Engineering Planning 2026

A deep dive into Terra’s current capabilities, gap analysis, and strategic recommendations for the engineering roadmap.

Executive Summary

Terra has achieved feature parity with Tideswell and offers significant architectural improvements. The platform is production-ready for application intake with strong foundations in security, multi-tenancy, and integrations. Key Decision: Continue building Terra. The architectural investments (PostgreSQL, Next.js, DAL, audit logging) provide a superior foundation compared to alternatives or continued Tideswell investment. Strategic Focus Areas:

Applicant identity unification (cross-program accounts)
Income/employment verification integrations
Impact dashboards and reporting
Payments API integrations

Part 1: Current Capability Audit

Application Intake (Applicant-Facing)

Capability	Status	Implementation
Form builder (drag-drop)	✅ Complete	`form-builder/`, dnd-kit
Conditional logic	✅ Complete	JSON conditions in schema
Multi-language	✅ Complete	I18nString + DeepL auto-translate
File uploads	✅ Complete	Supabase + Google Drive
Anonymous forms	✅ Complete	`is_anonymous` flag
Authenticated forms	✅ Complete	WorkOS OAuth
Scheduled publish/close	✅ Complete	`published_at`, `closes_at`
Form freezing	✅ Complete	Auto-freeze on first submission
ID verification	✅ Complete	Plaid Identity
Bank verification	✅ Complete	Plaid Auth
Address validation	✅ Complete	Smarty integration
Status lookup	✅ Complete	Reference ID lookup page
Applicant portal	✅ Complete	`/portal` with program filtering

Data Processing (Internal)

Capability	Status	Implementation
PostgreSQL storage	✅ Complete	Supabase hosted
Field-level encryption	✅ Complete	`encryptSubmissionPII()`
Soft delete	✅ Complete	DAL pattern, 30-day cleanup
Audit logging	✅ Complete	28 action types, 13 entity types
Async queue	✅ Complete	Database-backed, retry logic
Background worker	✅ Complete	Lifecycle + cleanup tasks

Integrations

Integration	Status	Implementation
Airtable sync	✅ Complete	Bidirectional, field mapping
Webhooks	✅ Complete	HMAC signed, event history
Email (Resend)	✅ Complete	React Email templates
SMS (Twilio)	✅ Complete	Template system
Google Drive	✅ Complete	File uploads to shared drives
Plaid (ID/Bank)	✅ Complete	Identity + Auth products
Smarty (Address)	✅ Complete	Autocomplete + validation
Sentry	✅ Complete	Error monitoring
PostHog	✅ Complete	Product analytics

Fraud Review

Capability	Status	Implementation
Geolocation capture	✅ Complete	IP, country, city, region
User agent tracking	✅ Complete	Stored per submission
Duration tracking	⚠️ Partial	Session start/end available
Behavioral signals	⚠️ Partial	Need submission timing analysis
Fraud database	❌ Not Built	Need cross-program fraud actor DB

Status Tracking (Applicant-Facing)

Capability	Status	Implementation
Status lookup page	✅ Complete	Reference ID + email lookup
Outcome display	✅ Complete	`outcome` field on submissions
Status page defaults	✅ Complete	System-wide + form-level
Multi-language status	✅ Complete	i18n dictionary

Data & Reporting

Capability	Status	Implementation
Form insights	✅ Complete	Visits, starts, completions
UTM tracking	✅ Complete	Source, medium, campaign
CSV export	✅ Complete	Insights + submissions
Tableau integration	❌ Not Built	Need data warehouse layer
Impact dashboards	❌ Not Built	Need reporting infrastructure

Payments

Capability	Status	Implementation
Payment collection	❌ Not Built	—
Dots.dev integration	❌ Not Built	—
Recurring payments	❌ Not Built	—
Refunds	❌ Not Built	—

Customer Support

Capability	Status	Implementation
In-app chat	❌ Not Built	Could integrate Intercom/Zendesk
Help center	⚠️ Partial	Support URL per form
Ticket integration	❌ Not Built	—

Part 2: Roadmap Item Analysis

Based on the product roadmap, here’s the gap analysis:

