David Park

I have been on the buying side of operations software more than most analysts. I managed fleet operations for a regional logistics company, then moved into a people operations role at a growing SaaS company, and somewhere in between those two jobs I became the person everyone asked to lead software evaluations because I was apparently thorough enough to be annoying about it.

That background is what I bring to NorthRadar. When I write about telematics platforms, I have sat through the demos, pushed back on the sales rep, and asked about ELD compliance scenarios that most vendors do not have prepared answers for. When I cover HRIS platforms, I understand what a mid-sized company actually cares about in payroll accuracy, not what the product marketing page says they should care about.

I cover three verticals at NorthRadar: fleet and logistics, HR and people operations, and sales and revenue operations. The breadth is unusual for a research publication, but it reflects my actual experience — I have operated in all three and I maintain that perspective in everything I write.

My standard for a useful comparison is simple: would this have helped me when I was the one doing the evaluation? If the answer is no, it needs more work.