Why good cruiser plans would not fix a patchwork fleet

Could France have solved its cruiser problem simply by acquiring better plans?

Not by itself; without stronger control over dispersed yards and specifications, better designs could still become an inconsistent fleet.

Better plans alone would not solve a system in which distant yards could produce divergent ships. British naval construction authorities could enforce specifications and expect government backing. French officials, by comparison, could be overruled when politicians sided with a local yard. Industrial governance was therefore central to fleet coherence alongside individual ship design.