excel-lbo-modeler
Build leveraged buyout (LBO) models in Excel with debt schedules and IRR analysis. Use when structuring LBO transactions or analyzing PE returns. Trigger with phrases like 'excel lbo', 'build lbo model', 'calculate pe returns'.
67
61%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
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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-lbo-modeler/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
100%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-crafted skill description that clearly defines a specific financial modeling niche. It includes concrete actions, explicit 'Use when' guidance, and natural trigger phrases that a finance professional would use. The description is concise yet comprehensive, covering both capabilities and activation conditions.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: 'Build leveraged buyout (LBO) models', 'debt schedules', 'IRR analysis', and 'structuring LBO transactions' and 'analyzing PE returns'. These are concrete, domain-specific actions. | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (build LBO models in Excel with debt schedules and IRR analysis) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when' clause for structuring LBO transactions or analyzing PE returns, plus explicit trigger phrases). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes strong natural trigger terms: 'excel lbo', 'build lbo model', 'calculate pe returns', plus domain terms like 'leveraged buyout', 'LBO', 'debt schedules', 'IRR', 'PE returns'. These are terms a finance professional would naturally use. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Highly distinctive niche combining LBO modeling, private equity, debt schedules, and IRR analysis in Excel. Very unlikely to conflict with other skills due to the specific financial modeling domain. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 12 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
22%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This skill reads like a high-level outline or table of contents for LBO modeling rather than actionable instructions Claude could follow. The critical weakness is the complete absence of concrete formulas, cell references, spreadsheet structures, or executable examples — Claude would not know how to actually build the model from these instructions. The error handling table adds some value but cannot compensate for the lack of substantive modeling guidance.
Suggestions
Replace the abstract 5-step instructions with concrete Excel formulas and cell layout — e.g., show the actual Sources & Uses table structure, debt amortization formulas (=PMT, =IPMT), and IRR calculations with cell references.
Add a complete worked example with specific numbers showing the spreadsheet structure: column headers, row labels, and key formulas for at least one debt tranche and the returns calculation.
Add validation checkpoints to the workflow — e.g., 'Verify total sources = total uses,' 'Check that cash flow covers minimum debt service before proceeding to exit analysis,' 'Validate circular reference resolution converges.'
Either provide the referenced `lbo-formulas.md` bundle file or inline the essential debt schedule templates and formula patterns directly in the skill.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content includes some unnecessary sections like Prerequisites (Claude knows it needs financial data) and the Overview restates the description. The error handling table and examples add value but could be tighter. The Resources section links to external websites that aren't directly actionable. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | The instructions are entirely abstract — 'Set up transaction structure,' 'Build debt schedules' — with no concrete formulas, cell references, Excel commands, or executable code. The examples show inputs and vague outputs but no actual model structure, formulas, or spreadsheet layout. This describes rather than instructs. | 1 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The five steps are high-level descriptions without any validation checkpoints, specific sub-steps, or feedback loops. For a complex multi-step financial modeling process involving circular references and debt schedules, there's no guidance on sequencing validation, checking intermediate outputs, or handling the iterative calculation setup. | 1 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The skill references `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/lbo-formulas.md` for debt schedule templates, which is good progressive disclosure structure, but no bundle files exist to support it. The content is reasonably organized into sections but the main instructions section is too thin while the error handling and examples sections contain content that partially compensates. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 6 / 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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