Organizations have traditionally approached cloud cost savings as a financial challenge. This is why most tools in the market focus on identifying ground-level opportunities to reduce cloud waste. 

But there’s a gap in these offerings, one that underscores the critical need for engineer-FinOps collaboration. We believe this gap exists because identifying and remediating cloud waste is actually an engineering challenge, one that is best solved when organizations identify and understand the root causes behind cloud costs.

For this reason, effectively addressing cloud waste requires engineers to be part of the process. It extends beyond just fixing basic issues on an ad-hoc basis to promoting action and ensuring continuous efficiency. This is why we created the OOCA framework as a means to drive engineering efficiency. 

What is the “OOCA Framework”? 

The OOCA framework (pronounced double O-C-A) allows engineering teams to seamlessly integrate into the cloud cost optimization process. Doing so lets organizations empower their engineers to take ownership of cloud efficiency while fostering collaboration across FinOps and development teams, something that is a big priority for FinOps practitioners. 

In fact, according to the FinOps Foundation’s recent State of FinOps report, 49.8% of respondents reported that an area of increased priority is to empower engineers to take action. 

Reframing cloud cost management as a technical challenge instead of a financial one creates an opportunity for organizations to rethink their approach to maximizing cloud investments by tapping into the people who can enact real change. 

The Four Components of the OOCA Framework: Own, Observe, Contextualize, Act

The OOCA Framework is designed to empower organizations to achieve sustainable cloud cost optimization. By focusing on four key components—Own, Observe, Contextualize, Act—this framework allows organizations to equip their engineering teams with the tools and guidance to move from isolated, reactive fixes to a proactive, sustainable approach driven by engineering insights.

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Own: Building Accountability Through Ownership

The Own component emphasizes the importance of clarity and accountability. It ensures that every team has visibility into their resources which creates a sense of ownership that drives action. Instead of navigating the complexities of an entire infrastructure, teams focus on the areas they control, enabling more precise and effective remediation.

Key activities within the Own component include:

• Resource Discovery and Allocation: Automatically discover all cloud resources and assign them to the correct teams.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Ensure teams have appropriate access to their resources, improving efficiency and security.
• Cloud Taxonomy Database: Create a structured database to categorize and organize resources, simplifying resource management.

Insights and alerts are only impactful when directed to the right teams, which is why establishing ownership is foundational for success.

Observe: Gaining Comprehensive Visibility

The Observe component focuses on providing frictionless observability across your cloud environment. By eliminating blind spots and mapping resources in detail, this step ensures teams have actionable insights into their costs and inefficiencies. When engineers can see the inefficiencies within their areas of ownership, they can identify and address optimization opportunities with precision.

Key activities within the Observe component include:

• DeepWaste™ Detection: Identify and highlight inefficiencies across all of your infrastructure and go deep to include architectural inefficiencies.
• Embedded BI Analytics Tools: Enable teams to create custom dashboards that align data insights with specific business needs.
• Comprehensive Data Collection: Aggregate resource usage, performance, and cost data to ensure accuracy.

With full visibility, teams are empowered to spot inefficiencies and take proactive steps toward optimization.

Contextualize: Transforming Data into Insights

The Contextualize component goes beyond surface-level data by delivering meaningful insights. By incorporating usage patterns, performance metrics, and cost analysis, it helps teams uncover the root causes of inefficiencies. Without this level of understanding, engineers won’t necessarily have the confidence and actionable data needed to make informed decisions. As a result, remediation efforts risk being temporary band-aids rather than lasting solutions that address underlying issues.

Key activities within the Contextualize component include:

• Data Aggregation and Curation: Organize and refine data to ensure it is actionable and relevant.
• Enhanced Contextual Information: Deliver insights that explain why issues occur and suggest how to resolve them effectively.

By adding context, teams gain clarity, enabling them to make informed decisions that result in long-term improvements.

Act: Driving Efficient Remediation

After establishing ownership, visibility, and context, the next step is to Act. This component equips teams with the tools to implement efficient, scalable remediation processes. Empowered engineers can resolve issues independently without unnecessary delays, fostering faster problem resolution and continuous optimization.

Key activities within the Act component include:

• Remediation Workflow: A guided, step-by-step process that ensures efficient resolution of identified issues.
• One-Click Remediation: Semi-automated fixes that save time and reduce manual intervention.
• Bulk Action Capability: Enable teams to address multiple inefficiencies simultaneously, accelerating progress.

The ability to act decisively is the cornerstone of effective cloud cost management and optimization.

Empowering Engineers Changes Everything

Granting engineers observability into the cloud environment and contextualizing issues is essential—but not enough. To drive meaningful change, organizations must engage engineers in a way that resonates with their workflows and mindsets, empower them to take action independently, and track progress.

The OOCA framework represents a paradigm shift in how businesses address cloud waste. Equipping engineering teams with the tools, insights, and autonomy they need to address inefficiencies effectively and collaboratively creates the opportunity to maximize cloud investments and contribute to the business's overall success.