Why

Without periodic re-assessment, maturity improvements are assumed rather than measured. An annual cycle provides the feedback loop that prevents regression and identifies emerging gaps before they become systemic.

What

Run a formal FinOps maturity assessment on a regular cadence (at least annually), compare results against the previous cycle, and use the delta to prioritise the next improvement wave.

How

Choose an Assessment Framework

Use this system’s own assessment (the ASSESS page from your application) or the FinOps Foundation’s maturity model (Crawl → Walk → Run across capabilities). The specific framework matters less than consistency — use the same one every cycle so deltas are meaningful.

Run the Assessment

Gather the right stakeholders (FinOps, Platform, Engineering leads, Finance). Walk through each capability. Check practices honestly — the assessment only has value if it reflects reality, not aspiration.

Compare Against Previous Cycle

Produce a delta report: which practices improved, which regressed, which are unchanged. Flag regressions as priority items — regression usually means a process was abandoned or a key person left.

Feed into Next Planning Cycle

Use the assessment results to prioritise the next wave of improvements. Gaps in the organisation’s top-priority goals (from the priority ranking) should receive the most attention.

Deliverable Checklist

Assessment framework selected (consistent with previous cycles)
Assessment completed with right stakeholders
Results compared against previous cycle (delta report)
Regression items flagged and assigned
Next improvement priorities defined
Annual cadence scheduled in governance calendar