Migration Playbook

If you're planning a design system migration, here's the process I'd recommend. First, run the audit — you can't migrate what you haven't inventoried. Use a spreadsheet, not a fancy tool. Tag each component by product, frequency, and visual similarity. Second, get buy-in from engineering leads early. Show them the audit numbers ("we have 14 button styles") and let the absurdity speak for itself. Third, start building with the top 5 most-used components. Ship them with thorough docs and a migration guide. Fourth, write codemods for the most common patterns — this dramatically reduces migration friction. Fifth, go team by team, not product-wide. Let each team own their migration timeline. Sixth, track system coverage weekly and share it publicly. Visibility creates accountability. Finally, plan for the long tail. The last 10% of migration will take as long as the first 90%. Budget accordingly.