Most design systems die not from neglect but from over-ambition. They start as a shared button and end as a second product with its own roadmap, its own backlog, and its own reasons to say no.
Ship less, document more
The systems that last are small and well-explained. Twelve components with clear rules beat sixty with none. We write the guidance before the code, and we delete anything that has not been used in two quarters.
Tokens are the product
Colour, type, spacing and radius decisions are the part of the system that every surface actually shares. Get those into a pipeline that feeds both Figma and code, and the components mostly take care of themselves.
Governance is a calendar, not a committee
One hour a fortnight, one person who can say yes. Anything heavier and the system stops moving.