What I Wish I Knew Before Leading My First HR Tech Project
Lessons learned from the inside—what went wrong, what worked, and what I’d do differently.
HR tech projects can look simple on the surface—pick a vendor, configure the tool, roll it out. But the reality is messier: missed steps, misaligned teams, unclear goals, frustrated users.
Your first HR tech implementation is often where you realize that success isn’t just about the system. It’s about change, trust, and getting the right people involved at the right time.
Here’s what I learned—so you don’t have to learn it the hard way.
1. The tool is 10% of the project. The process is everything.
I went in thinking the hardest part would be choosing the right system. It wasn’t.
The hardest part was mapping processes that nobody had ever clearly defined.
What I’d do differently:
Before touching any tech, document the current process. Who owns what? Where does the data live? What’s broken? Only then does automation make sense.
2. You need a clear RACI—and you need to enforce it.
Everyone was involved. But nobody felt responsible.
I thought collaboration would naturally lead to clarity. It didn’t.
What I’d do differently:
Assign specific ownership: who approves, who executes, who’s consulted, who’s informed. Revisit it weekly. Otherwise, you'll have 12 people on a call and no decisions.
3. Get IT on board—early.
We invited IT once we hit a blocker. By then, it was too late to get priority support.
We were fighting for resources we should’ve secured up front.
What I’d do differently:
Treat IT as a core stakeholder from day one. Share the roadmap. Include them in design sessions. Align on integrations, access, and support models from the start.
4. Your timeline is too optimistic. Always.
We planned a 90-day rollout. It took 7 months.
Vendor delays, resource conflicts, last-minute changes—we didn’t build in space for reality.
What I’d do differently:
Plan for 30% buffer on every phase. Build internal testing and feedback cycles into your timeline. Accept that rework is part of the process.
5. Testing isn’t a phase. It’s a mindset.
We tested the tool. But not the real workflows.
We missed edge cases, permission issues, and user confusion until after launch.
What I’d do differently:
Do role-based testing, not just system testing. What does a new manager see? Can HRBPs run what they need? What happens when someone changes roles?
6. No one reads the manual. Train for real use.
We created beautiful user guides. Most people never opened them.
They needed hands-on help, examples, and clear “what to do when” guidance.
What I’d do differently:
Skip the 50-page PDF. Offer quick how-to videos, office hours, and team-specific walkthroughs. Focus on scenarios, not features.
7. Keep your stakeholders warm—even after go-live.
After launch, engagement dropped fast. People assumed the project was over. But the bugs, complaints, and change fatigue were just getting started.
What I’d do differently:
Schedule regular check-ins post-launch. Monitor adoption metrics. Create a feedback loop. Keep the project visible and the support strong.
8. If it’s not maintained, it dies.
We didn’t assign a system owner after go-live. So the tool slowly broke down. Fields went unused, integrations failed, and nobody knew who to call.
What I’d do differently:
Assign ongoing ownership—both functional (process) and technical (maintenance). Define a cadence for updates, audits, and reviews.
Final Thought
Leading an HR tech project is more than launching a tool. It’s aligning people, fixing broken processes, managing change, and keeping trust intact.
It’s not glamorous. It’s often messy. But when done right, it’s one of the most impactful things you can do to support scale and clarity across the company.
So if it’s your first project:
Slow down. Ask more questions. Secure your allies. Build in time for real testing. And don’t do it alone.