By Heath Gieson

What if I told you that the biggest challenges in your growing business most likely are not about money, talent, or even technology—but something far more fundamental?

After decades of working on organizational operations (and yes, that means I’m getting old), I’ve learned that most operational problems trace back to one root cause: process. And more specifically, a misalignment between technology, people, and process.

Why I Don’t Say “People, Process, Technology”

Most articles start with people, then process, then technology. I flip that order: technology, people, process. Why? Because when you look at the problem through this lens, the root cause becomes clear.

Technology: You Probably Have Enough

Here’s a little secret my sales and marketing team might not want me to share: most organizations already have access to more technology than they’ll ever need. Buying more tools won’t solve your operational challenges until you address people and process.

People: The Right Seats on the Bus

Yes, sometimes you have the wrong people in the wrong seats. But in my experience, this problem often resolves itself when technology, people, and process are aligned. When the process is clear, people know what success looks like—and that clarity changes everything.

Process: The Real Culprit

If you don’t have the right processes in place, your organization probably suffers from an identity crisis. Process gives meaning to your operations. It’s not the only thing, but it’s the “how” behind your mission statement. Without it:

• Marketing doesn’t know how to position your deliverables.
• Sales isn’t sure what they’re selling.
• Finance struggles to understand billing and expenses.
• Delivery teams aren’t clear on what to deliver.
• And worst of all—clients aren’t sure what they’re buying.

Lack of process doesn’t mean all these issues exist at once, but if you’re honest, you’ll probably find several of them lurking in the background.

Where to Start

Every organization has two core processes that directly impact the bottom line:

1. Quote-to-Cash Process
2. Delivery Process

Start there. In my last post, Creating Meaningful Processes: The Three Keys to Success, I talked about consistency, effectiveness, and efficiency. Apply those principles to your quote-to-cash and delivery processes. Once those are consistent, effective, and efficient, then—and only then—evaluate your technology and your people.

Why a Security Guy Cares About This

So why am I talking about operational alignment? Because for security and compliance to be meaningful and provide the protection your organization deserves, they must be operationalized into day-to-day operations. That means having repeatable processes in place—and that starts with understanding consistency, effectiveness, and efficiency.

Next month, we’ll kick off our weekly series on essential cyber hygiene, using the CIS IG1 framework as our guide. Stay tuned—it’s going to be practical, actionable, and designed to help every organization build a strong security foundation.