Blurring Lines Between Treasury and IT to Create a Unified Team

# People and Talent

# Technology

Cross-functional collaboration is key to smooth software implementations.

Collaboration and shared accountability between treasury and IT are increasingly seen by top-tier finance organizations as essential for implementing complex software solutions. For many NeuGroup members, breaking down traditional silos is not just an ideal but a practical necessity—one that results in a more resilient, efficient treasury function.

As treasury teams navigate digital transformation, implementing new technology can take months and involve dozens of people, requiring seamless coordination between treasury and IT. In a recent session of NeuGroup for Technology Advancement , some members said blurring the lines between the two functions creates a culture of shared ownership to streamline processes.

“We have a dedicated IT team working closely with treasury, and it’s been a valuable partnership,” one member said. “Over time, the crossover grows, and it’s common for people outside the team to not realize whether they’re talking to treasury or IT, which is how you know it’s working.”

Breaking down silos. The conversation was sparked by a question on NeuGroup’s online communities, where one member asked for best practices on how to structure IT support for managing multiple SaaS solutions, including SAP S/4HANA, and how to allocate resources between treasury-specific systems and broader finance processes.

The discussion revealed a common challenge for members: How do you set up a team that efficiently manages both treasury and IT’s unique needs? Though the org charts may vary, members agree it’s imperative to break down organizational silos and create a shared responsibility between departments.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all solution,” one member said, emphasizing that success depends on understanding the demands of each platform and the capabilities of your team. He joked that a full answer to the original question would require a case study followed by a comprehensive white paper.

“But what we’ve found to be successful is blurry lines between treasury practitioners and technology practitioners. My recommendation is to keep leaning into that—have someone in the treasury organization with tech accountability, and someone in the IT organization who works with someone on the treasury desk.”

Dedicated IT resources. Achieving the goal may take the shape of transferring IT team members to treasury or hiring tech experts to join finance. Or, as at one corporate, the IT team designates employees who prioritize treasury projects. One member observed, “If you have people on both sides who can talk the language of the other, that’s what you need to have in place. How you get to that place in your organization may vary, but that is the key principle.”

“For a successful implementation, treasury business process owners must be experienced and senior enough to know the team inside and out,” said NeuGroup’s Paul Dalle Molle , who facilitated the discussion. “They need to be able to explain to their IT partners in detail, with nuance, what does or does not need to be achieved by a new technology or process.”

Teaching technology, or teaching treasury? Members who’ve had success breaking down barriers between treasury and IT agree it’s easier to teach technology professionals about treasury than to train treasury staff to become tech experts. Tech-savvy individuals, they said, can often support processes like in-house banking or automating accounting reports once they’ve gained a working knowledge of the treasury domain.

One assistant treasurer who recently hired an employee from the company’s IT team said it’s more about willingness to learn and resourcefulness than preexisting finance expertise. “I wasn’t particularly concerned that the employee didn’t have much finance experience,” the member said. “What mattered was an interest in finance, a willingness to learn, and the drive to figure things out.

“We’re always trying to improve, and now we jokingly say that if there’s ever anything we’re working on that we absolutely hate doing, we can give it to her and 20 minutes later she’ll have some idea for how to improve it.”

The new employee recently created a way to automatically generate a correctly formatted document for letters of credit that is emailed to users, ensuring template consistency and saving weeks of back-and-forth exchanges with other teams.

Preventing a revolving door. While embedding IT professionals into treasury offers significant benefits, retaining them can be difficult. Some members said that tech experts, including some who become trusted partners to treasury, often don’t see themselves staying for the long term. One AT shared that tech professionals are generally open to a one- or two-year rotation in treasury but rarely want to make a permanent transfer out of IT.

For treasury teams looking for more permanent tech support, hiring tech staff who’ve made a mid-career shift—such as those pursuing MBAs—can provide a solution. These individuals may be more willing to transition fully into a treasury role, bringing with them a wealth of technology and engineering experience.

Outside help. For larger, more complex implementations—especially for systems like a new ERP or TMS—most members agree that it’s essential to work with external teams. Mr. Dalle Molle said that “the treasury team, dedicated treasury tech from internal IT, and the software vendor are sufficient for smaller systems, upgrades or migrations. But for major projects, like a new ERP, an external implementer is almost always required.”

One member noted that while external consultants can be valuable for implementing new systems, it’s crucial to plan for long-term sustainability. “External implementers don’t have to live with the long-term implications of the system they set up,” he said. “If you rely on them, you need a robust knowledge transfer strategy to ensure your internal teams are equipped to maintain and improve the system after the consultants are gone.”