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
- 01Describe the job
- 02Specify shape
- 03Check meaning
Instructions and output contracts
What is prompting, and what is structured output?
Prompting specifies a task, context and expectations for a model. Structured output asks for a response that follows a defined shape, such as fields in a JSON object. A response can match its schema and still be factually wrong or unauthorized.
Enterprise workflows need predictable integration points rather than a fragile parser around arbitrary prose.
CONNECT IT TO WHAT YOU KNOW
Start with something familiar.
A clear engineering ticket explains the task and acceptance criteria. A form specifies where the answer goes. Neither guarantees that the work behind the answer is correct.
Validate syntax, meaning, source support and permission separately. Never treat generated JSON as executable authority.
Words worth knowing
- Schema
- Rules describing the shape of data.
- Semantic validation
- Checking whether values make sense for the actual task.
- Tool argument
- A proposed input to a callable operation.
ONE EXAMPLE / FICTIONAL CASE
Watch the work take shape.
Ask for a draft with procedure_id, summary and needs_review fields. Then verify the procedure belongs to the caller's organization.
- 01Describe the job
- 02Specify shape
- 03Check meaning
Describe the job
State the audience, source requirement, bounds and what to do when information is missing.
A clear instructionFROM RECOGNITION TO REASONING
Write a draft schema and a valid-looking bad response.
- 01
Use three fields with clear types.
- 02
Make the bad response reference a nonexistent procedure.
- 03
Describe the check that rejects it after parsing succeeds.
A schema, a counterexample and a validation rule.
Compare your reasoning when you are ready
Schema conformance only establishes shape. The source lookup and authorization checks must still reject invented or inaccessible identifiers.
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.
Validate syntax, meaning, source support and permission separately. Never treat generated JSON as executable authority.
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