Maintenance that is not about any single site.
WHAT GOES STALE
PHP versions, which reach end of life Framework versions, which stop receiving security fixes Dependencies, which are abandoned by their authors Your own knowledge of both
A ROUTINE FOR YOUR PROJECTS
- Quarterly: run dependency audits across projects, note what is outdated
- Twice yearly: check PHP version support timelines and plan upgrades
- Annually: review each project and decide whether it is maintained, needs work, or should be retired
THE PROJECTS THAT CAUSE TROUBLE
Ones built years ago, still running, on an unsupported PHP version, with abandoned dependencies, where the client assumes it is fine.
Tell them before it breaks rather than after.
PLANNING UPGRADES
A major version upgrade is work. Budget it, schedule it, and test on staging.
Deferring indefinitely means eventually doing it under pressure, after a security problem, on a version several major releases behind.
KEEPING A LIST
Every project, its stack, its versions, and when it was last updated. Without it, you will not know what needs attention.
