Achieving cloud efficiency and FinOps success for your organization hinges on harnessing the power of teamwork and collaboration at every level, from the C-suite downwards. It’s about more than just optimizing costs or deploying the latest tech. It’s about creating a cohesive team where every member is onboard and fully engaged in streamlining operations, cutting unnecessary spending, and driving growth.
However, not every team member views FinOps and cloud efficiencies through the same lens. Some might be driven by cost savings or sustainability, while others see it as an opportunity to enhance their technical skills. Understanding this wide range of perspectives will help in crafting onboarding strategies that resonate with every person in your team.
So, how do you effectively engage a diverse team in the pursuit of cloud efficiency through effective use of FinOps? Whether you’re a seasoned CFO or an aspiring leader in the cloud space, this guide will help you understand how to foster true collaboration, drive change, and achieve tangible results.
FinOps Team Members, Their Aims, and How to Engage Them
Putting a team together isn’t just about filling positions. From the big-picture thinkers in the C-suite to the operational staff, each team member plays a key role and brings unique perspectives and expertise to the table.
The FinOps Foundation has identified key personas to guide the team-building process. Core personas include:
- Leadership, who set strategic goals
- The Product Team, who innovate solutions
- Engineers, who fine-tune the cloud infrastructure
- Procurement, who handle contracts
- Finance, who keep the budget in check
- The FinOps Practitioner, who leads the charge in optimizing cloud spending
Allied personas further bolster the team. These, also defined by the FinOps Foundation, include:
- The IT Asset Manager (ITAM) who makes sure IT assets are used efficiently,
- The IT Service Manager (ITSM) who keeps IT services aligned with business needs
- The IT Financial Manager (ITFM) who manages the money side of it
- Security staff who protect cloud resources
- Sustainability personnel who promote eco-friendly practices.
Together, these cross-organizational roles can form a strong team to drive cloud efficiency.
How to Win Hearts and Minds with FinOps
Once you’ve gathered your FinOps team from all corners of the company, now comes the real challenge of winning them over. Each team will have its own set of worries and priorities, so a one-size-fits-all approach won’t be enough. You need to understand what makes each group tick and how you can get them on board with cloud efficiency and FinOps processes.
Core Personas:
Leadership
What they’re concerned about: Aligning with strategic goals, cutting costs, and staying ahead of the competition.
How to engage them: Paint the big picture by highlighting the long-term strategic value of saving money through cloud efficiencies. Break down the expected cost savings and ROI, and don’t forget to mention the competitive edge they’ll get from boosted agility and innovation. You could also remind them that cloud efficiency also means better security.
Product Team
What they’re concerned about: Product performance, speed to market, and innovation.
How to engage them: Show them the magic of cloud efficiency – how it will enhance performance, speed up development cycles, and pave the way for more innovation through efficient use of resources.
Engineers
What they’re concerned about: System performance and reliability, efficient resource use, and technical challenges.
How to engage them: Engineers love a smooth-running system, so highlight how cloud efficiencies lead to better performance. Stress the importance of resource efficiency and offer tools (like software) to help them implement FinOps seamlessly.
Procurement
What they’re concerned about: Cost control, plus vendor/contract management.
How to engage them: Give clear forecasting insights into cloud spending. Show how cloud systems can streamline vendor management with performance tracking and reassure them about optimizing contract terms.
Finance
What they’re concerned about: Financial planning and forecasting, budgeting, and cost optimisation.
How to engage them: Talk about how cloud efficiencies can help them manage budgets better by saving money and improving efficiencies in reporting and forecasting.
FinOps Practitioner
What they’re concerned about: Implementation of FinOps practices, collaboration across departments, and continuous improvement.
How to engage them: The FinOps practitioner is likely to have expert knowledge already on this topic and won’t need much convincing about the benefits of cloud efficiencies. Help them see how they can implement FinOps smoothly, facilitate cross-departmental collaboration, and provide ongoing support and training.
Allied Personas:
IT Asset Manager (ITAM)
What they’re concerned about: Getting the most out of assets, managing inventory, and controlling costs.
How to engage them: Show them how cloud efficiency can be a game-changer for asset utilization and management. It makes cost control a breeze and gives a crystal-clear picture of what assets the organization has and how to optimize them further.
IT Service Manager (ITSM)
What they’re concerned about: Service reliability, performance, and handling incidents.
How to engage them: Highlight how cloud efficiency boosts service reliability and performance, which means fewer incidents and improving overall service quality.
IT Financial Manager (ITFM)
What they’re concerned about: Budget, cost transparency and financial planning/forecasting.
How to engage them: Show how cloud efficiency brings detailed cost transparency to the table, making budgeting easier and financial planning and forecasting more accurate.
Security Personnel
What they’re concerned about: Data security, compliance, and risk management.
How to engage them: Show how cloud efficiency practices can tighten data security, ensure compliance, and cut down on risks with optimized resource management. A streamlined cloud means fewer security breaches and less chance of costly fines or damage to the company’s reputation.
Sustainability Personnel
What they’re concerned about: Environmental impact, resource efficiency, and hitting sustainability goals.
How to engage them: Explain how cloud efficiency helps reduce environmental impact by optimizing resource usage. It supports big sustainability initiatives like ‘net zero’ and goals or certifications like ESG or B Corp.
On the subject of sustainability, one powerful way to engage all members of your team in FinOps is by emphasizing the sustainability benefits of cloud efficiencies. Cloud efficiencies aren’t just about saving money, they’re also great for the planet. By sharing these eco-friendly advantages, you can tap into a growing sense of environmental responsibility among your colleagues.
A recent survey conducted by Morgan Stanley revealed that nearly all companies now recognize the impact of sustainability on their long-term strategies, with 85% of respondents viewing it as a value creation opportunity. This makes sustainability a compelling reason for your team to get on board with FinOps. For more on this, check out our article on Revamping the Image of FinOps, where we highlight the importance of carbon savings alongside cost savings.
5 FinOps Strategies to Keep Your Team United and Engaged
Once your FinOps team is in place and you’ve got your cloud efficiency goals lined up, it’s time to look at strategies for keeping collaboration the heart of your cloud efficiency efforts:
- Communicate: Open and transparent communication is important for making sure everyone knows what’s going on with cloud initiatives and their objectives. Regular updates, sharing successes, and tackling challenges head-on will build trust and keep everyone in the loop.
- Provide training and education: Boost the team’s cloud tech and FinOps knowledge with training sessions and resources. Encourage continuous learning and skill development as there’s always something new to master.
- Involve team members in planning: Get everyone involved in the planning and decision-making process. When team members feel they have a say, they’re more invested. Gather input and feedback to ensure you’re considering diverse perspectives.
- Set clear goals and KPIs: Define clear, achievable goals for cloud efficiency and FinOps optimization. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress and success so everyone knows what they’re working towards and how to track their successes.
- Give recognition and rewards: Give credit where credit is due by recognizing and rewarding contributions to cloud efficiency. Celebrate milestones and successes to keep the motivation high and reinforce the collaborative effort.
What Does FinOps Success Look Like?
You’ll know you’ve been successful in your FinOps strategy when your cloud spend drops, inefficiencies are swiftly outed, and you’re picking the best cloud solutions for your business goals. Plus, a good FinOps program means staying compliant with regulations and avoiding legal trouble.
Team engagement and collaboration are the backbones of achieving cloud efficiency and FinOps optimization. By putting these strategies into place, you’ll foster a collaborative culture that drives success in your cloud initiatives. So, rally your teams and fully commit to FinOps to drive cloud efficiencies that will help your organization thrive.
Want to learn more? Check out more guides in the Surveil blog.