I've written a lot about people, process, and technology over the years. This is the three-legged stool of success for any technology project (and these days, for any project at all!).

My writing has focused mostly on process and technology because process and technology are usually easier to change.

But I was reminded recently of how important the people aspect is. I was at an industry event that I've attended more than a dozen times over the years, an event I've always really enjoyed. And for the first time that I can remember, I came away from this event thinking "That wasn't as good as it has been in the past." What changed?

And then it dawned on me: the people running the event had changed.

What was once a fun and interesting and smooth event had become boring and not very well-run. And the only thing that had changed was the staff in charge of the program. I think if the people who had run it before were still running it, it would have been better.

So if you're having challenges with projects and programs within your organization, look at process and technology, but don't overlook the people element. That may be where the issues lie.