LearnGlossary

What is the FinOps maturity model?

Updated 26 October 2026 · Published by Zoorik

The FinOps maturity model rates how far your team has come in each FinOps capability. A capability is one area of FinOps work, such as budgeting or forecasting. Crawl, walk and run are its three stages.

FinOps maturity stages: crawl, walk, run

This is the FinOps Foundation maturity model, part of its FinOps Framework. Microsoft’s training describes each stage:

  • At crawl, there’s very little reporting or tooling. Basic processes exist, but not all major teams follow them.
  • At walk, the organization follows the process. Automation or processes cover most needs.
  • At run, all teams follow it, and the hard cases are handled. Automation is the preferred approach.
More teams follow the process at each stage Diagram with no amounts. Three stage boxes in a row, left to right: Crawl, Walk, Run. Arrows labelled next stage run from Crawl to Walk and, dashed, from Walk to Run, with the note not required under the dashed arrow. Two rows under the boxes compare the stages. Who follows: Crawl not all major teams, Walk the organization, Run all teams. Tooling: Crawl very little, Walk automation or processes cover most needs, Run automation preferred. More teams follow the process at each stage CrawlWalkRunnext stagenext stagenot requiredWho followsnot all major teamsthe organizationall teamsToolingvery littleautomation or processescover most needsautomation preferred
Diagram, with no amounts: the three stages as Microsoft’s FinOps training describes them, rated for each capability on its own, where the dashed step to run is not required for every organization.

FinOps doesn’t require every organization to reach run. The right stage depends on your goals and the value you want.

An example: a first round

Microsoft advises rating each capability on its own, so your FinOps maturity levels can differ. For a first round, it suggests three to five capabilities.

Say your picks include reporting and budgeting. You rate reporting at walk and budgeting at crawl. You plan steps to move budgeting up, then rate again in 3 to 6 months.

Why it matters for your cloud cost

  • At crawl, some major teams don’t follow the process yet, so their spend gets fewer checks.
  • Start the FinOps crawl, walk, run rating with the capabilities that matter most to your business.
  • A stage alone doesn’t reduce your cloud cost. Changing what you use, or the rate you pay, does.
  • The free assessment works out what your clusters and disks could save.

Read next: How to reduce cloud costs

Sources: Microsoft Learn, “FinOps Framework overview” (opens in a new tab); Microsoft Learn, “FinOps Maturity Model” (opens in a new tab) (Get started with FinOps); Microsoft Learn, “Tutorial: Conduct a FinOps iteration” (opens in a new tab).

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