Consolidate and merge overlapping patterns

[russelltrow]

Context

During the catalogue restructuring, several groups of patterns were identified that overlap significantly or are too narrowly scoped. The team agreed to merge these into broader, higher-level patterns and to broaden overly specific patterns rather than simply removing them. Russ has already drafted merged versions using Claude.

Patterns identified for consolidation

Current patterns	Proposed merged pattern
Reduce Transmitted Data + Compress Transmitted Data	Minimize Transmitted Data Size
Utilization of VMs + Utilization of Pre-configured Servers + Scale Down Kubernetes (and similar)	Broader scaling/utilization pattern(s)
Use Service Mesh (and other overly specific patterns)	Broaden into a more general pattern or retire

What needs to happen

• Russ to raise individual PRs for each proposed merge/consolidation
• Each PR should show the original patterns and the proposed replacement
• At least one subject matter expert should review each merge to ensure no important guidance is lost (Liya's request)
• For overly specific patterns: attempt to broaden the wording first before proposing removal
• Team to review and approve PRs asynchronously

Acceptance criteria

• All identified overlapping patterns have PRs raised
• Each merged pattern reviewed by at least one SME
• No patterns removed without an attempt to broaden them first
• Merged patterns follow the existing pattern template structure