After 25 years in tech, I still think the hardest part of building an app isn't writing the code

I've spent around 25 years working in technology, including Vodafone R&D, across software engineering, cybersecurity, electronics and IoT.

One thing I've noticed is that getting an app to run is only part of the challenge. You still need to think about architecture, security, user experience, admin tools, deployment and all the small details that turn a demo into something usable.

That's one of the reasons I started building CodeCo.tech. I've developed around 30 different applications, each designed around its own purpose rather than taking one template and changing the colours.

Recently, I've been thinking about how developers approach new projects. AI can generate code quickly, templates can save time, and building everything from scratch gives you maximum control. But each approach has trade-offs.

I'm curious about how other developers see this.

When starting a new project, what's the part you'd most like to avoid rebuilding from scratch — authentication, payments, admin dashboards, deployment, or something else?

I'd be interested in hearing what people have learned from their own projects.