system-benchmark

System Benchmark

A skill for benchmarking a design system against industry standards and comparable public systems, producing a qualitative comparison with specific reference points that answer: "How does our system compare to what good looks like?"

Output type: Proposal only. This skill produces analysis and comparisons. It does not make changes. It produces a benchmark report with findings, comparison context, and prioritised improvement areas.

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Why this exists

System-health tells you if your system is healthy on its own terms. But it cannot answer: "Is our token architecture actually good? What do systems we admire look like at this layer?"

System Benchmark fills this gap. It compares your system against documented public benchmarks — published design system case studies, open-source system architectures, and industry maturity models — to give your findings context. A team that learns their token architecture is two tiers behind what mature enterprise systems typically have now has a specific target and gap to close.

This is not competitive intelligence. Design systems are not products competing in a market. This is calibration — understanding where your system sits on a maturity curve so you can prioritise investment.

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Configuration

Check for .ds-ops-config.yml in the project root:

benchmark:
  system_type: "enterprise"          # enterprise, product, agency, government
  team_size: 5                        # Full-time design system team members
  system_age_months: 24               # How long the system has been in active development
  consumer_count: 12                  # Number of teams/products consuming the system
  comparison_targets:                 # Specific systems to compare against (optional)
    - "Material Design"
    - "Polaris"
    - "Carbon"

If no configuration exists, ask for:

1. System type (enterprise, product, agency, government)
2. Approximate team size
3. How long the system has been active
4. How many teams or products consume it