The gap between a component library and a working design system is larger than it looks. Components in Figma need to match components in code. Tokens need to be real rather than named. Teams need to trust the system enough to use it instead of working around it. [[Design system branching in Figma]] protects the source while trust is being built, and [[Scorecards to pilot design system migration]] makes progress legible enough to sustain organisational support through the messy middle.
Implementation is where the theory meets the constraint, and the constraint is usually cultural rather than technical. Getting a team to stop their own patterns and use a shared one requires the shared one to be demonstrably better. [[Design debt as a performance indicator]] is often what makes the case for starting, and tracking it through implementation is what makes the case for finishing.