Your tech stack should evolve with your business. That means reviewing it regularly.

Here’s a practical template for an annual technology review. Use it to evaluate what you have, plan what you need, and keep costs under control.

When to Do This

Pick a consistent time each year. Many businesses do this:

• Q4: Before budget planning for next year
• Q1: After financial year closes, fresh perspective
• Fiscal year alignment: Whatever matches your planning cycle

Block half a day for the core team. Schedule follow-up sessions for deep dives.

Who Should Participate

• Business owner or GM: Decision authority
• Finance representative: Budget perspective
• Operations lead: Day-to-day usage insight
• Department heads: Their team’s needs
• IT (if applicable): Technical perspective

You don’t need everyone in every session, but gather input from all areas.

The Review Template

Part 1: Current State Assessment

1.1 Software Inventory

Create or update your complete list:

Tool	Category	Monthly Cost	Annual Cost	Users	Owner	Renewal Date

Include:

• Core operations (email, accounting, CRM)
• Productivity (project management, documents)
• Department-specific tools
• Infrastructure (hosting, domains, security)

Total annual software spend: $______

1.2 Usage Assessment

For each tool, rate usage:

• Heavy: Core to daily operations
• Moderate: Used regularly but not essential
• Light: Occasional use
• Unused: Paying but not using

Flag anything rated Light or Unused for further review.

1.3 Satisfaction Check

Survey or discuss with actual users:

• What works well?
• What’s frustrating?
• What workarounds exist?
• What would they change?

Capture this feedback systematically.

1.4 Cost Change Analysis

Compare to last year:

• What increased in price?
• What new subscriptions were added?
• What was eliminated?
• What’s the percentage change in total spend?

Part 2: Gap and Opportunity Analysis

2.1 Unmet Needs

What’s missing? What do people need that current tools don’t provide?

Need	Who Needs It	Priority (H/M/L)	Potential Solutions

2.2 Overlap Identification

Where do you have multiple tools doing similar things?

Function	Tools Used	Can We Consolidate?

2.3 Integration Assessment

• What integrations work well?
• What integrations are broken or missing?
• What manual data movement happens regularly?

2.4 Security and Compliance Review

• Are all critical systems protected with MFA?
• Any outstanding security concerns?
• Any new compliance requirements affecting tech choices?

Part 3: Decision Making

3.1 Keep As-Is

Tools that work well and shouldn’t change. Document why.

3.2 Optimize

Tools to keep but adjust:

• Reduce seat count
• Downgrade tier
• Renegotiate pricing
• Add training to improve adoption

For each, note the specific action and expected outcome.

3.3 Eliminate

Tools to cancel:

• Unused subscriptions
• Duplicate tools
• Poor value relative to alternatives

Note timing based on contract terms.

3.4 Add

New tools to evaluate or adopt:

• Addressing identified gaps
• Replacing underperforming tools
• Enabling new capabilities

For each, note budget, timeline, and owner.

Part 4: Planning

4.1 Budget Projection

Based on decisions:

Category	Current	Projected	Change
Core Operations
Productivity
Department Tools
Infrastructure
Total

4.2 Renewal Calendar

List upcoming renewals for the next 12 months:

Tool	Renewal Date	Notice Required	Action Planned

Set reminders for 60-90 days before each renewal.

4.3 Major Initiatives

If significant changes are planned (new CRM, platform migration, etc.), create project plans:

• Owner
• Timeline
• Budget
• Success criteria

4.4 Quarterly Check-ins

Schedule four quarterly mini-reviews to:

• Check progress on planned changes
• Assess new tools added
• Review approaching renewals
• Address emerging needs

Part 5: Documentation

Document your decisions:

• What was decided and why
• Who owns each action
• Target completion dates
• Next review date

Store this document where it’s accessible for next year’s comparison.

The One-Page Summary

After the full review, create a one-page summary:

Current State:

• Total annual tech spend: $______
• Number of tools: ______
• Key satisfaction themes: ______

This Year’s Focus:

• Primary initiative: ______
• Cost target: ______
• Key eliminations: ______
• Key additions: ______

Critical Dates:

• Renewals requiring attention: ______
• Project milestones: ______

Making It Stick

The review is only valuable if you act on it.

• Assign every action to a specific person
• Set deadlines
• Put quarterly check-ins in calendars
• Save documentation for next year’s comparison

Technology changes. Businesses change. Your tech stack should change with you.

Annual review ensures it does.