One of the most critical steps in establishing a design system, especially within a government contract or large organization, is gaining stakeholder buy-in. Without it, a design system risks being sidelined as “extra work” instead of being seen as an essential part of product development.

Why Stakeholder Buy-in Matter

  • They have the full view. Stakeholders are often the only people who understand the broader context across teams. They can see the inconsistencies and inefficiencies that arise when every team works in silos.
  • They control contracts. In government environments, no team can pivot to prioritize a design system unless stakeholders authorize and fund that effort.
  • They create momentum. Stakeholder champions become advocates for adoption, ensuring the design system isn’t just a good idea, but a priority.

How We Got Buy-In

  1. Show, don’t just tell. We created presentations specifically showing how a design system would directly address the inconsistency issues leadership had already identified.

  2. Own the problem. Rather than just identifying a lack of alignment, we actively started exploring solutions. This persistence in trying to solve the problem signaled to leadership that we were serious.

  3. Build an MVP. We developed a simple, minimum viable product of what a design system might look like. Having something tangible helped stakeholders visualize the value.

Getting buy-in didn’t happen overnight. But with consistency, clear examples, and solution-driven energy, we got the support we needed to move forward.

With stakeholders on board our next step was to get other teams to buy-in.

Note: This article was co-written with the help of AI to improve clarity and structure.