Steve McDougall — Articles

Shape features before coding so scope, approach, and boundaries are clear from the start.

Understand relationship types and cardinality so your schema reflects how your data really connects.

Learn how to spot hidden assumptions in a brief before you turn it into code.

Learn how to map application components, layers, and dependencies before you start building.

Turn your diagrams and design notes into a clear build order that respects dependencies.

Five PSR standards that most PHP developers skip.

Most Laravel APIs start as clean CRUD systems.

Signal is a PHP library that generates living documentation from native attributes.

Building a lead enrichment and scoring pipeline in Laravel 13 using the AI SDK, structured agents, composable Action classes, and PHP enums for type-safe status management.

Building a configurable lead scoring engine in Laravel 13 - config-driven weights, query objects for prioritised retrieval, rescoring commands, and a top leads endpoint.

Add JWT auth to a Laravel API with register, login, refresh, and logout flows using Form Request DTOs, Action classes, and auth:api middleware.

How to run a Shape Up betting table - the planning meeting where pitches get selected and cycles begin or quietly collapse.

Learn how to version Laravel API routes, signal deprecations with Sunset headers, and keep API contracts aligned with your implementation.

How to have honest conversations with stakeholders about AI productivity - what actually changes, what doesn't, and how to set realistic expectations.

Implement lead ingestion in Laravel with Form Request validation, typed DTO payloads, Action classes, and JSON:API responses for POST /v1/leads.

Start the Modern Laravel APIs series by structuring Pulse-Link for production with clear layers, ULIDs, action classes, DTO requests, and versioning.

AI makes implementation cheaper and judgment more valuable.

How to review AI-generated code effectively, what failure modes to watch for, and how to maintain quality standards as code volume increases.

How to write specifications that produce useful LLM output, covering interface definitions, edge cases, and why the spec is your highest-leverage artifact.

How to write Shape Up pitches that give engineering teams real clarity - problem definition, appetite, solution shaping, rabbit holes, and no-gos explained.

A practical introduction to Shape Up - the planning methodology built on appetite over estimation, fixed time with flexible scope, and small autonomous teams.

Technical debt is inevitable.

A practical guide to engineering career progression, from junior to staff, covering promotion criteria and the conversations that move careers forward.

How engineering leaders make decisions under pressure, communicate through uncertainty, and keep teams focused when the path forward is not clear.

Technical debt is inevitable.

How to develop your coaching skills as an engineering manager, with practical techniques for performance conversations, growth planning, and career development.

Why technical vision matters, how to set it, and how to maintain it over time in the face of changing circumstances and competing priorities.

How to create a culture where engineers feel safe to take risks, speak up, and make mistakes without fear of punishment.

How to design org structure, hiring, and coordination to avoid the common traps that kill velocity as engineering teams scale.

A practical guide to hiring engineers - covering role definition, structured interviews, technical assessment, values alignment, and onboarding.

A practical guide for engineers moving into management - covering mindset shifts, letting go of coding, time management, feedback, and building leadership skills.

A practical guide to leading remote engineering teams - covering async rhythms, documentation, trust-building, and cross-timezone collaboration.

Learn how to implement the Saga pattern in Laravel to coordinate external APIs, recover from failures, and keep data consistent.

How to structure TempestPHP applications with domain-first folders, repositories, command handlers, and thin controllers that stay maintainable.

Controllers are a transport layer, not a home for business logic.

A practical guide to shaping production-ready APIs using kit, from contracts and validation to observability and rollout.

Transform PHP scripts into professional CLI products with MiniCLI v5's zero-dependency architecture and instant boot times.

Compare Nixpacks, Buildpacks, and Dockerfiles on Sevalla so you can pick the right build strategy for your stack, control needs, and deployment workflow.

Learn how to build a production-grade Go microservice that extracts EXIF and image metadata using gRPC, complete with S3/R2 integration.

Use Git worktrees to maintain multiple isolated Laravel environments simultaneously without stashing or reinstalling dependencies.

How PHP 8.5 absorbs Noback's Object Design Style Guide patterns directly into syntax, eliminating ceremony.

Why starting with design patterns too early can overcomplicate PHP apps, and a practical way to design from constraints instead.

Understanding statelessness in PHP: filesystem assumptions, session state, and building truly stateless applications with Zero Trust principles.

Explore the design and implementation of Relay, a new HTTP transport layer for PHP 8.5+.

From clearing IEDs in Afghanistan to clearing pull requests.

Create portable instruction manuals for Claude to teach domain-specific approaches, with a deep dive into building a production-grade Laravel API skill.

Learn how to implement server-sent events (SSE) in Laravel for streaming AI responses, avoiding the complexity of WebSockets.

Learn how Laravel developers can leverage Kubernetes for scalable and efficient application deployment.

Learn how to implement event-driven architecture using domain-driven design principles to build scalable and maintainable systems.

Learn how to use Devbox to create isolated local development environments for Laravel projects without the overhead of Docker.