excel-variance-analyzer
Analyze budget vs actual variances in Excel with drill-down and root cause analysis. Use when performing variance analysis or explaining budget differences. Trigger with phrases like 'excel variance', 'analyze budget variance', 'actual vs budget'.
Install with Tessl CLI
npx tessl i github:jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills --skill excel-variance-analyzer71
Does it follow best practices?
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npx tessl skill review --optimize ./path/to/skillValidation for skill structure
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 excels across all dimensions. It provides specific capabilities (variance analysis with drill-down and root cause), explicit trigger guidance with natural user phrases, and carves out a distinct niche in Excel-based budget variance analysis. The description follows best practices with third-person voice and clear 'Use when' and 'Trigger with' clauses.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: 'Analyze budget vs actual variances', 'drill-down', and 'root cause analysis'. These are concrete, actionable capabilities in the financial analysis domain. | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both what (analyze budget vs actual variances with drill-down and root cause analysis) AND when (explicit 'Use when' clause with triggers and a 'Trigger with phrases' section providing specific examples). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Excellent coverage of natural terms users would say: 'excel variance', 'analyze budget variance', 'actual vs budget', plus implicit terms like 'variance analysis' and 'budget differences'. These are phrases users would naturally use. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Clear niche combining Excel + budget variance analysis + root cause analysis. The specific trigger phrases like 'excel variance' and 'actual vs budget' create a distinct domain unlikely to conflict with general Excel or general budgeting skills. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 12 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
42%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
The skill has good structure and organization but fails on actionability - the core instructions are abstract descriptions rather than concrete, executable guidance. There are no actual Excel formulas, no specific cell references or template structures, and no copy-paste ready examples. The error handling table is useful but the main workflow lacks the specificity needed for Claude to execute reliably.
Suggestions
Add concrete Excel formulas for variance calculations (e.g., =B2-A2 for absolute, =(B2-A2)/A2 for percentage) with specific cell reference examples
Include a sample data structure or template layout showing expected column headers and row organization
Provide specific materiality threshold examples (e.g., 'Flag variances >$10K or >5%') with the actual Excel conditional formatting or IF formulas
Add a validation step after calculations to verify totals reconcile before generating reports
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | Content is reasonably efficient but includes some unnecessary framing like 'Performs comprehensive' and 'Prerequisites' section that states obvious requirements Claude would infer. Could be tightened. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | Instructions are vague and abstract ('Import budget and actual data into comparison template', 'Apply materiality thresholds') with no concrete formulas, code, or specific Excel steps. No executable guidance provided. | 1 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | Steps are listed in sequence but lack validation checkpoints. No verification that calculations are correct before proceeding, no feedback loops for error recovery in the main workflow. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | Good structure with clear sections, appropriate length for overview, and well-signaled reference to external file for calculation templates. Content is appropriately organized without deep nesting. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 8 / 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 — 13 / 16 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
allowed_tools_field | 'allowed-tools' contains unusual tool name(s) | Warning |
metadata_version | 'metadata' field is not a dictionary | Warning |
frontmatter_unknown_keys | Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata | Warning |
Total | 13 / 16 Passed | |
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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