Does the word rudimentary has any negative connotation?

I am a non native (Indian) English speaker and I used the phrase "feature X is rudimentary" as matter of fact in a American office setting (chat;slack). Can it be construed in a negative manner ? i.e aggressive or accusatory?

Solution 1:

I wouldn't call it complimentary, but it could be simply factual.

"Hey, I developed this prototype. It's still rudimentary, but you can see how a final product should work."

In that sentence, the state of the product is simply rudimentary, and it is neither a good nor bad thing. It simply is.

The negative connotation would come across in a dismissive tone. If the person worked really hard and thought that the feature was production-worthy, calling it "rudimentary" is slapping down their hard work. It could even be insulting if it's unfairly called "rudimentary," i.e. it may not be perfect, but it's hardly an incipient effort.