--- title: "4 essentials of reengineering a business" url: https://seamusphan.com/4-essentials-of-reengineering-a-business/ date: 2022-11-03 modified: 2024-07-19 author: "Dr Seamus Phan" description: "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..." categories: - "Leadership" - "Thoughts" image: https://seamusphan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/trcafmv5vk-e1621499692383.jpg word_count: 290 --- # 4 essentials of reengineering a business 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).