Challenge

Application developers across a financial services organization were experiencing 30% overprovisioning in cloud infrastructure — directly impacting budgets available for customer solutions. Arbitrary sizing decisions, lack of structured review processes, and minimal approval requirements led to substantial unnecessary costs.

Approach

Conducted research with 10 engineering participants across multiple roles to understand provisioning decision-making from thought process to execution. Synthesized findings into actionable recommendations including training development, partnerships with teams using structured processes, and implementing approval processes where applicable.

Outcomes

• $28M in documented annual cost savings through optimized cloud resource utilization

• Identified 30% overprovisioning rate across applications

• Established training program addressing education gaps in 50% of participants

• Created Cloud Center of Excellence to sustain improvements

What Made This Work

Surface Scan research revealed that "optimization is not a priority in the provisioning process" and teams were making rushed, arbitrary decisions. Stakeholder alignment workshops translated insights into training, governance frameworks, and cross-team partnerships that sustained behavioral change beyond the initial engagement.

Persona Design Development