Take the State of FinOps 2025 Survey

Working Group FAQ

What are Working Groups?

FinOps Foundation Working Groups (WGs) are small, cross-functional groups of people producing best practices for a specific FinOps capability or challenge. They operate in 6-8 week sprints and have their content published by the FinOps Foundation to contribute towards building the FinOps community, advancing FinOps practitioners in their practice, and establishing FinOps best practices and standards.

What does the lifecycle of a WG look like?

Working groups proceed through a three-phase lifecycle. First, is idea incubation when working group ideas are evaluated. Next, is the active phase during which it runs through the planned sprints. Lastly, when their purpose is achieved working groups graduate and close.

Can ideas for WGs be submitted by anyone?

Yes! Any member of the FinOps Foundation community can submit an idea for a WG.

How are WG ideas submitted?

The Working Groups Overview page at finops.org displays a list of current Working Groups. If your idea is not already listed, then look for the button to “Submit an idea” near the top of the page.

What happens after a WG idea is submitted?

Ideas will be reviewed by FinOps Foundation staff and TAC for a decision on whether or not to proceed with the working group. If needed, staff will follow up with you for more information. Decisions on new WG ideas are typically completed on a quarterly basis.

What happens if my WG idea is selected?

If your idea is selected, then you will be notified of the decision.

What is the structure of a WG?

A Working Group is made up of:

Role Description
WG Contributors A individual who is a part of the FinOps Foundation community who is interested in the subject matter and is willing and able to participate in the WG. These individuals are expected to perform the all of following duties:

  • Regularly attend WG meetings (at least 50%)
  • Actively contribute to WG efforts by taking on action items and participating in group discussions
  • Assist working group lead with their duties as needed

For individuals unable to attend regularly scheduled WG meetings, you can contribute by staying in regular contact with the staff sponsor on WG progress throughout the duration of the project and create WG content or offering valuable feedback on created content

Non-member participation is limited as outlined on GitHub. Working groups must maintain a minimum of 6 community contributors (a minimum of 5 contributors if there are two or more working group leads) with a balance of at least 50% practitioners.

FinOps Foundation Staff Sponsor A FinOps Foundation staff member assigned to the working group and responsible for:

  • Actively encourage a diverse range of community constituents to contribute in a healthy manner in accordance with the code of conduct
  • Offer expertise and guidance to the WG
  • Ensure WG activities stay aligned with OG objectives, WG proposal, and that the WG delivers an outcome that is of benefit to the community
  • Manage & track WG milestones, including facilitating timely content & design reviews of WG outputs

Staff sponsor has the power to close the WG if deemed nonproductive.

What does the WG proposal template look like?

The WG Proposal template is intended to be a relatively short abstract of your idea and the corresponding deliverables the WG is planning to produce for the F2 community. The current version of the template can be viewed here.

What is the criteria for deciding whether or not to accept a WG proposal?

What happens during a WG sprint?

During your WG sprint, contributors will…

  • Continue to meet as a team with the goal of collaborating to understand and conquer FinOps challenges
  • Produce deliverables for the benefit of the community

Who can participate in working groups?

To participate in FinOps Foundation working groups you must be a part of the FinOps Foundation community.  Please reference community access criteria for more information.

How do I join a working group?

You can request to join a working group by clicking the Apply Now button(s) found on the Working Group Overview page. When filling out this form it is important to submit the email address associated with your FinOps community membership as only FinOps community members are eligible to participate in working groups. For more information on working group participation see community access criteria.

Working groups only accept new joiners prior to the start of or between sprints. Requests to join a working group which are received mid-sprint will be considered on a case-by-case basis and retained for consideration when the working group is accepting new joiners again.

What happens when a working group graduates?

Working group graduation is the closure of a working group. At which time the group celebrates its successes, and the following activities occur to mark closure:

  • the dedicated WG folder of GDrive is moved into the Graduated WG Projects folder
  • the Slack channel is archived or renamed to a chat channel
  • the WG meeting series is removed from calendars