Achieving Cash Flow Mastery: Increase Visibility to Optimise Working Capital Management

Ten years ago, borrowing cash was relatively inexpensive. Many organisations operated with a cash surplus, and tight working capital management was not the problematic issue it is today in the era of rate hikes and stringent loan criteria.  

Our current economic environment – rife with geopolitical unrest, high interest, and mounting inflation – changes the nature of business at its core. Controlling cash, managing payments, and optimising liquidity have risen to the top of the agenda for Chief Financial Officers (CFOs). CFO efforts at developing strong working capital management capabilities, however, are often frustrated by a lack of visibility.  

Having a clear picture of working capital is essential to support your business objectives. In the near term, uncertainty about your financial position can lead to an inability to meet immediate obligations, resulting in operational disruptions and increased borrowing costs. Reputation and profit margins can also be affected. 

The Criticality of Visibility 

For example, if a company miscalculates its working capital needs due to inaccurate forecasting, it might be short on cash when a large vendor payment is due. This can force the company to scramble for quick financing on unfavourable terms, such as high-interest short-term loans. The increased borrowing costs erode profit margins while delayed payments strain vendor relationships, potentially leading to supply chain disruptions.  

This chain reaction can damage the company’s reputation, making it harder to negotiate favorable terms with both suppliers and lenders in the future. 

Visibility is likewise critical for long-term objectives, since working capital management directly impacts your ability to invest and grow, as well as your relational standing. A company with good visibility and strong working capital management might have sufficient liquidity to invest in new technology to improve operational efficiency. This not only drives long-term growth but makes the company more attractive to top talent who seek innovative and stable employers.  

Downstream, clients benefit from the company’s consistent service and enhanced product offerings, which leads to increased customer loyalty and a competitive edge in the market. 

Benefits of a Unified View 

Without holistic visibility, monitoring, assessing, and optimally managing liquidity is next to impossible. Unfortunately, fragmented and disparate technology, integration gaps, manual processes, business silos, and the like combine to limit visibility into your cash position now, as well as your future cash outlook.  

To raise working capital visibility, first decide what you really need to know. It is easy to get overwhelmed with the latest and greatest financial models, interest rate ideas, and liquidity strategies. If you try to see everything, grasp everything, and do everything, you will be inundated with so much data that you cannot discern what is crucial from what is nice-to-have. Instead, focus on a few critical metrics, such as desired balances of assets and liabilities, or DSO targets. By summarising the top three to five metrics that guide your most business-critical decisions and operations, you will be able to define what data you need visible on a day-to-day basis.  

Once you know what data you need, you can zero in on the technology that will deliver that information to you. Today’s advanced software solutions can:  

• Automate and integrate financial data across different systems  

• Compile financial data from multiple bank relationships 

• Reduce or eliminate manual processes, such as updating spreadsheets 

• Provide real-time cash flow and liquidity reporting for up-to-date financial insights 

Leveraging the right technology therefore streamlines and supports an informed decision-making process.  

Lastly, be certain to promote a culture of data accessibility. Encourage leadership to prioritise visibility and foster a culture where financial data is readily accessible. This ensures that the right information is available at the right level at the right time, further supporting informed and agile decision-making. Such a culture should include intentional coordination among various finance functions so everyone has a unified view of cash flow and working capital, enhancing overall visibility and strategic planning. 

These actions allow you to achieve interconnected visibility of payables, receivables, and assets, leading to effective cash management and optimisation of working capital. 

Achieving robust visibility into financial data is not merely a matter of operational efficiency, but a central pillar for sustaining and growing your business in a time of uncertainty. By focusing on essential metrics, implementing cutting-edge technology, and fostering a culture of data accessibility, you can transform your working capital management from a challenging task into a strategic advantage. This approach can empower your company to meet immediate financial obligations and invest confidently in future opportunities, ensuring resilience and a competitive edge in a shifting market environment.