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PetFolio MVP requirements

Vision

PetFolio MVP delivers a shareable pet profile - one place for everything about your pet, shareable with anyone who needs it.

The core problem is fragmented information. Pet care data is scattered across vet systems, microchip registries, insurance portals, and the owner's head. No single place has the complete picture, and that makes it impossible to hand off care - or even keep track of things yourself.

The information with the highest loss risk is the knowledge that lives in people's heads: behavioural quirks, daily routines, dietary needs, fears and preferences. If it is not written down, it does not exist for anyone else.

MVP strategy

Horizontal slice - build the shared core capability (pet profile management) across multiple user types simultaneously, rather than building one user type's complete end-to-end workflow.

This approach validates the core value proposition across all user types at once. If the pet profile concept does not land, we learn that early.

Account types

PetFolio has two account types. Both create and share pet profiles - the difference is in how they manage access.

  • Personal - an individual managing their own pets (single or multi-pet households, rescue pet owners). Household members and family get access to animal profiles via sharing.
  • Professional - an organisation managing animals at scale (vets, groomers, boarding, trainers, breeders, rehoming centres). Staff access animal records through organisational membership.

Feature areas

The MVP is decomposed into independently deliverable feature areas:

# Feature area Description Status
1 Account and user management OAuth sign-up, two account types (Personal/Professional), staff roles Defined
2 Animal profile management Create and manage pet profiles with species-tailored prompts Defined
3 Combined daily routine Cross-animal timeline view for multi-pet households Defined
4 Profile sharing Time-limited or permanent read-only sharing with PetFolio users Defined

Cross-cutting

Document Description
Platform and user interaction Device strategy, offline access, sync, authentication by context
Application structure Single application with context switching, branded subdomains as premium

Dependencies

graph TD
    A[1. Account and user management] --> B[2. Animal profile management]
    B --> C[3. Combined daily routine]
    B --> D[4. Profile sharing]

Feature areas 3 and 4 are independent of each other and can be sequenced or cut without affecting the other.

Post-MVP roadmap

The following enhancements were discussed during MVP discovery and deferred. They are grouped by theme. This is not a delivery plan - it is a record of decisions deferred and the reasoning behind them.

Account and user management

Enhancement Context
Admin role (Option B) MVP uses three roles: Owner/Admin, Editor, Viewer. The next phase introduces a separate Admin role so multiple people can manage staff without owner-level control.
Property/home information Sitters who are also house-sitting need details about the property (wifi, bins, heating, alarm codes). Deferred because PetFolio's MVP scope is focused on animals, not properties.

Animal profile management

Enhancement Context
Expanded profile categories MVP captures basic information across health, behaviour, routine, and diet. Each category can be deepened significantly (e.g., full vaccination history, vet contacts, insurance, detailed medical records).
Gallery images and video MVP supports a single profile picture per animal. Future phases allow photo and video galleries attached to individual profile sections.
Additional species with tailored prompts MVP supports dog, cat, rabbit, rodents, birds, reptiles, and Other. Fish was specifically discussed as a candidate for future tailored prompts.

Profile sharing

Enhancement Context
Editor rights for shared recipients The profile owner will be able to grant edit access to specific recipients for specific animals during a defined time period.
Granular section-level permissions Fine-grained control over which sections of a profile a recipient can view or modify.
Selective hiding of sections The ability to hide specific sections when sharing, so recipients only see what is relevant to them.
Recipient notes and updates Recipients can add notes, share images, or post updates back to the profile owner.

Ownership transfer

Enhancement Context
Household changes When a household splits, ownership of specific animal profiles transfers to another user.
Rehoming and adoption When a breeder or rehoming centre places an animal, the profile and all its history transfers to the new owner's account.
Breeder to owner A breeder hands a comprehensive profile to the buyer, giving them a head start.

See Ownership transfer for full details.

Reminders and alerts

Enhancement Context
Routine-based reminders Recipients can set up reminders or alerts based on the routine timeline (e.g., medication times, feeding windows, nap times). Deferred because the MVP delivers the information - acting on it is the carer's responsibility.

Integrations and communication

Enhancement Context
Calendar sync Sync routine events and reminders with external calendars.
Import adoption records Rescue pet owners want to import existing records from shelters or rehoming centres.
Post-adoption communication Communication with the rescue or vet after adoption for ongoing support.
Insurance integration Integrate with pet insurance providers for policy management, claims, and renewal reminders.

Professional account features

Enhancement Context
Staff notes on animal profiles Staff and volunteers can add notes without editing the profile itself.
Task management Assign and track tasks related to animal care across the team.
Bulk operations Bulk upload of animal records, bulk sharing, and other operations needed at scale.
Location/area grouping Group animals by physical location within a facility.
Assigned carer Assign animals to specific staff members and filter by who is responsible.
Configurable custom fields Allow organisations to add custom fields beyond the standard categories.
Branded subdomains Premium feature allowing Professional accounts to have a branded subdomain (e.g., happypaws.petfolio.com).

Platform and user experience

Enhancement Context
Push notifications Notify users of profile updates, share invitations, account activity, and routine reminders. Phase 2 priority.
App intro/walkthrough Guided introduction to PetFolio after account creation.
Draft/publish model Allow profile owners to save edits without immediately making them visible to share recipients.
Profile merge after transfer return When an archived animal is returned and reactivated, merge the original archived profile with any profile the new owner created.

Reference