LOCKEDIN / FORWARD-DEPLOYED ENGINEERING 101
Understand it.
Then build it.
You can be an experienced engineer and still be new to agents. Start with what each thing is and how it helps a person do useful work. Explore 48 original introductions across software, agents, cloud, security and delivery. Start here without a model key; each topic connects to deeper instruction and practice.
- 101UnderstandPlain language, visual walkthrough, vocabulary
- 102Build with guidanceOriginal lessons, examples and knowledge checks
- 103Practise and explainRunnable labs, failure cases and handover
- 01Discover and authenticate
- 02Delegate narrowly
- 03Verify the return
Messages, delegation and the A2A protocol
How do agents communicate?
Agents communicate through software interfaces: in-process calls, queues, APIs or an interoperability protocol. Agent2Agent (A2A) is an open protocol for communication between agent systems. It describes how they discover capabilities and exchange tasks and results; it does not make their conclusions trustworthy.
Enterprise work may cross teams and technology stacks. A handoff must be narrower than 'ask another agent to figure it out'.
CONNECT IT TO WHAT YOU KNOW
Start with something familiar.
It is like a service-to-service work order with an explicit task and result. A team that receives work still needs an identity, scope, deadline and definition of done.
MCP connects applications to tools and resources. A2A addresses collaboration between agent systems. Neither replaces authorization, budgets or result verification.
Words worth knowing
- Agent card
- Capability and connection metadata used in A2A discovery.
- Task
- A unit of work whose status can be tracked.
- Artifact
- An output returned by the task, such as a report.
ONE EXAMPLE / FICTIONAL CASE
Watch the work take shape.
A planning agent asks a specialist to summarize one authorized procedure, with no permission to dispatch or broaden the search.
- 01Discover and authenticate
- 02Delegate narrowly
- 03Verify the return
Discover and authenticate
Check the advertised capability and the actual identity of the receiving service.
A known recipientFROM RECOGNITION TO REASONING
Write a delegation envelope for one specialist.
- 01
Specify the input, allowed tools and maximum work.
- 02
Define the expected output and source evidence.
- 03
Explain what happens if the specialist times out or requests broader access.
A bounded handoff and rejection path.
Compare your reasoning when you are ready
Delegation does not transfer unlimited authority. The receiving service authenticates the caller; the parent validates the returned evidence and enforces a total budget.
Keep notes in your own working copy. Moving through these cards does not record completion.
TURN THE IDEA INTO USEFUL WORK
You can now go deeper.
MCP connects applications to tools and resources. A2A addresses collaboration between agent systems. Neither replaces authorization, budgets or result verification.
Academy lessons use your existing training access. Free guides stay open.