excel-dcf-modeler
Build discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation models in Excel. Use when creating DCF models, calculating enterprise value, or valuing companies. Trigger with phrases like 'excel dcf', 'build dcf model', 'calculate enterprise value'.
54
62%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
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Passed
No known issues
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npx tessl skill review --optimize ./plugins/business-tools/excel-analyst-pro/skills/excel-dcf-modeler/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
89%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 well-structured skill description with strong trigger terms, explicit 'Use when' and 'Trigger with' clauses, and a clearly defined niche. Its main weakness is that the capability description could be more specific about the concrete sub-tasks involved in building a DCF model (e.g., projecting cash flows, calculating WACC, terminal value assumptions).
Suggestions
Expand the capability list with more specific actions like 'project free cash flows, calculate WACC, estimate terminal value, build sensitivity tables' to improve specificity.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain (DCF valuation models in Excel) and a couple of actions (build models, calculate enterprise value, value companies), but doesn't list specific concrete sub-actions like projecting free cash flows, calculating WACC, determining terminal value, or building sensitivity tables. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (build DCF valuation models in Excel) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when' clause with triggers, plus a 'Trigger with phrases like' section providing additional guidance). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes strong natural trigger terms: 'excel dcf', 'build dcf model', 'calculate enterprise value', 'DCF models', 'valuing companies'. These are phrases users would naturally say when requesting this type of work. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | DCF valuation modeling is a clear, specific niche. The combination of Excel + DCF + enterprise value creates distinct triggers unlikely to conflict with general Excel skills or other financial analysis 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 reads more like a high-level outline of DCF modeling than an actionable guide Claude can execute. The biggest weakness is the complete absence of concrete Excel formulas, cell reference patterns, or executable code — the instructions describe what to do conceptually but never show how. The error handling table is a nice touch, but without actual implementation details, Claude would need to rely entirely on its pre-existing knowledge to build the model, making this skill largely redundant.
Suggestions
Add concrete Excel formulas for each step (e.g., FCF = EBIT*(1-Tax) + D&A - CapEx - ΔWC, Terminal Value = FCF*(1+g)/(WACC-g), PV = FCF/(1+WACC)^n) with specific cell reference patterns showing how to structure the spreadsheet.
Include a complete worked example with actual numbers showing the cell-by-cell construction of at least the valuation sheet, rather than just describing inputs and outputs.
Add validation checkpoints between steps, such as 'Verify terminal value is 50-80% of total enterprise value — if outside this range, review assumptions' and 'Confirm WACC > terminal growth rate before proceeding to discounting.'
Either provide the referenced `dcf-formulas.md` bundle file with Excel formula templates, or inline the essential formulas directly in the skill content.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is reasonably concise but includes some unnecessary sections like Prerequisites (Claude knows what's needed for DCF modeling) and the Resources section with external URLs that may be stale. The error handling table and examples add value but could be tighter. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | The instructions are entirely abstract — 'Build free cash flow projections' and 'Calculate terminal value using Gordon Growth Model' provide no concrete formulas, Excel cell references, VBA code, or specific implementation details. There are no executable code snippets, no actual Excel formulas, and the examples only describe inputs and outputs without showing how to build anything. | 1 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | Steps are listed in a logical sequence, but there are no validation checkpoints between steps (e.g., verifying projections balance before calculating terminal value, checking that WACC > terminal growth before proceeding). For a multi-step financial model with potential for cascading errors, the lack of verification steps is a significant gap. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The skill references `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/dcf-formulas.md` for formula templates, which is good progressive disclosure structure, but no bundle files exist to support this reference. The content that is inline (like the error table) is appropriately placed, but the core formulas and implementation details that should be in referenced files are simply missing. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 7 / 12 Passed |
Validation
81%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 9 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
allowed_tools_field | 'allowed-tools' contains unusual tool name(s) | Warning |
frontmatter_unknown_keys | Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata | Warning |
Total | 9 / 11 Passed | |
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