I vibe-coded an internal tool at work. How do I go from "cool prototype" to "something people can actually depend on"?
Im an intern in logistics. My 'assignment' is finding a way to optimize planning how shipments get loaded onto trucks, in what order, and making sure nothing gets missed. I am not a developer. I can't really write code by hand.
Over the last few weeks I used AI tools to build what my team has started calling our "loading cockpit." It's basically a dashboard: what needs to be loaded today, which truck it goes on, in what sequence, and the status of each shipment. Until now this all lived in a messy spreadsheet and a literal whiteboard.
Here's my problem: the prototype genuinely works. The screens do what they should, it looks clean, and when I demo it people get excited. My manager saw it and now wants to "roll it out" to the team. Great. Except I built the whole thing by prompting AI, and I have no real idea what stands between "works on my screen when I demo it" and "12 colleagues use it every morning and it doesn't fall over."
So I'm asking for two things: a realistic roadmap, and some concrete advice for someone who isn't a coder.
The roadmap question: what are the actual stages between a working prototype and a tool people can depend on at work? I don't know what I don't know. If someone can lay out "here's step 1, 2, 3..." even at a high level, that alone would help me stop feeling lost.
The specific stuff I'm stuck on:
- Right now the app only exists inside the AI tool's preview window/Lovable. Where is a thing like this actually supposed to live so people can open it in a browser at work?
- The data. Right now it's basically sample data. How do I connect it to our real shipment info safely, and does this need a proper database? Who backs that up if so?
- Logins. My colleagues each need their own account. How do I add that without accidentally creating a security hole?
- If it breaks at 6am while people are loading trucks, someone has to fix it. Right now that someone is me and I can't code. How do people handle that?
- At what point do I need to stop vibe coding and get an actual developer involved, and how do you even hand something like this over to one?
- Is the AI-generated code going to be a mess that no real developer will want to touch later? Should I care about that now or worry about it if we get there?
- Roughly what should I expect to pay per month to run something like this for a small team?
To be clear about scope: I'm not trying to build a startup or sell this. I just want a reliable internal tool that doesn't embarrass me the day my manager tells the whole floor to start using it.
Any war stories, "here's what I'd do in your shoes," or "do NOT do the thing you're about to do" are all welcome.
TL;DR: Non-technical logistics person. Used AI to build a genuinely-working internal loading dashboard. Boss wants to deploy it to the team. I don't understand hosting, databases, logins, security, or when to bring in a real dev. Looking for a realistic prototype-to-production roadmap plus concrete deployment advice for a non-coder.
DISCLAIMER: NOT LOOKING FOR PEOPLE OFFERING THEMSELVES TO 'TAKE CARE OF IT', ONLY ADVICE REQUESTED.