When exactly should vendor selection really start? Is it ever just about vendor selection? Many times, employers should step back, rethink assumptions, and consider whether vendor selection even is the right path. Whatever ails their HCM or impedes them from achieving their vision may be traceable to something other than technology or whatever vendor may already be deployed.

This episode of the video podcast is a brainchild of sorts. It stems from a conversation at the HR Technology Conference & Expo with Brenda Laughlin and Brian Turk, managing partners at Enavrio. "Is technology vendor selection really just about technology vendor selection?" I asked. And here we are now, the three of us, on #HRTechChat to explore the answer to this seemingly circular question.

Enavrio is "a global consulting collective of the best and brightest HR and HR technology consultants," Brian stated near the outset of the recorded chat. Working with independent contractors, freelancers and, also, boutique consulting firms, Enavrio has a front row seat when it comes to seeing how technology vendor selection plays out. When and why employers determine that they need a change in their HCM technology provider is a complex discussion with many layers and variables. The direction of their decision-making is fraught with pitfalls.

"Ideally, we have the HR strategy somewhat formulated, we know what the business is trying to accomplish, and we know how the HR strategy is linked to the business objectives," Brenda said. "Today, technology is just an integral part of almost every strategy, every piece of HR. And to ignore the technology piece and have it as an afterthought is a mistake," just as to reflexively "lead with the technology is a mistake, because oftentimes technology doesn't even solve the problem."

As can be imagined, our discussion meandered smack-dab into 3Sixty Insights' own core focus: understanding the evolving decision-making process in enterprise software. For one, it's important for buying organizations to advocate for themselves. When it comes to their needs, "it's a little bit risky to completely rely on the vendor from sales to implementation," Brian said. "Ideally, you have some way of owning that as the client and seeing it through as the client."

Longtime viewers may recall that Brenda was a guest on the podcast in late summer 2021. Here's a link. It was a pleasure to have Brenda back, this time with Brian to discuss an at once timely and perennial topic. Any organization rethinking its approach to HCM would do well to view this episode.