From Paper to Platform - A Case Study
Author: Bhawna Mehta
How Agile Turned Angie's Doggy Spa Around: The Power of Defining Problems in a Right Way!
When Angie opened her boutique dog grooming spa, her love for animals and hands-on care won her a loyal following. But what started as a small, paper-based operation quickly grew into something bigger—and messier.
By year two, appointments were double-booked, files were getting lost, and end-of-month revenue reports took days to compile. Angie was working harder but didn’t feel like she was getting ahead.
She knew she needed to “go digital”—but what did that actually mean? Should she build an app? Get scheduling software? Hire a consultant?
Here's where the combination of AGILE and a well-defined problem intake process makes all the difference!
Instead of rushing to buy software or hire developers, Angie and her team created a Problem Intake process —a deceptively simple tool that asked the right questions:
- What’s really going wrong?
- Who is impacted?
- What’s the current process?
- What would a successful outcome look like?
This wasn’t about tech just yet—it was about clarity.
That’s where Agile comes in.
🛠️ First: Define the problem before chasing the solution!
Agile isn’t just for tech companies—it’s a mindset that helped Angie move from paper chaos to digital calm, one story at a time. Here’s how:
Agile: Turning clarity into action
Agile Keeps the Focus on Real People
Using the intake form, Angie identified personas like:
- Emma, the customer who wanted online booking
- Tina, the groomer tired of paper logs
- Angie herself, the owner needing clean reports
Agile teams don’t build generic features—they solve real users’ pain points.
Agile Turns Problems Into Stories
With her personas in place, Angie’s team broke the big, messy problem into bite-sized user stories:
“As a dog owner, I want to schedule online so I don’t have to call during business hours.”
“As a groomer, I want to view the day’s appointments without flipping through paper.”
“As a manager, I want a dashboard so I can track revenue.”
Each story had clear acceptance criteria—meaning success was defined from the start.
Agile Builds One Step at a Time
Rather than trying to solve everything at once, Angie’s project moved through Agile sprints:
- Sprint 1: Launch online booking
- Sprint 2: Add pet profiles with service history
- Sprint 3: Build out a reporting dashboard
No big-bang launch. Just steady, meaningful progress with feedback at every step.
Agile Measures What Matters
Thanks to the intake form and Agile approach, Angie didn’t just “digitize.” She could measure:
- 📈 A 90% reduction in double-bookings
- ⏱️ 10+ hours saved per month on reporting
- 🐶 Happier customers who could book in 60 second
🎉 From Paper to Platform—with Purpose
Angie didn’t need a flashy app—she needed focus. And that came from defining the problem properly, keeping users at the center, and solving step-by-step using Agile.
That’s why a thoughtful problem intake process and an Agile mindset are more than project tools—they’re transformation enablers.
If you’re struggling to “go digital,” don’t start with the solution. Start with the problem. Then solve one real story at a time—just like Angie did.
“Don’t just guess the problem—define it with precision. Download the Problem Intake Form and kickstart your next impactful solution.”