What We Mean By: “One Does Not Simply”

Software development. The wondrous world of expectations, technical reality, and invisible complexity. In other words: why that seemingly “simple” button sometimes takes more lines of code than the rest of your project combined.

Sounds familiar?

You pitch your idea. Everything sounds logical, clear, and doable. You wrap up with: “And the tool should also just automatically connect to our CRM, invoicing system, and calendar.”

Silence.

Then the developer says:

“Hmm… one does not simply connect three systems.”

And you think: What do you mean, not simple? Can’t you just connect three systems?

Why software development isn’t so simple

In theory, almost anything is possible. We can integrate systems, automate processes, build dashboards, and deliver a seamless user experience. But in practice, it takes choices, logic, security, scalability, and above all: time. Because the more powerful and smarter the solution, the more needs to happen under the hood.

What looks like “just adding a button” often means days of work behind the scenes: adjusting data models, error handling, and thorough testing. Yes, we can do a lot. But no, not everything is “just a quick fix.” And that’s exactly where realistic expectations and good collaboration make all the difference.

1. It seems simple, but it’s deceptive

Some things sound like they should take one line of code. In reality, they can hide days of work: integrating APIs, covering edge cases, adding security, and handling all possible scenarios. It’s certainly not impossible. But it’s also not as simple as you might think.

For example:

• “Then we’ll just automatically save that form.”
• “Just add a filter, right?”
• “Then the tool can just look at what someone filled out before.”

2. The question sounds simple, but it’s actually a thousand questions in one

You ask: “Can this form also send the data to our CRM?”

The developer thinks:

• What exactly needs to be sent?
• At what point in the flow?
• What if something’s wrong?
• What if someone cancels halfway?
• Which fields are required?
• How should we validate it?
• What happens after?

Your “yes/no” question is, in code, a decision tree full of pitfalls, exceptions, and twelve “if this, then that” scenarios.

3. It needs to integrate with something that simply won’t integrate

Another classic pitfall: trying to connect with tools that weren’t designed to work together. Think of an outdated accounting tool with no API. Or a CRM that technically can connect, but only through an old SOAP integration with poor documentation. That means reverse engineering, digging through docs, experimenting, and hoping it stays stable. Or even overhauling the whole system so integration becomes possible.

“One does not simply” here means: “It’s doable, but block out a week and stock up on coffee.”

4. It has to be foolproof even If users aren’t

People click at the strangest times, close tabs too early, give half-answers, or forget to hit “save.” And you expect the system to handle all of that gracefully. Fair enough, but that means the developer has to think like a user in a rush, hungry, distracted, and with tunnel vision.

“One does not simply” here means: “We’re not just building features, we’re also building protection against everything that can go wrong.”

5. And yes, it needs to be beautiful, fast, and secure

To top it off, the feature doesn’t just have to work, it also has to:

• Load quickly
• Scale well
• Fit seamlessly with your existing design
• Be GDPR-compliant
• Stay easy to update in the future

In developer-language: a delicate dance between perfection, pragmatism, and avoiding technical debt .

So what should you do when you hear this?

Don’t ask: “Why can’t it just work?”

Instead, try asking:

• “What makes this complicated?”
• “What would it take to make this doable?”
• “Is there a simpler version we could start with?”

You’ll find that developers love to help. But they also want to build something that truly works, stays secure, and won’t cause chaos when you need changes a year from now.

“One does not simply” doesn’t mean “no.”

It means: Yes, if we do it the right way. And that’s exactly what we want. Do you have a feature idea that seems “super simple”? Bring it on. We’d love to help you figure it out. And if it really isn’t so simple? We’ll explain why. No developer jargon, promised.