An HRIS migration means re-architecting the company you thought you had

An HRIS migration isn't just a vendor swap. You're re-architecting the company you thought you already had. 

So why is HR the only one in the room?

That’s what I kept thinking in HR Advisory's "Coming Off a PEO" panel last week. Here are four takeaways that stuck with me:

💡 HRIS/PEO migrations aren’t a tech decision. It’s an infrastructure overhaul.

Most teams frame it like a software switch. In reality, you’re rebuilding your company’s approach to employee data, payroll, benefits, and compliance from scratch. 

If you treat it like a toggle, you’ll misconfigure critical settings and trigger breakdowns. Breakdowns are expensive. They will create risk, damage trust, and trigger work that should have been avoidable.

💡 No DRIs, no delivery.

Cross-functional involvement is the difference between "on track" and "on fire." 

Your employee management systems cut across finance, IT, and operations, not just HR. Without sponsors and DRIs for each workstream, critical data and workflows fall through the cracks. When roles are clear, the work moves.

💡 You can’t buy your way out of a behavior problem.

No software can fix a disorganized team. People expect the tool to create clarity, but no tool can create cross-functional planning and accountability. 

When you align early, the system sticks. When you don’t, work gets delayed, misconfigured, or dropped entirely.

💡 Forget a file today, trigger failure in six months.

Your historical data doesn't come with you. Anything that you don’t export, back up, and restructure in the new system will lead to fire drills later.

If you’re considering an HRIS migration or PEO exit, you’re already feeling the pain of systems that need an upgrade. And you’re paying the price of inefficiency in dollars and disorganization. Use this opportunity to rebuild your internal architecture with intention.

But none of it works if HR is the only one at the table.

Get help with an HRIS migration