excel-dcf-modeler
Build discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation models in Excel with free cash flow projections, WACC calculations, and sensitivity analysis for investment banking and corporate finance teams
79
58%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
92%
1.17xAverage score across 6 eval scenarios
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./backups/skills-migration-20251108-070147/plugins/business-tools/excel-analyst-pro/skills/excel-dcf-modeler/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
82%Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.
This is a strong description with excellent specificity and trigger term coverage for financial modeling tasks. The main weakness is the absence of an explicit 'Use when...' clause, which would help Claude know precisely when to select this skill. The domain-specific terminology is well-chosen and would naturally match user requests in corporate finance contexts.
Suggestions
Add an explicit 'Use when...' clause, e.g., 'Use when the user asks for DCF analysis, company valuation, financial modeling, or building valuation spreadsheets.'
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: 'Build discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation models', 'free cash flow projections', 'WACC calculations', and 'sensitivity analysis'. These are all well-defined, concrete financial modeling tasks. | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | The 'what' is clearly answered with specific capabilities (DCF models, FCF projections, WACC, sensitivity analysis). However, there is no explicit 'Use when...' clause or equivalent trigger guidance — the audience mention ('investment banking and corporate finance teams') partially implies when, but doesn't explicitly state when Claude should select this skill. Per rubric guidelines, missing 'Use when...' caps completeness at 2. | 2 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Excellent coverage of natural terms a finance user would say: 'DCF', 'discounted cash flow', 'valuation models', 'free cash flow projections', 'WACC', 'sensitivity analysis', 'investment banking', 'corporate finance', and 'Excel'. These are all terms users would naturally use when requesting this type of work. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Highly distinctive with a clear niche: DCF valuation modeling in Excel for finance teams. The combination of specific financial modeling techniques (DCF, WACC, sensitivity analysis) and the Excel format makes it very unlikely to conflict with other skills. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 11 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
35%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This skill is comprehensive in coverage but severely over-engineered for its purpose. It explains financial concepts Claude already knows, includes lengthy example conversations that waste tokens, and lacks truly executable code for the Excel MCP server interactions. The workflow has reasonable structure but misses validation checkpoints during the critical model-building phase.
Suggestions
Cut the content by at least 50%: remove the 'Explain the DCF model' variation, the detailed DCF concept explanations, and trim the example interaction to just show the final output format rather than a full multi-turn conversation.
Replace pseudocode Excel formulas with actual MCP tool calls showing how to create the workbook, write cells, and apply formatting—this is the core actionable content Claude needs.
Add validation checkpoints after building the Excel model (e.g., verify terminal value formula doesn't produce #DIV/0!, confirm all cell references resolve correctly, check that sensitivity table values are monotonic).
Move the detailed example interaction, common variations, and formula reference into separate files, keeping SKILL.md as a concise overview with clear pointers.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | Extremely verbose at ~300+ lines. Includes extensive explanations Claude already knows (what a DCF is, how present value works, basic financial concepts). The 'Explain the DCF model you built' section literally explains DCF to Claude. The example interaction is overly long and padded with conversational filler. The 'Common Variations' and 'Best Practices Embedded' sections restate things already covered or that Claude inherently understands. | 1 / 3 |
Actionability | Provides some concrete guidance like formula references and sheet structure, but the Excel formulas use pseudocode-style references (e.g., 'Assumptions!B5', 'ΔNWCapital') rather than truly executable code. The actual MCP server interaction for creating the workbook is described abstractly ('Use the Excel MCP server to: Create new workbook') without concrete API calls or tool invocations. | 2 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The 5-step workflow is clearly sequenced and includes an input validation step (Step 2), which is good. However, there are no validation checkpoints after building the model—no step to verify formulas are correctly linked, no check that the sensitivity table populates correctly, and no feedback loop for fixing errors during the Excel construction process. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | References external files (dcf-template.xlsx, REFERENCE.md, formulas.txt) at the end, which is good. However, the main file is monolithic with enormous inline content that should be split out—the full example interaction, common variations, and detailed formula references could all be in separate files. The document tries to be both overview and complete reference simultaneously. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 7 / 12 Passed |
Validation
90%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 10 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
frontmatter_unknown_keys | Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata | Warning |
Total | 10 / 11 Passed | |
- Commit
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