Does this skill work with my existing Excel spreadsheets?

Yes, the skill can use Claude's file tools to read from and write to your existing budget and actuals files in Excel or CSV format.

How does it handle data gaps or missing periods?

The skill includes error-handling logic to fill missing periods with zeros or perform interpolation to ensure calculation continuity.

Can I define what counts as a 'material' variance?

Absolutely. You can specify materiality thresholds based on dollar amounts or percentages to filter which variances are flagged for analysis.

What kind of output does the skill provide?

It provides variance summaries with favorable/unfavorable indicators, filtered exception reports, and the data structure required for budget-to-actual waterfall charts.

Excel Variance Analyzer

Name: Excel Variance Analyzer
Author: Jst-Well-Dan

byJst-Well-Dan

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Data Science & ML

Automates budget vs actual variance analysis in Excel to identify root causes and generate executive-ready financial reports.

About

The Excel Variance Analyzer is a specialized capability designed for FP&A professionals and business analysts to streamline the process of comparing budgeted figures against actual financial results. It automatically identifies discrepancies, applies materiality thresholds to highlight significant outliers, and performs multi-dimensional drill-downs by department, category, or time period. By generating structured bridge data and root cause summaries, it helps users move from raw data to actionable insights and executive reporting in minutes.

Key Features

Automated budget vs. actual variance and percentage calculations
Multi-dimensional drill-downs across cost centers and categories
Waterfall chart data structuring for executive-ready reporting
Materiality threshold filtering to focus on significant financial exceptions
Root cause identification for over-budget or under-budget line items
4 GitHub stars

Use Cases

Monthly P&L reviews to explain budget misses or surpluses
Departmental spend auditing to identify cost center leakages
Quarterly financial bridge analysis for board-level presentations

About

Key Features

Automated budget vs. actual variance and percentage calculations
Multi-dimensional drill-downs across cost centers and categories
Waterfall chart data structuring for executive-ready reporting
Materiality threshold filtering to focus on significant financial exceptions
Root cause identification for over-budget or under-budget line items
4 GitHub stars

Use Cases

Monthly P&L reviews to explain budget misses or surpluses
Departmental spend auditing to identify cost center leakages
Quarterly financial bridge analysis for board-level presentations