The Pattern Pontiff
An answer for everything, awkward when the question changes
The Pattern Pontiff has read every reference architecture, every design pattern catalog, and every framework documentation. They can cite the canonical solution to any problem — and they will, before hearing the constraints. AI makes this pattern worse because the model can generate a pattern reference for anything, including patterns that don't fit your problem.
Symptom
Architecture reviews conducted from the official reference catalog. Every problem mapped to a favorite doctrine. When the pattern doesn't fit, the Pontiff convenes another review to review the last review. The question of whether the pattern is appropriate is never asked — only whether it was correctly applied.
Why It Matters
The Pontiff's patterns aren't wrong. They're premature. Applying canonical architecture before understanding the problem produces systems that are technically correct and practically useless. The AI amplifies this because it can generate a pattern-perfect implementation of anything, including things that shouldn't be built.
What the Chapter Gives You
How to spot pattern-as-answer before it ossifies your architecture, why the question 'what problem are we solving?' is the Pontiff's kryptonite, and the counter-moves that force constraints before patterns.
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