific optimizations (e.g., haptic feedback) 
 
 
 Summary Table 
 
 
 
 Decision 
 Date 
 Status 
 Impact 
 
 
 
 
 D9: ALAI Tech d.o.o. 
 2026-04-16 
 Active 
 Legal entity consolidation 
 
 
 D10: Kotlin/Ktor 
 2026-04-17 
 Active 
 Backend tech stack 
 
 
 D11: Drop Norway 1:1 
 2026-04-17 
 Active 
 Frontend strategy 
 
 
 D12: 52% Coverage Gate 
 2026-04-17 
 Temporary 
 CI unblocking 
 
 
 D13: Latin Script MVP 
 2026-04-17 
 Active 
 Localization scope 
 
 
 D14: Samsung Galaxy A54 
 2026-04-17 
 Active 
 Mobile test target 
 
 
 
 
 Full Decision Log: docs/05-decision-log.md (D1-D14) 
 Next Review: After Phase 5 (NBS IPS integration) or major architectural change