Our businesses rely on software to help us get more work done in less time and more accurately than we would if we did everything manually. Whenever we see a new tool or an update to our current software, we are often attracted to it because we assume it will improve the way we work. By design, business software is supposed to boost productivity and efficiency at the workplace. 

However, this is always not the case for all updates or new tools that come to the market. If you notice the apps you are using are not making you as productive or efficient as you thought you’d be, it is time to rethink your decision. But how do you know whether your tech stack is not offering the best results? That’s what this article will help you figure out. 

I will discuss all the common signs that should trigger you to audit your tech stack. Let’s dive in!

1. You are spending money on redundant tools

If you realize you have a lot of redundant tools you subscribe for monthly or annual, it is time to rethink their value in your workplace. Once you realize there are apps your team is not using, you need to figure out why they are not using them. Maybe it is because they are too hard to use or lack some features that your team finds vital as far as their work is concerned. 

The reasons could be because some of the apps have overlapping functions with the tools your team is already using before you subscribed to the new ones. You cannot find out these reasons unless you audit each of the applications on your tech stack. You will be surprised by the reasons your team will give you for not using the tools. 

The goal is to ensure you only spend money on tools that your team takes good advantage of on a regular basis. 

2. Your systems don't integrate well

In an era where businesses rely on multiple systems for various tasks, it is essential to ensure they seamlessly communicate and exchange data. If applications don’t integrate with each other, your team will have to extrapolate data from each and input it into another manually. This is time-consuming and will hurt the productivity and efficiency of your team. 

If you notice that the business applications you use for marketing, sales, inventory management, and any other tasks don’t integrate well, an audit has to be done to sort out that mess. Such scenarios are common when you try to use business apps from totally different ecosystems. For instance, if you use some apps from Microsoft 365 ecosystem and some from Google Workspace, you will often have issues integrating data between apps across these two camps. 

Such a situation could also hurt the collaboration between your team members hence affecting their performance and productivity. Integration issues can only be resolved through an audit, which will enable you to determine the best alternatives that will create a seamless integration between all your apps. 

3. Data Integrity - You don't trust it

Business applications are built by humans and can at times have errors that could potentially affect your workflow. If you realize that some of the apps you are using give you unreliable results, it is time to rethink whether you still need them in your tech stack. Even minor issues can lead to bigger problems if not attended to in time. 

Remember, you are using your hard-earned money to pay for software, so you shouldn’t compromise any errors or bugs that could hurt the team’s performance. Do an audit and weed out all the apps in your stack that don’t deliver expected results and replace them with better alternatives. 

4. The ROI is sinking

Details of the ROI of the various apps in your tech stack will usually come up while working on your annual report and budget. It is usually at this point that you will notice some apps that don’t add much value to your team as you had earlier anticipated before paying for them. 

You will need to assess each application to determine whether the number of users you are paying for actually reflects the number of people using it. You may also have to compare the tools you use with other alternatives that do the same job. Look at the prices and features that each offers to determine if you are using the best option. 

While assessing each app in your tech stack, you should also consider the long-term goals of your business to make sure all the apps you are using fit in. It is common for businesses to subscribe or buy apps just for the moment and later realize they never needed them. So, doing this assessment will help you determine if all the apps you have fit into your long-term goals. 

Final thoughts

Doing a tech stack audit will help your business save money and time that is being wasted on tools that don’t add the expected value to your business. It will also help you figure out the tools your team needs to be more productive and efficient at their day-to-day tasks. We recommend doing a tech stack audit at least once every year. After each audit, create a list that includes each tool and its respective ROI.