Overhaul does not always need a named actor. You can focus on the completed work instead, and the passive voice is a common choice in reports about what changed.
Quick check
Use the true passive to foreground completed work while omitting the actor.
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Learn "Overhaul" in depth →The two ways to drop the actor
The true passive uses the verb:
"The pricing model was overhauled last quarter."
"The onboarding process was completely overhauled after last year's customer complaints."
You can also use an active form with the noun:
"The legacy codebase underwent an overhaul after years of accumulated technical debt made new features too slow to ship."
Both forms let you leave out the actor, which can work well when readers care most about the result. Name the actor when ownership or credit matters.
Try it yourself
Foreground Aster’s completed platform work
Why the passive matters here specifically
Passive voice often appears in reports about completed structural changes because it puts the changed item first. This helps when the result matters more than the actor. Still, "active voice" is equally natural when readers need to know who did the work.
Don't mix the two constructions' grammar
"Was overhauled" is passive and uses the verb. "Underwent an overhaul" is active and uses the noun. Both can omit the actor, but their grammar is different, so do not mix the forms. For example, "was underwent an overhaul" is not grammatical.
Practice scenarios
Practice describing a completed overhaul without naming who did it in situations like:
- writing a status update where the outcome matters more than the actor
- reporting in a retrospective that a system has already been rebuilt
- choosing between the true passive and the noun-based active alternative
Useful practice phrases:
- "[System] was overhauled [timeframe]."
- "[System] underwent an overhaul after [reason]."
- Not: "[System] was underwent an overhaul."
Want to actually use "Overhaul" naturally at work?
Understanding it is one thing. Practice its nuances, see how it works in real workplace situations, and use it yourself with feedback.
Start the "Overhaul" learning path →Sometimes a sentence should focus on the result.
The passive form of "overhaul" can create that focus.