In which phase of the FinOps lifecycle is tagging and account allocation a common requirement?

• A. Plan
• B. Optimize
• C. Design
• D. Operate

Answer: (B)

Tagging and account allocation are essential for cost visibility and accountability. In the Optimize phase, you turn that visibility into action by identifying waste, measuring savings from rightsizing and other optimizations, and holding teams responsible for their spend. Without consistent tags and clear mappings of resources to cost centers or departments, you can’t attribute costs accurately or gauge the effectiveness of optimization efforts. Planning may define the tagging approach and budgets, but applying them to drive and measure optimization happens in this phase.