Evolution of an App

From Paper to Power Platform

Introduction

In the world of business operations, some of the most critical systems don’t start with a formal design—they begin with a conversation, a sticky note, or a hastily written email. As a consultant working in the Power Platform ecosystem, I’ve seen this story unfold countless times: a process starts informally, becomes too complex to manage through communication alone, and eventually finds its way into an Excel file. That file grows, morphs, and becomes mission-critical. And when it finally buckles under its own weight, the call goes out—for help, for structure, for an app.

This blog post explores the evolution of an app idea, tracing its journey from paper and email to Excel, and finally to a model-driven app built on Power Platform. I’ll alternate between general observations from my consulting experience and a fictional—but highly relatable—example of a neighborhood tool rental business. Think of it as “Uber for tools,” born from a homeowner’s garage and grown into a community side hustle. Through this lens, we’ll examine how informal systems become formalized, and how consultants like me help bring clarity, scalability, and structure to what was once just a spreadsheet.

The Common Pattern in Business

Across industries and departments, I’ve seen a familiar story play out time and again. A business process begins informally—tracked through emails, sticky notes, hallway conversations, or mental checklists. Eventually, someone realizes that the communication is too scattered, too inconsistent, and too prone to error. That’s when Excel enters the picture.

Excel is often the first attempt at structure. It’s accessible, flexible, and powerful enough to handle a wide range of tasks. A team member creates a spreadsheet to centralize the process—whether it’s tracking inventory, managing requests, or logging equipment usage. For a while, it works. The spreadsheet becomes the system.

But as the process grows, so does the spreadsheet. Tabs multiply. Formulas get more complex. More people begin to rely on it. And soon, the file itself becomes a bottleneck.

It’s not just a tool anymore—it’s a fragile, mission-critical system. One person usually “owns” it, understanding its logic and quirks better than anyone else. If they’re unavailable, the process slows. If they leave, the organization scrambles. The spreadsheet lacks historical tracking, secure sharing, and consistent data entry. It’s difficult to audit, and even harder to scale.

This is the moment where businesses begin to feel the strain. The Excel file, once a helpful solution, now constrains progress. And that’s when the question arises: “Is there a better way to manage this?”

That question marks the beginning of an app.

Case Study: The Tool Rental Business

Let’s bring this concept down to earth with a simple, relatable example: a neighborhood tool rental business.

Imagine I’m a homeowner with a garage full of tools—power drills, ladders, pressure washers, and more. Over the years, I’ve built up a solid collection, and word has gotten around. Neighbors stop by and ask to borrow tools for weekend projects. I’m generous, so I lend them out freely. But one day, a tool goes missing. I can’t remember who borrowed it. That’s when I realize: I need to start keeping track.

At first, it’s informal. Maybe I jot down notes in a notebook or send myself reminder emails. Eventually, I open Excel and start listing my tools. I add columns for who borrowed what, when they took it, and when it’s due back. It’s a simple system, but it works—for a while.

Then my neighbor across the street wants to join in. He’s got a different set of tools and starts adding his inventory to the spreadsheet. Now we’re both lending tools, tracking usage, and occasionally receiving compensation—maybe a case of beer, maybe a gas refill. The spreadsheet grows. We’re checking tools in and out like a library. People borrow multiple tools for the same project. Some tools need maintenance. We start adding notes, flags, and formulas.

Before long, we’ve got a side business. It’s informal, but it’s real. The neighborhood benefits—no one needs to buy a tool they’ll only use once. But the spreadsheet is straining under the weight of our growing operation. Multiple people are updating it. There’s no version control. If someone forgets to log a rental, we lose track. If one of us goes on vacation, the system falters.

This is the moment where the spreadsheet stops being helpful and starts being a liability. It’s not scalable. It’s not secure. It’s not structured. And it’s certainly not designed for growth.

This fictional tool rental business mirrors what I see in real organizations all the time. Whether it’s an IT department tracking laptops and monitors, or a marketing team managing campaign assets, the story is the same. A process grows beyond its informal roots, and the spreadsheet that once held it together starts to fall apart.

The Breaking Point

Every spreadsheet-based system has a moment when it starts to crack. It’s not always dramatic—sometimes it’s a slow burn. A missed update. A tool that goes unreturned. A formula that breaks and no one knows how to fix it. Other times, it’s a crisis: a key person leaves, and no one else knows how to operate the file. A client asks for a report that can’t be generated. An executive realizes that a critical business function is being managed in a fragile, undocumented Excel file.

In the tool rental business, this moment might come when a neighbor borrows a tool and forgets to return it, and no one remembers who had it. Or when multiple people are editing the spreadsheet at once, and data gets overwritten. Or when someone wants to know which tool has been rented the most this year—and the answer is buried in overwritten cells and inconsistent entries.

These are the signs that the process has outgrown its container. The spreadsheet, once a clever solution, is now a liability. It lacks structure, security, and historical tracking. It’s not designed for collaboration, and it certainly wasn’t built to scale.

This is the point where businesses—and even informal side projects—start looking for something better. They need a system that’s built with intention. One that can grow with them, provide insights, and support multiple users without falling apart.

