Interview Questions/Behavioral & Leadership/Driving a Cost Optimization Initiative
IntermediateBehavioral
5 min

Driving a Cost Optimization Initiative

Cost OptimizationCloudStakeholder Management
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Interview Question

Give an example of how you identified cloud cost waste and optimized it. What was the impact?

Key Points to Cover
  • Uses cost explorer/tags to find waste
  • Partners with owners to plan changes
  • Implements rightsizing or auto-scaling
  • Quantifies savings clearly
Evaluation Rubric
Uses data effectively25% weight
Collaborates with stakeholders25% weight
Implements optimization steps25% weight
Communicates savings impact25% weight
Hints
  • 💡Think: idle resources, storage tiers.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
  • ⚠️Failing to use tagging effectively, leading to a lack of visibility into cost drivers.
  • ⚠️Not involving stakeholders early, resulting in resistance to change or missed opportunities for understanding usage patterns.
  • ⚠️Focusing solely on compute costs and neglecting other areas like storage or data transfer.
  • ⚠️Implementing changes without proper testing, leading to performance degradation or downtime.
  • ⚠️Not establishing ongoing monitoring and reporting mechanisms, causing waste to re-emerge.
Potential Follow-up Questions
  • How did you sustain the savings?
  • What trade-offs did you make?
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