In-Progress / To-Do Items

Roadmap Item	Terra Status	Effort	Recommendation
Income + employment verification	❌ Not Built	Medium	Build: Integrate Plaid Income or Argyle
Tighter customer support integration	❌ Not Built	Low	Buy: Integrate Intercom/Zendesk widget
Dots.dev payments integration	❌ Not Built	Medium	Build: High strategic value
Impact dashboards + reporting	❌ Not Built	High	Build: Core differentiator
Accessibility enhancements	⚠️ Partial	Medium	Build: Incremental improvements
White-labeling support	✅ Complete	—	Already done (custom domains, branding)
Markdown rendering enhancements	⚠️ Partial	Low	Build: Quick wins

Current Strengths

Strength	Terra Status	Notes
Managing repeat payments	❌ Not Built	Need payments infrastructure first
Fraud mitigation (proprietary DB)	❌ Not Built	Need cross-program fraud database
Fraud mitigation (behavioral)	⚠️ Partial	Have geolocation, need timing analysis

Opportunities

Opportunity	Terra Status	Strategic Value	Recommendation
User management / unified identity	⚠️ Partial	High	Priority: Expand applicant identity
Cross-form account persistence	⚠️ Partial	High	Priority: Already have `applicants` table
Pre-fill from saved account	❌ Not Built	Medium	Build: Natural extension of identity
Form templates	⚠️ Partial	Medium	Build: Template library + duplication
Recertification flows	❌ Not Built	High	Build: Required for recurring programs

Part 3: Build vs Buy Analysis

Continue Building Terra ✅ Recommended

Pros:

Full control over features and deployment
Data ownership and compliance control
Tideswell parity already achieved
Modern architecture (PostgreSQL, Next.js, TypeScript)
DAL provides clean foundation for new features
Seamless Airtable integration already working
Cost-effective at scale

Cons:

Small team bandwidth
Opportunity cost during program launches

Mitigations:

Freeze non-critical features during launches
Prioritize high-leverage work (identity, payments)
Use external services where appropriate (support, analytics)

Switch to Alternative Form Platform ❌ Not Recommended

Pros:

Potentially faster feature delivery
Larger support team

Cons:

Data migration complexity
Loss of Airtable integration sophistication
Loss of fraud detection infrastructure
Vendor lock-in
Ongoing licensing costs
Limited customization for government use cases
Would need to rebuild ID/bank verification integrations

Verdict: The investment in Terra is substantial and the architecture is sound. Switching would lose significant value and require rebuilding integrations.

Hybrid Approach: Terra + External Services ✅ Recommended

Function	Approach	Service
Application intake	Build (Terra)	—
Data processing	Build (Terra)	—
Payments	Build integration	Dots.dev, Stripe
Customer support	Buy	Intercom, Zendesk
Reporting	Build + Buy	Metabase, Tableau
Error monitoring	Buy	Sentry (done)
Analytics	Buy	PostHog (done)

Part 4: Strategic Recommendations

Tier 1: High Priority (Q1 2026)

1. Unified Applicant Identity

Problem: Users create new accounts per program, losing their history. Solution: Expand the existing applicants table to be a true identity hub.

// Current: applicants are form-scoped
applicant_id -> linked to submissions

// Target: applicants are org-scoped with profile
applicant {
  id, org_id,
  email, phone, name,
  saved_profile: { address, household_size, income_range },
  verified_fields: { email: true, phone: true, identity: true },
  created_at, last_active_at
}

Scope:

Expand applicant profile fields
Add profile completion percentage
Pre-fill forms from saved profile
Single sign-on across programs (same org)

Effort: 2-3 weeks

2. Income/Employment Verification

Problem: Manual income verification is time-consuming and fraud-prone. Solution: Integrate Plaid Income or Argyle for instant verification. Scope:

Add income_verification field type
Store verification results
Display verified income in review

Effort: 2-3 weeks

3. Recertification Flows

Problem: Recurring programs need periodic re-verification. Solution: Submission continuation with pre-filled data. Scope:

