# Functional Guardrails

## Purpose

The redesign must preserve existing functionality while allowing the UX and frontend architecture to change substantially.

## Rule 1 — Inventory before redesign

Before major implementation work begins, create an explicit inventory of:

- routes,
- pages,
- dialogs,
- forms,
- workflows,
- API calls,
- state transitions,
- authentication flows,
- localisation behaviour,
- permissions,
- user settings,
- admin capabilities,
- document workflows,
- AI actions,
- mobile/responsive behaviour,
- tests.

## Rule 2 — No silent feature removal

A feature discovered during the inventory must not disappear merely because it does not fit the new design.

It must be one of:

- preserved,
- relocated,
- merged into another workflow,
- intentionally deprecated with an explicit documented decision.

## Rule 3 — Protect backend contracts

Do not change backend/API contracts purely to make frontend work easier unless there is a clear architectural reason.

Any required contract change must be documented and tested.

## Rule 4 — Add regression protection

Before replacing high-risk UI flows, add or strengthen tests around their functional behaviour.

Prioritise:

- authentication,
- registration,
- Career Profile,
- job creation/import/edit/status,
- CV creation/edit/export,
- document relationships,
- AI review/apply flow,
- localisation,
- permissions/admin boundaries.

## Rule 5 — Preserve user data

Frontend redesign work must not change the meaning or ownership of stored user data without an explicit migration.

## Rule 6 — Career Profile remains canonical

Any redesign of CV/application flows must preserve the distinction between:

- Career Profile source data,
- CV-specific overrides,
- generated output.

## Rule 7 — AI cannot bypass review

No redesign may introduce an AI action that silently writes career claims into user data.

## Rule 8 — Maintain localisation

New components and screens must support both English and Norwegian.

Do not hard-code user-facing strings in new components if the current architecture supports localisation.

## Rule 9 — Maintain access controls

Admin-only features must remain permission-gated.

User-level dashboard customisation and job/document data must remain tenant/user scoped.

## Rule 10 — Visual QA is part of completion

A feature is not complete when tests pass but the responsive UI is broken.

Each migrated area should be inspected in:

- light mode,
- dark mode,
- desktop,
- mobile,
- English,
- Norwegian.

## Pre-redesign checkpoint

Before full redesign implementation:

1. Finish current functional work.
2. Run tests.
3. Resolve known critical regressions.
4. Commit a stable baseline.
5. Create a tag or branch checkpoint such as `pre-ui-redesign`.
6. Create a redesign branch such as `feature/ui-redesign`.