Use a Liquidity Forecast for Treasury Discovery

A request for better cash visibility should start with the forecast the business already uses. Ask which balances are included, how often they update, who trusts the numbers, and what decision the forecast supports. A treasury specialist should not recommend moving funds or predict an investment result from an incomplete model.

Stonebridge Hotels prepares a weekly spreadsheet, but regional managers send numbers late. The specialist asks what the CFO needs every Monday and which accounts create the biggest surprise. The answer is not “more data”; it is earlier visibility into payroll and supplier payments.

Invite the team to walk through one forecast cycle. Identify manual imports, timing assumptions, and the person who resolves missing information. Explain that any system connection or reporting option requires an approved technical and service review. The point is to define the operational problem accurately.

End with a practical request: bring the forecast layout, a list of accounts, and one example where timing changed a decision. The next conversation can use those facts to evaluate the reporting need. That coaching helps finance leaders improve their current process while specialists consider appropriate options.

For example, the CFO may show that a Friday transfer was delayed because a regional manager reported a large payment after the forecast was finalized. The specialist can ask where that update should enter the process and who confirms it. This reveals whether the issue is data timing, ownership, or a missing review step. It also keeps the next discussion anchored in one observable event.