Add parent_submission_id for continuation
Pre-fill from previous submission
Track recertification schedule
Send reminder notifications

Effort: 2-3 weeks

Tier 2: Medium Priority (Q2 2026)

4. Payments Integration (Dots.dev)

Problem: Payment disbursement is manual. Solution: Integrate Dots.dev for programmatic payments. Scope:

Payment configuration per form
Disbursement triggers (on approval, scheduled)
Payment status tracking
Refund handling

Effort: 3-4 weeks

5. Fraud Database

Problem: Fraud actors observed in one program aren’t flagged in others. Solution: Cross-program fraud signal database. Scope:

Fraud signal collection (IP, device, behavioral)
Cross-program matching
Risk score calculation
Admin review interface

Effort: 4-6 weeks

6. Impact Dashboards

Problem: No unified view of program impact. Solution: Embedded analytics with key metrics. Scope:

Submission funnel metrics
Geographic distribution
Demographic breakdowns
Outcome tracking
Exportable reports

Effort: 4-6 weeks

Tier 3: Lower Priority (Q3+ 2026)

7. Customer Support Integration

Solution: Embed Intercom or Zendesk widget with submission context. Effort: 1 week

8. Text-Based Form Editing

Problem: UI form building is slow for power users. Solution: Import/export JSON schema with validation. Scope:

JSON schema editor in UI
Validation on import
Version diffing

Effort: 1-2 weeks

9. Accessibility Audit

Solution: WCAG 2.1 AA compliance audit and fixes. Effort: 2-3 weeks (ongoing)

Part 5: Architecture Decisions

Keep Text-Based Form Export?

Recommendation: Yes, add JSON export/import. Currently forms are only editable via UI. Adding a JSON export/import capability would:

Speed up power user workflows
Enable form versioning via git
Allow programmatic form creation

// Export format (already similar to current schema)
{
  "version": "1.0",
  "title": { "en": "Rental Assistance" },
  "elements": [
    { "type": "text", "id": "name", "label": { "en": "Full Name" } },
    // ...
  ]
}

Effort: 1 week

Form-Input Only vs Applicant Management?

Recommendation: Move toward applicant management. Terra already has the foundation:

applicants table exists
Submissions link to applicants
Portal shows all submissions per applicant

Next steps:

Expand applicant profile (contact info, documents)
Add profile editing UI
Pre-fill forms from profile
Single account across org’s programs

This aligns with “making logins relevant across more of the pipeline.”

Tideswell vs Terra?

Recommendation: Terra is the path forward.

Factor	Tideswell	Terra	Winner
Architecture	MongoDB + Express	PostgreSQL + Next.js	Terra
Type safety	JavaScript	TypeScript	Terra
Auth	Custom	WorkOS	Terra
Audit logging	Manual	Automatic (DAL)	Terra
Soft delete	Manual	Built-in	Terra
Integrations	Legacy	Modern	Terra
Maintainability	Technical debt	Clean slate	Terra

Terra should be the primary development focus. Tideswell can remain operational for existing deployments but shouldn’t receive new features.

Part 6: Proposed Roadmap

Quarterly Breakdown

Q1 2026: Identity & Verification

Unified applicant identity (3w)
Income/employment verification (3w)
Recertification flows (3w)
Buffer for program launches

Q2 2026: Payments & Fraud

Dots.dev payments integration (4w)
Cross-program fraud database (5w)
Buffer for program launches

Q3 2026: Reporting & Polish

Impact dashboards (5w)
Support integration (1w)
Accessibility audit (3w)

Part 7: Quick Wins

These can be done in 1-2 days each:

JSON form export - Download form schema as JSON
Markdown image sizing - Add width/height to info fields
Text color in markdown - Support <span style="color:red">
Remove “create new account” messaging - Encourage single account
Form templates library - Curated starting points
Bulk status update - Update multiple submissions at once
Keyboard shortcuts - Form builder productivity

