Where you enforce consistency—and where you allow variation—determines how your system scales
Standardization is often treated as an efficiency exercise. Reduce variation. Improve consistency. Lower cost.
These are valid outcomes. They are not the primary effect.
At scale, standardization defines how the system behaves. Where it is applied. Where it is not.
These choices set boundaries. They determine how much autonomy teams have. How quickly work can move. How coherent the system remains over time.
https://primamachina.substack.com/p/standardization-is-a-strategic-decision