---
title: "4 essentials of reengineering a business"
id: "8238"
type: "post"
slug: "4-essentials-of-reengineering-a-business"
published_at: "2022-11-03T03:31:36+00:00"
modified_at: "2024-07-18T17:04:32+00:00"
url: "https://seamusphan.com/4-essentials-of-reengineering-a-business/"
markdown_url: "https://seamusphan.com/4-essentials-of-reengineering-a-business.md"
excerpt: "What happens when a business needs to change, drastically? What then, are the ways to deal with making such a change?"
taxonomy_category:
  - "Leadership"
  - "Thoughts"
---

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What happens when a business needs to change, drastically? What then, are the ways to deal with making such a change?

As an Apple pioneer evangelist for desktop publishing, I relished all my experiences from evangelist, to software developer, to solutions consultant, to eventual simply – user. The iconic years for Apple included my time in the 1980s, but also 1997, when ousted Steve Jobs returned to Apple. When Jobs returned, Apple was [bleeding](https://techcrunch.com/2009/11/26/steve-jobs-apple-1997/)
, with US$1 billion loss on a US$7 billion revenue, and a spectrum of products nothing like the simple elegance Apple once was (remember the Newton, Performa, servers?)

The recent [news](https://www.straitstimes.com/business/elon-musk-plans-to-eliminate-half-of-twitter-jobs-to-cut-costs-sources)
 about Twitter are expected. Twitter is no different as with any company that needs a fundamental change. Serious job cuts are to be expected.

What are the key factors to reengineering a company?

#### 1) Scrutinize to the last bit.

All the nuts and bolts of a company that needs to be reengineered should be scrutinized. Leave no person/tech/process/relationshp unturned.

#### 2) Change fast.

Bite the bullet fast and make changes fast. There will be a lot of pain, and pain is best suffered quickly rather than prolonged. Job cuts, systems obsolescence, process streamlining, all need a speedy execution.

#### 3) Keep agile.

After scrutinizing and making drastic changes, keep things light and manageable. Should things begin to bloat even a little, trim again. Think Japanese decluttering (斷捨離), where we cut useless relationships, relieve attachment to objects or people, and boostrap. Think function rather than form.

#### 4) Communicate clearly.

All businesses going through serious change needs good internal and external #communication. Work with your team and engage experts to communicate these painful changes to all stakeholders.

Need a Red Team or Crisis Communication Team for your business? Visit [mcgallen.com](https://mcgallen.com)
.

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[Dr Seamus Phan](https://seamusphan.com/author/webediteur/)

Dr Seamus Phan – Global C-suite Publicist & Strategist (Biochemist, Cybersecurity & Webdev pioneer, Author, Journalist) with nearly 40 years of professional field experience. Some articles are reproduced at [McGallen & Bolden](https://mcgallen.com/)
, where he is CTO and Head of Content. Visit him on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/seamusphan)
.

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