Appendix: Current Tech Stack

Layer	Technology	Purpose
Framework	Next.js 15	Full-stack React
Database	PostgreSQL (Supabase)	Primary data store
Auth	WorkOS	SSO, MFA, user management
Storage	Supabase Storage + Google Drive	File uploads
Email	Resend + React Email	Transactional email
SMS	Twilio	Text notifications
Payments	— (planned: Dots.dev)	Disbursements
Analytics	PostHog	Product analytics
Monitoring	Sentry	Error tracking
Queue	PostgreSQL table	Async operations
Hosting	Vercel	Edge deployment

Appendix: Database Tables (35 total)

Core

forms - Form definitions
submissions - Application data
applicants - Applicant identity

Identity

users - Admin users (via WorkOS)
program_members - Form-level access
agencies - Multi-tenancy

Workflow

form_sessions - Draft progress
form_versions - Schema history
audit_logs - Change tracking

Integrations

airtable_connections - Sync config
webhook_configs - Webhook settings
webhook_events - Delivery history
notification_events - Email/SMS history
notification_providers - Provider config
notification_templates - Message templates

Async

async_operations - Job queue

Tideswell Comparison

How Terra relates to Tideswell

Foundation

Core Systems

Features

Integrations

Production Review

Operations

Reference

Documentation Index

​Engineering Planning 2026

​Executive Summary

​Part 1: Current Capability Audit

​Application Intake (Applicant-Facing)

​Data Processing (Internal)

​Integrations

​Fraud Review

​Status Tracking (Applicant-Facing)

​Data & Reporting

​Payments

​Customer Support

​Part 2: Roadmap Item Analysis

​In-Progress / To-Do Items

​Current Strengths

​Opportunities

​Part 3: Build vs Buy Analysis

​Continue Building Terra ✅ Recommended

​Switch to Alternative Form Platform ❌ Not Recommended

​Hybrid Approach: Terra + External Services ✅ Recommended

​Part 4: Strategic Recommendations

​Tier 1: High Priority (Q1 2026)

​1. Unified Applicant Identity

​2. Income/Employment Verification

​3. Recertification Flows

​Tier 2: Medium Priority (Q2 2026)

​4. Payments Integration (Dots.dev)

​5. Fraud Database

​6. Impact Dashboards

​Tier 3: Lower Priority (Q3+ 2026)

​7. Customer Support Integration

​8. Text-Based Form Editing

​9. Accessibility Audit

​Part 5: Architecture Decisions

​Keep Text-Based Form Export?

​Form-Input Only vs Applicant Management?

​Tideswell vs Terra?

​Part 6: Proposed Roadmap

​Quarterly Breakdown

​Part 7: Quick Wins

​Appendix: Current Tech Stack

​Appendix: Database Tables (35 total)

​Core

​Identity

​Workflow

​Integrations

​Async

Tideswell Comparison

Engineering Planning 2026

Executive Summary

Part 1: Current Capability Audit

Application Intake (Applicant-Facing)

Data Processing (Internal)

Integrations

Fraud Review

Status Tracking (Applicant-Facing)

Data & Reporting

Payments

Customer Support

Part 2: Roadmap Item Analysis

In-Progress / To-Do Items

Current Strengths

Opportunities

Part 3: Build vs Buy Analysis

Continue Building Terra ✅ Recommended

Switch to Alternative Form Platform ❌ Not Recommended

Hybrid Approach: Terra + External Services ✅ Recommended

Part 4: Strategic Recommendations

Tier 1: High Priority (Q1 2026)

1. Unified Applicant Identity

2. Income/Employment Verification

3. Recertification Flows

Tier 2: Medium Priority (Q2 2026)

4. Payments Integration (Dots.dev)

5. Fraud Database

6. Impact Dashboards

Tier 3: Lower Priority (Q3+ 2026)

7. Customer Support Integration

8. Text-Based Form Editing

9. Accessibility Audit

Part 5: Architecture Decisions

Keep Text-Based Form Export?

Form-Input Only vs Applicant Management?

Tideswell vs Terra?

Part 6: Proposed Roadmap

Quarterly Breakdown

Part 7: Quick Wins

Appendix: Current Tech Stack

Appendix: Database Tables (35 total)

Core

Identity

Workflow

Integrations

Async