Business Needs Analysis Checklist | HR Policy Compliance Review

What this inspection is for

This inspection checks how well your organisation's human resources policies and practices hold together across the whole employment relationship. Rather than examining a single process, it works through each policy area in turn, so you can see where your organisation has a clear, compliant position and where it has a gap. It applies to public and private organisations that employ staff, and to anyone reviewing those arrangements — such as an HR practitioner, a consultant, or a manager preparing for a policy review. You should use it when you need a structured picture of your HR operations, whether that is to prepare for growth, to respond to a concern, or simply to confirm that what you have in place matches what you believe you have. A careful review matters because HR obligations are not contained in a single document. Recruitment, pay, leave, discipline, and health and safety all carry their own expectations, and an omission in one area can sit unnoticed for a long time. Working through all of them together surfaces inconsistencies — a policy that has never been formalised, a practice that has drifted from what was agreed.

What a good review covers

Because employment arrangements touch every part of an organisation, a thorough review needs to cover the full lifecycle of a role. The inspection is grouped so that you can work through that lifecycle section by section: * **Human Resources Management Policy** — whether the organisation's mission and HR plan are set out, how values are stated, how policies are implemented, and how personnel files and records are maintained. * **Human Resources Planning** — how the organisational structure and staffing are defined, how job descriptions, job evaluation, promotions, and job rotation are handled, the use of part-time, casual, temporary, and subcontracted arrangements, career planning, and apprentices or interns. * **Recruitment** — method and responsibility, selection criteria, staff induction, anti-discrimination and equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, probation, nepotism, re-employment of former employees, replacements for maternity or paternity leave, and privacy. * **Termination of Employment** — resignations, retirement, dismissal, cessation, exit interviews, final settlement, references and statements of service, social media, cyberbullying, and email supervision and monitoring. * **Conditions of Employment** — industrial relations and agreements, modern awards and national employment standards, attendance and hours of work, flexible hours, overtime, shift work, conduct and discipline, private use of company resources, complaints and disputes management, uniforms and identification, union membership, confidentiality and privacy, staff parking, and company vehicles. The inspection also covers the areas that sit around these core processes: **Salaries and Remuneration**, **Employee Benefits and Services**, **Leave and Holidays**, **Occupational Health and Safety**, and **Training and Development**. Each of these sections lets you record where a policy exists, where it needs review, and where it is still required. The pattern throughout is that every policy area is examined in the same way. That consistency is deliberate: it lets you compare a strong area against a weaker one directly, rather than judging each on its own terms.

How to carry it out

Start by recording the audit details — when the inspection was conducted, who prepared it, and the location. This fixes the review to a point in time, which matters if you repeat it later and need to compare results. Then work through the numbered inspection sections in order, from the management policy questions through to training and development. For each item, select the option that reflects your organisation's current position: * **No policy** — nothing is in place. * **Review policy** — a policy exists but needs to be revisited. * **Policy required** — a policy is needed. * **Use agreement** — an agreement applies. * **Compliant** — the position is sound. Where a question calls for a simple confirmation, the options are Yes, No, or Not applicable. Use the comments field at the end of each section to capture the reasoning behind your answers, any exceptions, and anything you want to revisit. This is where the value of the review accumulates; a single-word answer rarely tells the whole story. Finish with the consultant recommendations section, where the findings are drawn together into a view of what should change. Conduct the review alongside the people who own each area rather than in isolation — the answers are only as reliable as the knowledge behind them. This business needs analysis checklist supports that work by giving each policy area the same examination and the same set of options, so the resulting picture is consistent from one section to the next.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions in this checklist are organised into these topics: Human Resources Management Policy, Human Resources Planning, Recruitment, Termination of Employment, Conditions of Employment, Salaries and Remuneration, Employee Benefits and Services, Leave and Holidays, Occupational Health and Safety, Training and Development, and Consultant Recommendations.

The main checklist items use the assessment scale No policy, Review policy, Policy required, Use agreement, and Compliant. Some items also offer the Yes, No, or Not applicable options.

You begin with audit details such as when the inspection was conducted, who prepared it, and the location. You then move through the numbered inspection sections and finish with the consultant recommendations.

Written by

Arne Reis

Founder

Process optimizer with 25 years of expertise, focused on operational excellence in quality, maintenance, EHS, and commissioning. Emphasizes innovative solutions and top-quality standards.

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