Why cost control decays
Every optimisation erodes. Engineers ship new services, usage shifts, commitments expire, and six months later the waste is back. I've watched it happen. FinOps just means someone owns the number, every month, so it never gets the chance.
What the practice includes
- Cost allocation and tagging strategy, so every dollar maps to a team, feature or customer
- Budgets and anomaly alerts. Surprises surface in days, not on the invoice
- A monthly forecast and review: one page, readable by your whole team
- Right-sizing and commitment management as usage evolves
- Unit economics where your data allows it (cost per customer is the one founders usually want)
How it runs
Async-first. I monitor, adjust, and report monthly; you get a standing cost review call and a Slack channel where cost questions get answered by someone who's read your whole account.