Building the App

Once the spreadsheet starts to strain under the weight of the growing tool rental operation, the need for a proper app becomes clear. The goal isn’t just to digitize the spreadsheet—it’s to rethink the process entirely, using structure, scalability, and foresight.

In the case of the tool rental business, the app would begin with a simple but powerful data model. At its core, you’d have a table for tools—each record representing an individual item in the collection. Fields might include the tool name, owner, description, image, and even maintenance schedules. This creates a centralized, searchable catalog of all available tools.

Next, you’d introduce a rental table. This is where the real transformation happens. Instead of overwriting cells in Excel every time a tool is borrowed, the app would log each rental as a new record. You’d capture who borrowed the tool, when they picked it up, when it’s due back, and any compensation or notes. Over time, this builds a rich history of usage—allowing you to see which tools are most popular, who your frequent borrowers are, and how often each item is used.

This shift from static tracking to time-series data is a game changer. It enables reporting, analytics, and insights that Excel simply can’t offer without complex workarounds. You can answer questions like: “Which tool has been rented the most this month?” or “How many tools are currently checked out?”—instantly and reliably.

From a Power Platform perspective, this app could be built as a model-driven app, leveraging Dataverse for structured data storage, relationships, and security. If mobility and simplicity are key, a canvas app might be more appropriate, offering a tailored experience for users on the go.

Either way, the app becomes more than a digital version of the spreadsheet—it’s a system designed with intention. It supports multiple users, enforces data integrity, and provides a foundation for future growth. Whether it’s expanding the tool catalog, integrating payments, or adding notifications, the app is ready to evolve with the business.

Real-World Parallels

While the tool rental business is a simplified example, the underlying dynamics are anything but rare. In fact, this kind of evolution—from informal tracking to spreadsheet dependency to app necessity—is something I see constantly in my consulting work.

Take an IT department, for instance. They’re responsible for issuing laptops, monitors, and other equipment to employees. At first, they might track this manually—maybe through onboarding emails or a shared checklist. Eventually, someone creates an Excel file to log who has what. Over time, the file grows. It includes serial numbers, issue dates, upgrade history, and return status. It becomes the central source of truth.

But then the problems start. Employees leave, and no one updates the file. Someone forgets to log a returned monitor. A manager asks for a report on how many devices are currently in use, and the data is incomplete. The file is passed around, edited by multiple people, and eventually becomes so complex that only one person truly understands it. That person becomes the bottleneck.

This isn’t just an IT issue. I’ve seen it in HR, marketing, finance, and operations. A spreadsheet starts as a clever workaround and ends up as a fragile system. It’s not designed for collaboration, security, or scale. And when the stakes get high—when leadership needs answers, when compliance becomes a concern, or when the process starts impacting customer experience—that’s when the call goes out for help.

That’s when I get brought in.

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The Consultant’s Role

By the time I’m brought into a project, the spreadsheet has usually reached its breaking point. The business knows it’s no longer sustainable, but they’re not sure what to do next. That’s where the role of a consultant begins—not just to build an app, but to untangle the mess and bring clarity to the chaos.

My first step is always discovery. I sit down with the stakeholders, the spreadsheet owners, and the people who rely on it day-to-day. I ask questions: What are you tracking? What decisions depend on this data? What’s working—and what’s not? Often, the answers reveal a patchwork of workarounds, tribal knowledge, and hidden dependencies that have accumulated over time.

From there, I identify the core entities and relationships. What are the “things” being tracked? What actions are being taken? What data needs to be preserved, and what insights need to be surfaced? This becomes the foundation of the app’s architecture.

Then comes the build. Using tools like Power Apps and Dataverse, I design a system that’s structured, secure, and scalable. It supports multiple users, enforces data integrity, and provides historical tracking. It’s not just a replacement for the spreadsheet—it’s a transformation of the process.

And finally, I deliver. The app goes live, and the business breathes a little easier. What was once a fragile Excel file is now a robust application, ready to grow with the organization.

This is the evolution of an app idea—from informal communication to structured solution. And it’s the kind of transformation that consultants like me help bring to life every day.

Conclusion

The journey from paper to Excel to a fully structured app is one I’ve seen play out countless times. It’s not just a technical evolution—it’s a reflection of how businesses grow, adapt, and eventually outgrow the tools they once relied on. What starts as a simple need to track something becomes a sprawling spreadsheet, and that spreadsheet becomes a system. But systems built without intention eventually show their cracks.

Whether it’s a neighborhood tool rental business or an IT department managing hundreds of assets, the pattern is the same. Informal processes become formal. Complexity increases. And eventually, someone asks the right question: “Is there a better way?”

That’s when I get brought in. As a consultant, my role is to help organizations recognize the tipping point, sort through the chaos, and design a solution that’s built to last. I interview stakeholders, identify what truly matters, and architect an app that brings clarity, structure, and scalability. It’s not just about replacing Excel—it’s about transforming the way the business operates.

The evolution of an app idea isn’t just a technical story—it’s a human one. It’s about solving real problems, empowering teams, and building systems that support growth. And it all starts with recognizing that the spreadsheet isn’t the end—it’s just the beginning.