A lot of teams say they want to “make the cloud more efficient.” Fewer actually get it done. The problem? Cloud optimization can feel like a moving target. There’s too much data, too many priorities, and no clear deadline.
That’s why a 90-day sprint works so well. It’s short enough to keep everyone focused, but long enough to deliver real, measurable changes. In just three months, you can go from unclear goals to actual improvements, without dragging the process out.
Phase 1: Audit (Days 1–30)
Goal: Understand where you are right now.
You can’t improve what you don’t measure, but you also don’t need to track every single number. Focus on metrics that tie your spending to real value, like cost per workload or idle resource percentage. Then pull the data from your cloud provider’s reports and cross-check it with your own usage so you know exactly where your money’s going.
Steps to take:
- Pick 4–5 core metrics to track for the sprint.
- Gather cost and usage reports from your cloud console.
- Tag or group resources by owner, project, or environment.
- Flag unusual patterns, like sudden weekend spikes or resources running outside normal hours.
Example:
One DevOps team found out 15% of their budget was going to dev environments just sitting there all weekend. They set them to shut down outside work hours and instantly saved millions of rupiahs, without messing with production.
Who to involve:
- FinOps for cost insights.
- CloudOps for technical validation.
- Team leads to confirm ownership.
Phase 2: Alignment (Days 31–60)
Goal: Get finance, IT, and product team working toward the same priorities.
An audit is only valuable if it drives action. This is where you turn raw data into a focused plan.
Steps to take:
- Share audit results in plain language (avoid tech jargon).
- Agree on the top 2–3 priorities. For example, increasing reserved instance usage or fixing tagging gaps.
- Assign a clear owner for each priority.
- Define success for the end of the sprint.
Example:
By getting finance and IT on the same page about reserved instance usage, one company boosted coverage from 50% to 75% in just 30 days, reducing costs without affecting uptime.
Who to involve:
- IT leads to check feasibility.
- Finance to confirm ROI.
- Product managers to keep launches on track.
Phase 3: Execution (Days 61–90)
Goal: Make the changes and keep tracking progress.
This is where the sprint turns into results. Quick wins keep people motivated, while bigger changes set you up for long-term gains.
Steps to take:
- Quick fixes: Shut down idle resources, resize instances, fix tagging.
- Longer-term changes: Automate scaling, review contracts, migrate to cost-efficient services.
- Compare metrics weekly to your Day 1 baseline.
- Keep the team updated and cheer on the small wins.
Example:
A cloud ops team reduced idle resources from 12% to under 4% in 90 days, freeing budget for new features without increasing total spend.
Tools that can help:
- Native: AWS Cost Explorer, Azure Advisor, GCP Recommendations.
- External: CloudHealth, Apptio Cloudability.
- Manual: Tagging policy + BI dashboard.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Trying to fix everything at once
If you chase too many problems at once, your team’s focus gets scattered and most fixes never make it to the finish line. Focus on one or two high-impact changes first, so you can see real results faster.
- Not bringing finance or product team into the discussion
Cloud efficiency is not just a tech matter. Finance can help spot spending trends you might miss, and product knows which workloads matter most to customers. Without them, you might solve the wrong problems.
- Forgetting before-and-after measurements
Without knowing where you started, you cannot prove that your changes worked. Tracking “before” and “after” numbers shows progress and makes it easier to justify the next round of improvements.
Start Your 90-Day Sprint Today
Cloud efficiency doesn’t happen overnight. it’s built with a plan, the right people, and the right data. A 90-day sprint gives you the structure to do just that.
Next steps:
- Share: This blog with your team so the initial discussion can start.
- Talk to us: Plan your first sprint with a Wowrack consultant.
Just get Day 1 on the calendar. You can figure out the rest as you go.
