What to Review in Your Tech Stack at the Start of Q1

Q1 has a way of making things very clear, very quickly.

After year-end volume, reporting, returns, and reconciliations, most teams come into January with systems that are technically “working,” but not always working well together. Things that were manageable in Q4 suddenly feel heavier once the new quarter starts.

That’s why the start of Q1 is one of the best times to step back and review your tech stack and not to add new tools, but to make sure the ones you already have are actually supporting the business.

In our experience, the teams that feel the most confident in Q1 aren’t the ones chasing new features. They’re the ones who take a little time to review what’s happening under the hood and clean things up early.

Here are the five areas we consistently recommend reviewing at the start of Q1, and why they matter.

1. Inventory Accuracy: Get Clear on Your Source of Truth

Inventory is usually the first thing that feels “off” in January.

Between peak season, promotions, returns, transfers, and year-end adjustments, it’s common for inventory numbers to be close - but not quite right. And when teams don’t fully trust the numbers, everything downstream gets harder.

A few questions worth asking:

• Do inventory levels match across systems?

• Are allocations or backorders making available stock look better (or worse) than it actually is?

• Are transfers and adjustments being handled intentionally?

• Can the team confidently use inventory data to plan purchases?

Perfection isn’t the goal here. Reliability is. If teams hesitate before trusting inventory numbers, that’s usually a sign something needs attention. Addressing inventory accuracy early in Q1 makes it much easier to plan, fulfill orders, and avoid surprises later in the quarter.

2. ERP and Accounting Sync: Make Sure the Numbers Hold Up

January is also when a lot of teams are closing prior periods and looking closely at financials. That’s usually when misalignment between operational systems and accounting starts to show up.

Some things we typically review:

• Are sales, refunds, and fees flowing into accounting correctly?

• Are inventory movements reflected accurately in COGS?

• Are transactions being duplicated, skipped, or manually adjusted?

• Do finance and operations teams trust the same numbers?

Most accounting issues we see aren’t caused by the ERP itself but are caused by how data is flowing into it. Q1 is the right time to validate that those connections are working as expected, before reporting pressure and the volume picks back up.

3. Integration Health: Check What’s Quietly Running in the Background

Integrations tend to get set up, tested, and then forgotten about until something breaks.

System updates, workflow changes, or higher order volume can all impact how integrations behave. January is a good moment to check whether everything is still aligned with how the business actually operates today.

A few things to look for:

• Are there recurring errors or warnings in logs?

• Are retries happening automatically, or does someone need to step in?

• Have any “temporary” fixes turned into permanent workarounds?

• Are integrations still supporting current workflows?

One thing we see often are integrations that technically work but no longer reflect real-world processes. That’s usually when manual steps start creeping back in. A quick integration review in Q1 can prevent a lot of unnecessary cleanup later.

4. Reporting Confidence: How Easy Is It to Answer Basic Questions?

Reporting challenges tend to surface early in Q1, especially when teams start looking back on performance and planning ahead.

Some common red flags:

• Different teams pulling different numbers

• Heavy reliance on spreadsheets to “fix” reports

• Dashboards that need explanation before they’re trusted

• Simple questions taking too long to answer

Good reporting isn’t about fancy dashboards. It’s about clarity.

January is a great time to review:

• Which reports are actually being used

• Where the data is coming from

• Whether reports still reflect how the business operates today

  
  

Even small improvements here can make decision-making much smoother throughout the quarter.

5. Support Readiness: Know Who Owns What

As systems get more complex, unclear ownership becomes a real problem.

Q1 is a good time to step back and ask:

• Who owns system configuration vs day-to-day use?

• When issues come up, is it clear who’s responsible?

• Are fixes documented, or rediscovered each time?

• Is support reactive, or planned?

Support doesn’t always mean external help. It’s about making sure internal teams know where to go, what’s expected, and how issues are tracked. Teams that feel supported going into Q1 tend to move faster and with a lot less frustration.

Why This Matters More Than Adding New Tools

At the start of the year, it’s tempting to look for new platforms or features to fix existing problems. In reality, most Q1 issues we see come down to misalignment, not lacking technology.

Taking the time to review inventory accuracy, accounting syncs, integrations, reporting, and support helps teams:

• Reduce manual work

• Trust their data

• Make clearer decisions

• Avoid preventable fire drills later in the quarter

  
  

These reviews don’t need to be massive projects. Even a focused check-in across these areas can make a meaningful difference.

Start Your Q1 With More Clarity

The teams that start Q1 feeling confident aren’t the ones rushing to change everything in January. They’re the ones who pause, take an honest look at what’s working (and what’s not), and make a few thoughtful adjustments early.

A little planning now goes a long way and usually saves a lot more time later.

If you’re heading into Q1 and thinking through how well your systems are supporting the business, a second set of eyes can go a long way. At Unity Consulting, we partner with teams to bring clarity to inventory, ERP, and integrations, so systems support growth instead of slowing it down.