Setting roles and responsibilities

Clear roles help teams understand how to take part in a design system and how decisions move forward. When everyone knows who owns decisions, who supports maintenance, and who can contribute ideas, work becomes smoother and more predictable. Without this clarity, communication slows down and it becomes harder to keep the system consistent.

Many organisations rely on a dedicated design system team. This team updates components, improves documentation, and makes sure the system continues to match the needs of different products. In smaller teams, one designer may take on this work, but regular check-ins with engineers and product partners remain important.

Good governance also creates space for shared contributions. Teams are encouraged to submit enhancements, share issues, and suggest improvements. This helps reveal gaps and challenges that the core team might not notice on their own because other teams work in different contexts.^[1]