This is not correct IMHO. The reforms as they are represented in EB are 'pictures' of what would happen if an empire would expand in a certain way. If you expand in other ways, build i.e. not the required buildings then the reform won't take place or takes place a later time, when you got too much provinces to get all your army from Italy itself for the Romans as example. So the reforms are a optional feature and not a must. However this is EB1 thema and should be discussed there, the reforms in EB2 are depicted in the previews.

XSamatan