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'.

Quality

81%

Does it follow best practices?

Run evals on this skill

Adds up to 20 points to the overall score

View guide

Securityby

Passed

No findings from the security scan

Quality

Content

72%Weight 40%Scale 1-3

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

The skill body is lean, well-organized, and properly splits calculation detail into a one-level-deep reference file. Its main gaps are abstract, non-executable instructions in the body and a workflow that lacks explicit validation checkpoints despite the supporting error-handling table.

Suggestions

Add executable Excel formulas (or inline the key ones from variance-formulas.md) into the Instructions steps so the body is copy-paste actionable rather than abstract.

Insert an explicit validation checkpoint into the workflow (e.g., 'Verify Actual+Budget periods align before calculating variances; re-check after flagging') so the sequence earns a higher workflow-clarity score.

Use a relative markdown link (e.g., [variance-formulas.md](references/variance-formulas.md)) instead of the ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR} variable so the reference is a clickable, conventionally-signaled navigation pointer.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	The body is lean and sectioned without explaining concepts Claude already knows (no 'what is variance/Excel' padding); it is not score 2 because there is no unnecessary concept explanation, only minor adjective fluff ('comprehensive', 'automated') in the overview line.	3 / 3
Actionability	The Instructions are abstract ('Import budget and actual data into comparison template', 'Apply materiality thresholds') with no executable formulas in the body, but the Error Handling table ('Use IF to handle div/0') and the pointer to variance-formulas.md provide some concrete guidance, so it is above the score-1 'describes rather than instructs' floor.	2 / 3
Workflow Clarity	A clear 5-step sequence is present (import → calculate → flag → drill-down → generate), but there are no explicit validation checkpoints integrated into the flow; the separate Error Handling table is reactive, not a checkpoint, so it caps at 2 rather than 3.	2 / 3
Progressive Disclosure	The body is a compact, well-sectioned overview that points one level deep to the real references/variance-formulas.md for calculation templates, matching the score-3 anchor of a clear overview with well-signaled one-level-deep references; it is above score 2 because content is appropriately split rather than inlined.	3 / 3
	Total	10 / 12 Passed

Description

90%Weight 40%Scale 1-3

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

The description cleanly answers what the skill does and when to use it, with natural trigger phrases and a distinct FP&A variance niche. Its only weakness is that the named capabilities ('drill-down', 'root cause analysis') are somewhat abstract rather than granular concrete actions.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	Names the domain ('budget vs actual variances in Excel') and a couple of actions ('drill-down', 'root cause analysis'), but these are high-level and not as granular/comprehensive as listing multiple concrete operations like the score-3 anchor.	2 / 3
Completeness	It states both what ('Analyze budget vs actual variances... with drill-down and root cause analysis') and when ('Use when performing variance analysis or explaining budget differences'), with explicit triggers, matching the score-3 anchor.	3 / 3
Trigger Term Quality	Explicit triggers 'excel variance', 'analyze budget variance', and 'actual vs budget' are natural phrases a user would actually say when requesting this work, matching the score-3 anchor's good coverage of natural terms.	3 / 3
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	The variance-analysis niche is distinct with specific triggers unlikely to fire for unrelated skills; it is below score-2 only in that a generic Excel skill could partially overlap, but the triggers are specific enough to avoid conflict.	3 / 3
	Total	11 / 12 Passed

Validation

87%

Warnings & errors only

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation — 14 / 16 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	14 / 16 Passed

Repository: jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills
Path: plugins/business-tools/excel-analyst-pro/skills/excel-variance-analyzer/SKILL.md
Commit: c4eafaf

Reviewed: 1 day ago

Table of Contents

Discovery Implementation Validation

Is this your skill?

If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.