Before You Rewrite: 5 Questions That Stop Teams from Burning It All Down

Introduction:

Let’s be honest: there’s something oddly satisfying about scrapping old processes and starting fresh. The allure of a clean slate can be irresistible—especially when systems feel clunky, slow, or outdated. But here’s the catch: restarts rarely fix root problems.

Too often, rewriting is a reactive move that masks deeper, underlying issues. Without thoughtful reflection, your new shiny solution could be tomorrow’s legacy problem.

So, before pulling the plug and diving into a full rewrite—whether it's code, process, or strategy—hit pause and ask these five questions:

1. 🔍 Are We Aligned on the Core Objectives?

Sometimes rewrites are triggered by shiny-object syndrome. A team sees a slick new tool, a competitor’s playbook, or hears a trendy buzzword and suddenly,