Pattern · Foundational
Human Middleware
A person repeatedly transfers, reformats, interprets or reconciles information between systems that cannot communicate effectively.
Brilliant QuestPublished 9 October 2026Updated 2026-10-09
Illustrative structure
System A
Person
System B
Common indicators include…
- Copying IDs and retyping customer information
- Moving spreadsheet values between systems
- Checking two systems agree
- Translating one team’s terminology into another’s
Why it may happen
A workflow spans systems whose identifiers, formats or responsibilities do not align. A capable person fills the gap, often so reliably that the missing architecture becomes invisible.
What it can cost
Reconciliation can consume attention, delay updates and create dependence on individual availability. The bigger risk is mistaking expert interpretation for clerical work and losing valuable context during a redesign.
Questions worth asking
- Which part requires human judgement and which part exists because the systems cannot communicate?
- What changes in the information as it crosses the bridge?
- How would the next team cope if this person were unavailable?
Possible interventions
- Observe a complete transfer and separate copying from interpretation.
- Agree identifiers and ownership before integrating systems.
- Automate repeatable transfers; retain review for ambiguous cases.
Verification required
This is an explanatory pattern, not a finding about your organisation. Establish whether it is present through a real example, records and the people involved; retain contradictory evidence.