Buying HR TechIn the Age of AI

Name: Buying HR Tech in the Age of AI
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5 (2 reviews)
Author: James Hatton

The definitive guide to successful HR technology selection.

A comprehensive guide for large organisations buying HR technology and implementation services in today's AI-driven landscape. 30+ years of expertise, distilled into a method you can apply.

Buy on Amazon UK Buy on Amazon USA

Buying HR Tech in the Age of AI - book by James Hatton

“

A thorough, thoughtful and in-depth guide on buying HR tech. Anyone embarking on the journey to select, research or implement HR tech should read it.

Kathi Enderes, SVP Research & Global Industry Analyst
The Josh Bersin Company

Why This Book Matters

In the age of AI, HR technology has never been more powerful or more complex. With a growing number of vendors offering cutting-edge solutions, choosing the right one has become increasingly difficult. The potential rewards are great, but so are the risks.

A poor decision in HR tech can result in costly implementations, operational disruptions, and missed opportunities that could impact your organisation for years.

"How hard can buying some software and implementation services be?"

Much easier with the right guide. Drawing on 30+ years of industry experience, this book introduces the SelectionWise approach: a comprehensive methodology guiding large organisations through the critical early stage (Phase 0) of HR tech procurement.

Who This Book Is For

Built for the people who actually own enterprise HR technology decisions and the consequences.

HR Transformation Leaders

Running multi-year programmes where the technology choice defines the outcome.

HRIS Programme Managers

Selecting the platform you and your team will live with for the next seven years or more.

Procurement & Vendor Management

Negotiating contracts that protect the buyer in a market that doesn't.

CHROs & HR Tech Directors

Accountable for the business case, the outcome and the board conversation.

Implementation Sponsors

Carrying the weight of "make it work" once the contract is signed.

Enterprise Architects & CIO Teams

Ensuring HR tech fits the wider stack, security model and data strategy.

What You'll Learn

The SelectionWise method goes well beyond feature checklists and vendor pitches. It leads with user needs, triages requirements, and anchors every decision to value.

Start with the User, Not the System

Design thinking to define the real problem before any vendor enters the picture
Empathy maps, journey maps and a value driver tree as the foundation
The work that determines whether your investment actually drives adoption

Triage Requirements: Focus on What Differs

Sort every requirement into hygiene, market standard, or differentiating
Concentrate evaluation effort where vendors actually compete
Cut through 500-line RFPs that nobody reads

Anchor Decisions to Value, Not Features

A vendor-agnostic business case as the backbone of every choice
Hands-on evaluation: scripted demos, UX testing and data tests, not vendor pitches
Weighted scoring used carefully, alongside red flags and differentiators

Negotiate for Leverage, Not Just Price

Treat negotiation as continuous, not a single event at the end
Use down-select decisions and vendor playback sessions as deliberate leverage points
Get everything that matters captured contractually before signing

Implementation is Half the Battle

Treat implementation partner selection as its own discipline. A well-implemented #2 beats a badly-implemented #1
Run SI selection in parallel with vendor selection
Time contracts to implementation readiness, so you never burn subscription on slow ramp-up

Built for the AI Age

Cut through AI marketing claims by verifying capabilities with your data and your use cases, not vendor-controlled demos
Evaluate AI-specific risks across legal, data ownership, model transparency and vendor lock-in
Navigate a fast-moving landscape, making commitment decisions that hold up as the technology evolves

The book gives you the method. The toolkit lets you run it.

Once you've read the book, the SelectionWise Toolkit puts the method into practice. 77 structured activities, professional templates for every stage, AI prompts that accelerate drafting, and phase checklists that confirm you're ready to move on. Built so a single team can run a rigorous selection end to end.

Explore the Toolkit →

Buying HR Tech in the Age of AI book alongside the SelectionWise Toolkit platform on laptop

What Industry Leaders Say

"A clear, practical, and actionable handbook to navigating the labyrinth of HR technology procurement. In an era where AI is reshaping the landscape, Hatton provides a precise and methodical approach to help you avoid costly missteps and focus on solving the right problems from the start."

— Greg Orme, Speaker and Author of Business Book of The Year: The Human Edge

"James is a leading expert in cloud HR technology and for anyone embarking on selecting a new HR system and implementation partner, this is a must-read that will save you time, money, and help avoid unnecessary mistakes."

— Simon Lanham, Vice President of Human Resources International, Tenerity

"Indispensable for any HR professional embarking on an HR transformation programme. I so wish this book had been available to me back in the day."

— Sarah Horne, Executive Director, HR Transformation, Oracle

"I would have made it essential reading for the leadership team and all my direct reports. A practical guide that could transform how organisations approach HR technology selection and implementation."

— Wendy Merry, Former Chief People Officer, Civica

About the Book

What made you write this book?

Having been on the 'inside' for many years, watching consultants and software sales teams strategise around target accounts and how to close deals and then seeing the customers struggle to implement or get the value they expected from a new technology purchase, it struck me that whilst many organisations feel like they know what they are doing when buying HR software, few really do.

The phrase 'buy with your heart then justify with your head' seems as prevalent in the HR technology buying world as it is in car or home buying. Talented sales teams are winning over clients, often not through the strength of their products but through building relationships, great marketing and clever selling.

Despite the prevalence of SaaS in the HR technology market, selection approaches haven't changed very much in the last 30 years. That's why I decided to write this book. It's very detailed and certainly not a bedtime read. Think of it more as a user manual to guide buying teams through some of the tricks and traps.

Why 'In the Age of AI'?

The book covers both how to evaluate HR technology that includes AI, as well as how to use AI to accelerate the selection process. With AI now embedded in most HR applications and reshaping how organisations run data-intensive processes like RFPs, treating it as an optional add-on wasn't viable. For a free, practical companion focused on AI evaluation, see How to Evaluate AI in HR Software: A Buyer's Framework.

How can I get the book?

The book is available via Amazon, both as a Kindle ebook and paperback. It's available on Amazon UK, Amazon USA, and most other country Amazon sites. For bulk hard-copy orders, please get in touch.

Explore More Resources

SelectionWise Method

Learn about our comprehensive 5-phase methodology for HR technology selection.

View Methodology

Free Assessment

Take our Selection Readiness Assessment to evaluate your organisation's readiness.

Take Assessment

Consulting Services

Get expert help with your Phase 0 journey from our experienced consultants.

Our Services