Smarter logic in cash forecasting
by Gerry Daly, Head of Sales, UK & Ireland, Cashforce
Whilst today's treasurer has a much more strategic role, the pressure to deliver on day-to-day operational activities shows no signs of slowing any time soon. A mounting pressure to deliver more with less adds even further tension. To manage these numerous and often conflicting demands, the treasury function has to be very closely integrated with the rest of the business.
One way of achieving this is by using technology to both automate repetitive operational processes and provide better insight into the underlying drivers of change across the business. For treasury, a vital tool for extracting more with less is an integrated system for providing accurate cash forecasts across a desired time horizon -- whether the objective is liquidity management, maximising interest earned, capital expenditure appraisal, setting longer-term funding or investment strategies, establishing strategic objectives or maximising working capital. No matter the industry or business type, the results are reliable and unambiguous. In turn, the increased accuracy drives better decision-making to improve returns or minimise expenditure.
Many perspectives; one truth
Clearly set objectives drive outputs and supporting infrastructure for KPIs, which should lead to a common understanding of the cash flow forecast. Unfortunately, different stakeholders have different perspectives. A medium-term forecast for the CEO may mean managing external stakeholders; for the CFO the same horizon may be more about setting internal targets and bonuses; while the treasurer may be more concerned with interest rates and foreign exchange risk management.
A poorly prepared cash flow forecast can be likened to Pandora's box; the implications of getting it wrong can be costly and time-consuming -- at best. But getting it right is no easy task -- even for an individual who knows the business intimately. Numerous factors are play: people and process; late submissions, inaccurate or incomplete forecasting and the reconciliation issues of a direct and indirect cash flow forecast (the latter owned by FP&A and the former by the treasury department, and compiled with different objectives and time frames in mind) -- to name a few.
Cash forecasting is a cross-functional process and should not, therefore, belong to just one function, as can often be the case with a top-down or bottom-up approach.
Inaccuracies in longer-term forecasts won't have an immediate impact on short-term cash management decisions and vice-versa. However, FP&A numbers are provided to the market, and as quarterly, interim or year-end reporting dates approach, any significant difference between the two often requires a detailed explanation to the CFO, which leads to wasted time spent analysing anomalies based on different assumptions -- the data for which the treasurer is unlikely to have access to. Not a good place to be at the busiest time of the year.
Getting unstuck
“We do it this way because we always have.”
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, then a stagnant process of compiling a forecast, which is resistant to change, cannot feasibly drive any improvement in accuracy or delivery.
Legacy forecasting processes in most corporates are cumbersome and laborious. In a typical scenario, an operating unit will compile a forecast in Excel and submit for consolidation to central treasury, which will then pour over incomplete forecasts chasing up late submissions or painstakingly aggregating data.
Improvements are often sought through spending more time and effort on the process with marginal results which are generally unscalable (more often than not impeded by the 'achieve more for less' mindset).
We all know effective cash flow forecasting requires simple, cost-effective services, which integrate different systems and data sources that are used in the process. We are also all too familiar with the caveat of past performance is no guarantee of future results but, when it comes to cash forecasting, the predictive power of past behaviour is a compelling starting point when enhanced by artificial intelligence and data analytics, both of which increase forecast accuracy and timespan.
An organisation's financial systems have all of the data to hand but it is not always available to those responsible for forecasting. That in itself seems absurd as cloud-based ERPs and single instances are more the norm than the outlier.
An intelligent solution
A simple solution to these common cash forecasting problems is to provide one source of truth which integrates with the operational cash flows of the business maintained within the financial systems, treasury flows within the treasury systems, and banking platforms with peripheral sources of data (Excel or data warehouses). Enhanced with predictive analytics and AI, an integrated system can provide both the treasury and finance departments with a more accurate, efficient cash forecast from a single source of truth.
As an example, Cashforce’s ‘buffer-algorithm’ will back-test its current cash flow forecasting model and re-apply these results onto the current model. In addition to the application of smart logic, such as customer and vendor payment behaviour, this will result in much more accurate forecasts. By including a feedback loop into the forecast algorithm, Cashforce is able to accurately predict customer payment behaviour, unexpected invoices, growth, seasonality and even payment behaviour of suppliers.
Several methodologies for more complex AI-driven forecasts also exist -- ranging from basic methods such as time-series to more complex concepts such as deep learning and neural networks -- all of which provide unparalleled insight into the drivers of cash flow and working capital movements.
Not only will AI help with the processing of data and cost reduction, but by expanding the business department with the creation of brand new technical and analytical positions, AI becomes as important as the human viewpoint in the future of financial decision-making.
A single integrated solution should lead to actionable decisions and cost reduction while also becoming a strategic linchpin in the organisation, helping treasury and finance departments quickly obtain and present a single and accurate version of the truth.
By implementing AI solutions such as Cashforce, companies gain better insights into their cash forecasting and working capital and have the potential to unlock more cash than ever.
Now to the opportunity...
That the role of the treasurer has evolved to be more strategic is a huge opportunity -- both for professionals and the organisations they work for, but many still struggle with the time and practical pressures that will allow them to grasp all the available opportunities. But now, by deploying AI and successfully mining data for better results, the limitations begin to fall away.
Now, treasury or CFO for FP&A not only know what has been, what will be and why, but they are also equipped to make informed, intelligent decisions with a previously unforeseen level of confidence.
For treasurers seeking better insight and value, and more nimble operations, the solution is Cashforce.
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