Building a system is not the same as ignoring the debt it creates. Three signs a small team is too early.
Premature abstraction
Tokens, components and primitives must emerge from repeated patterns. Build a system from zero usage and people will bypass it within a month.
The rule of three
A component earns its place in the system when three independent teams or three separate pages use it. Anything less is a favorites list, not a system.
Leave room for brand
The best systems do not do everything. You cannot build an Apple feel and a Brutalist feel from the same tokens. Discipline in the middle, flexibility at the edge.
