Why Cost Optimization Isn’t the Goal – Value Is ft. Erik Norman, British Airways | Ep #44

Is “cost optimization” the wrong goal for FinOps?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Erik Norman, FinOps Lead at British Airways, to unpack why true FinOps maturity isn’t about cutting costs, it’s about creating value.

Erik shared how a disastrous “do not delete” incident early in his FinOps career shaped his philosophy: that understanding business context and risk matters more than chasing quick savings.

He also explains why tagging isn’t a strategy, why executive sponsorship makes or breaks FinOps success, and how shifting FinOps left into architecture and design can prevent costly mistakes before they happen.

From challenging the Iron Triangle to redefining what it means to “follow the value,” Erik brings a mix of hard-earned lessons, humor, and practical wisdom that every FinOps and engineering leader will appreciate.

 

Here’s what we talked about:

• The horror story that taught Erik why risk assessment beats “quick wins” every time
• Why cost optimization without value awareness can backfire and how to fix it
• The truth about tagging: “It’s a tool, not a strategy.”
• Why every FinOps initiative needs executive sponsorship from the CIO and CFO
• How to make shift-left FinOps real by embedding cost awareness in architecture
• The difference between cost reduction and value realization
• Why the Iron Triangle is outdated (and what to use instead)
• How to measure and communicate FinOps value even when costs don’t go down

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Quote of the Show:

• “Tagging is not the goal. The tagging is a tool.” - Erik Norman

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-norman/ 
• Website: https://amach.com/ 

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