What data formats are supported for analysis?

The skill can process financial data from Excel files (.xlsx), CSV files, or structured tables pasted directly into the chat interface.

Can it analyze trends over multiple months?

If data for multiple periods is provided, the skill automatically generates a Trend Analysis sheet to show if variances are improving, worsening, or flat.

Can I customize the materiality thresholds?

Yes, you can define specific percentage or dollar-amount thresholds (e.g., 10% or $50K) to determine which items are flagged as warnings or critical issues.

Does it generate executive summaries for leadership?

Yes, it creates a dedicated Executive Summary sheet featuring performance highlights, top 5 favorable/unfavorable variances, and strategic action items.

How does the skill handle different sign conventions for revenue vs. expenses?

The skill automatically applies financial logic where positive variance is favorable for revenue/profit and unfavorable for expenses, ensuring flags like ✅ or 🔴 are contextually accurate.

Excel Variance Analyzer

Name: Excel Variance Analyzer
Author: jeremylongshore

byjeremylongshore

•

883

Data Science & ML

Automates monthly and quarterly budget vs. actual variance analysis in Excel with professional commentary and materiality flagging.

About

The Excel Variance Analyzer is a specialized skill designed for FP&A teams and financial analysts to streamline the financial reporting process. It automatically compares budget data against actual performance, calculating absolute and percentage variances while applying intelligent materiality thresholds to flag critical issues. Beyond simple calculations, it generates professional commentary, trend analysis, and executive summaries, transforming raw data into actionable insights within a structured three-sheet Excel report format including summary, executive, and trend views.

Key Features

Materiality flagging using color-coded indicators (Red, Yellow, Green) for significant discrepancies.
Multi-sheet reporting including Executive Summaries and Trend Analysis for multiple periods.
883 GitHub stars
Automated budget vs. actual variance calculations with financial sign convention awareness.
Automated financial commentary generation explaining potential drivers for specific variances.
Customizable threshold settings for percentage and absolute dollar-value materiality.

Use Cases

Identifying specific line-item overspends in departmental budgets to trigger corrective actions.
Preparing monthly or quarterly financial performance reviews for corporate leadership.
Generating automated, high-level insights for FP&A reporting workflows to save manual analysis time.

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills excel-variance-analyzer

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT

Download Skill

GitHub