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Most HR tech audits fail before they even start. Not because the systems are impossible to assess, but because the audit itself is poorly planned.
A proper HR tech health check is not about listing what tools you have. It is about understanding whether your HR technology supports how your organisation actually operates today, and where it is quietly getting in the way.
Start with a clear objective
Before reviewing a single system, define why you are doing the audit. Are you trying to reduce admin time? Improve data accuracy? Prepare for growth? Support better reporting? An audit without a clear goal becomes a long list of observations with no direction.
Map the full HR tech landscape
Your HRIS never works alone. Planning an effective audit means mapping every connected system: payroll, benefits, ATS, performance tools, learning platforms, and any manual workarounds sitting in spreadsheets. This end-to-end view highlights where complexity is creeping in and where risk is hiding.
Involve the right stakeholders early
HR does not experience the system in isolation. IT understands integrations and security exposure. Finance sees cost and reporting gaps. Line managers feel friction in approvals and workflows. Planning the audit means deciding who needs input and when, so findings reflect reality rather than assumptions.
Define what “good” looks like
An audit is meaningless without criteria. Decide in advance what success means across usability, data quality, compliance, integrations, and scalability. This avoids vague conclusions like “the system works fine” and replaces them with evidence-based insight.
Be honest about constraints
Time, budget, internal capability, and appetite for change all matter. Planning with these constraints in mind ensures recommendations are practical, not aspirational.
A well-planned HR tech audit creates clarity fast. It shows what is fit for purpose, what needs optimisation, and what is holding your HR team back.
If you want a structured framework for assessing your current state and planning what comes next, the HRIS Buying Guide goes deeper into how to approach this without unnecessary complexity.
