1. Fix Channel Chaos

Buried in the recommendations were some pointed suggestions for a makeover of Citrix's channel.

"Citrix’s channel strategy is stretched across too many channel partners, with important channel-enablement resources being directed to sub-scale partners," the plan states.

"We are confident all of these issues are fixable through a full realignment to implement best practices in the areas of deal team composition, sales management span of control, channel management and compensation structure," Cohn said in the letter to the Citrix board.