Why
Capturing metadata at intake means cost allocation works from day one. Without it, accounts are created ad-hoc with missing metadata, creating cost orphans that require expensive retroactive attribution. An intake process is the governance gate that ensures every workload is born with the right tags, budget, owner, and cost centre.
What
Route all new application/workload requests through an ITSM intake process (Jira, ServiceNow, or equivalent) where tickets capture required metadata. Requests are reviewed and approved by a governance body before provisioning.
How
Create the Intake Form
Build a ticket template or portal form in your ITSM tool with required fields:
| Field | Example | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Application Name | Payment Service v2 | Naming convention compliance |
| Business Unit | Finance | Hierarchy placement |
| Cost Centre | CC-4521 | Chargeback / showback routing |
| Environment | prod / dev / stg / sbx | Determines policy set |
| Owner (Team) | payments-team | Accountability and alert routing |
| Estimated Monthly Cost | $18,000–$22,000 | Budget alert configuration |
| Cloud Provider | AWS / Azure / GCP | Provisioning pipeline selection |
| Duration | Permanent / temporary (end date) | Commitment eligibility |
| Data Classification | internal / confidential | Compliance policy selection |
Define the Approval Workflow
| Step | Approver | Validates |
|---|---|---|
| Submit | Requesting team | Completes all required fields |
| Review | FinOps practitioner | Naming convention, tags, cost estimate |
| Approve | Platform / Cloud team | Technical feasibility, hierarchy placement |
| Provision | Automated pipeline | Triggers S2-02 Automated Provisioning |
Connect to Provisioning Pipeline
Once approved, the ticket metadata feeds directly into the automated provisioning pipeline (S2-02). The pipeline reads: app name, BU, environment, cost centre, owner — and provisions the account with all baselines automatically.
Deliverable Checklist
- Intake form created in ITSM tool with all required fields
- Approval workflow configured (submit → review → approve → provision)
- Naming convention validation built into form
- Integration with provisioning pipeline tested
- All new workload requests routed through intake process