Choosing HCM Software? Start Here.

StarGarden's HCM Buying Guide breaks the process into eight stages: Evaluation, Planning, Research and Analysis, Budgeting, Demo, Selection, Implementation, and Training. Most of the work, and most of the risk, happens before you sign a contract, getting your requirements right, building your team, and budgeting properly all come before you invite a single vendor to demo.

If your HR processes are still paper based, your data is scattered across spreadsheets, or you're managing a unionized workforce, complex compliance reporting, or operations across Canada, the US, and New Zealand, it's worth evaluating a system regardless of your headcount. StarGarden works specifically with complex organizations, including unionized, government, and regulated environments, where these factors matter more than employee count alone.

StarGarden's HCM Buying Guide recommends budgeting for licensing, implementation, and training as your core costs, then factoring in maintenance and support (typically 18 to 24 percent annually for licensed, on-premise systems), hardware if you're not going cloud-based, data integration, customization, and any consulting support you bring in.

It depends on your vendor. Some HCM vendors implement in-house and are clear about not outsourcing that work; others use certified partners so the vendor can focus on the product itself. Before deciding, ask about the partner's experience with organizations your size, how implementation costs compare between the vendor and the partner, and how they secure your data during the process.