Design standards and implementation checks
Standards should connect to inspectable components, patterns and situations. Their purpose is shared judgment rather than another document that nobody can apply.
Define foundations and exceptions
Document typography, spacing, colors, imagery and interaction principles with suitable uses. Retain the reason and scope of an exception instead of silently changing global rules for one page.
Connect rules to implementation
Names in documentation should correspond to design files and implementation, with applicable versions. Shared sources reduce duplicate maintenance, but product information architecture and tasks still need their own review.
Go beyond technical checks
Structure and type checks find some engineering problems without establishing usability. Review wrapping, overflow, focus, navigation and failure states, using comparable screenshots when useful.
Trace adoption over time
After a shared standard changes, identify which pages have adopted it and which still use an older version. Approval of the common system is separate from acceptance of each product.