Why We Said No to a Rewrite-And Fixed the System Instead
Article summary
Why We Said No to a Rewrite-And Fixed the System Instead Everyone wanted to rewrite it. “This thing’s a mess,” the engineers said. “It’s slowing us down,” the PM added. Our tests were brittle, onboarding took weeks, and no one understood the edge cases well enough to trust a change fully. But we said no. We didn’t rewrite it. We fixed it-while keeping it alive. And in the end, we saved months of effort, shipped faster, and avoided introducing a second broken system in the process. What Went Wrong with the Rewrite Temptation The idea of a rewrite was seductive: Clean slate Better tech stack Opportunity to do things “the right way” But we had seen it fail before. What we were really doing was escaping uncertainty, not solving it.
Read Full Article on MediumPractical takeaway
The main idea behind Why We Said No to a Rewrite-And Fixed the System Instead is to help teams move from broad theory to clear, repeatable decision making. When teams apply this thinking, they reduce ambiguity and focus on improvements that deliver measurable momentum.
Example scenario
Imagine a team facing competing priorities. By applying the ideas in Why We Said No to a Rewrite-And Fixed the System Instead, they can map dependencies, identify risks and choose the next move that produces progress without destabilizing their system.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trying to redesign everything instead of taking small steps.
- Ignoring real constraints like incentives, ownership or legacy systems.
- Creating documents that do not lead to any change in code or decisions.
How to apply this in real work
Start by identifying where Why We Said No to a Rewrite-And Fixed the System Instead already shows up in your architecture or delivery flow. Then pick one area where clarity would reduce friction. Apply the idea, measure its effect and share the learning.
Signs you are doing it correctly
- Teams make decisions faster and with fewer disagreements.
- Architectural conversations become clearer and less abstract.
- Changes land safely with fewer surprises or rework cycles.