---
name: consulting-ds-ppt
description: Create consulting-style, data-science PowerPoint decks in the bundled DS team template. Use for executive analytics readouts, model impact presentations, study summaries, KPI storytelling, and appendix-heavy technical decks that still need business-friendly structure.
argument-hint: "[brief, source files, or output filename]"
disable-model-invocation: true
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Edit
  - MultiEdit
  - Glob
  - Grep
  - Bash(cp *)
  - Bash(ls *)
  - Bash(find *)
  - Bash(mkdir *)
  - Bash(unzip *)
  - Bash(zip *)
  - Bash(file *)
  - Bash(python *)
  - Bash(node *)
  - Bash(soffice *)
effort: high
---

# Consulting DS PPT

Use this skill when the user wants a PowerPoint presentation, an executive slide deck, or a polished analytics readout in the DS team template.

This skill is for **data science storytelling in a consulting style**:
- the slide title states the answer
- the chart proves it
- the hero number anchors the takeaway
- the implication tells the audience what to do next

## Bundled resources

Read these files before building the deck:
- [references/design-system.md](references/design-system.md) - message architecture, palette, typography, chart rules, and do/don't guidance
- [references/template-playbook.md](references/template-playbook.md) - which sample slides and named layouts to reuse for which slide type
- [templates/deck-brief-template.md](templates/deck-brief-template.md) - questions to ask when the brief is incomplete
- [templates/slide-outline-template.md](templates/slide-outline-template.md) - deck planning format
- [checklists/final-qa.md](checklists/final-qa.md) - mandatory review before delivery
- [examples/example-deck-plan.md](examples/example-deck-plan.md) - example of the expected deck-planning style

Bundled template:
- `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/assets/DS team template.pptx`

Optional helper:
- `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/template_probe.py` - inspect a template's layouts, fonts, and colors

## Core mission

Turn source material into a deck that is:
1. **Decision oriented** - every slide answers "so what?"
2. **Executive friendly** - readable in seconds, not minutes
3. **Visually restrained** - one primary chart, one main idea, limited accents
4. **Business translated** - model performance tied to revenue, cost, time, risk, conversion, or adoption
5. **Template-faithful** - preserve the bundled deck's visual language, theme, footer, and corporate framing

## Non-negotiable slide rules

1. **Headline = conclusion, not topic**
   - Good: `Churn model lifts retention in the highest-risk segment`
   - Bad: `Churn model results`

2. **One hero number per slide**
   - Put the most important number in large type near the left message block.
   - Supporting metrics should be secondary and limited.

3. **One primary chart, max three support metrics**
   - If the user has too much data, split it across slides instead of shrinking everything.

4. **Direct labels beat legends**
   - Label lines, bars, or segments directly wherever possible.

5. **Translate technical quality into business impact**
   - AUC, lift, precision, recall, calibration, or ranking quality should be converted into impact language.

6. **Keep raw DS detail out of the main story unless it changes the decision**
   - Put SHAP plots, confusion matrices, calibration diagnostics, feature tables, and parameter details in the appendix unless the audience is highly technical.

## Required slide formula

Use this default structure for most insight pages:

**Headline -> Hero number -> Proof chart -> 2-line implication -> Source/footer**

If a slide cannot fit this formula cleanly, choose another slide archetype from the template playbook.

## Working process

### 1) Understand the ask

Read the user's request and all source files first.

If the request is incomplete, ask only the minimum required questions. Use [templates/deck-brief-template.md](templates/deck-brief-template.md) to identify gaps.

Typical missing fields:
- audience
- decision to drive
- slide count
- required appendix or not
- mandatory metrics / KPIs
- output filename

### 2) Build the storyline before touching the deck

Draft a slide-by-slide outline using [templates/slide-outline-template.md](templates/slide-outline-template.md).

The outline should establish:
- overall answer in one sentence
- 3-6 core messages for the main body
- which points belong in appendix
- what visual each slide needs
- what action or implication each slide supports

Never start with random charts.

### 3) Start from the bundled template

Always create a working copy of:
- `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/assets/DSA team template.pptx`

Do **not** edit the bundled original in place.

Preferred pattern:
1. Copy the bundled template to a new output file.
2. Keep the master/theme, footer, logos, and page setup intact.
3. Reuse or overwrite sample slides that already match the target composition.
4. Delete leftover sample slides only after all content has been rebuilt.

### 4) Pick the nearest existing slide pattern

Before creating anything from scratch, check [references/template-playbook.md](references/template-playbook.md).

Strong default choices:
- executive summary -> summary cards / multi-stat overview
- core finding -> title + left message + right chart
- segment or TA comparison -> dot plot / sorted bars
- robustness or validation -> paired comparison slide
- recommendation page -> numbered action blocks
- appendix -> simple divider + dense method page

If a sample slide already matches the desired composition, clone or overwrite it rather than rebuilding from a blank page.

### 5) Build the slide content

For every slide, enforce these checks:
- Does the title state the answer?
- Is there exactly one hero metric?
- Is there one dominant proof visual?
- Is the implication or next action explicit?
- Is the source visible?

If the answer to any of these is no, revise the slide.

## Chart guidance

Use these chart types by default.

### Best choices
- **Before / after or old vs new:** 2-line chart or side-by-side bars
- **Category comparison / benchmark:** sorted bars or simple heatmap
- **Portfolio prioritization:** bubble chart or quadrant when size + importance + maturity all matter
- **Share / mix:** donut only for 2-3 slices; otherwise use 100% stacked bar
- **Process / pipeline:** 3-5 step flow, not a dense architecture map
- **Adoption split / human vs AI / channel mix:** stacked bar with direct labeling
- **Uncertainty or range:** subtle band or confidence interval only if decision-relevant

### Avoid unless explicitly needed
- 3D charts
- rainbow palettes
- dashboard grids with many tiny charts
- legends when direct labeling would work
- dual-axis charts unless the relationship truly cannot be shown another way
- screenshotting charts when editable native charts are possible

## Data science translation rules

Always convert technical evidence into an operating consequence.

Examples:
- `Lift improved by 18%` -> `Sales targeting reduces wasted outreach and raises conversion in the top decile`
- `False positives fell by 18% at flat recall` -> `Analyst workload drops while customer friction stays controlled`
- `Ranking quality improved` -> `Higher-priority sites enroll faster, reducing study time`

Include uncertainty when it matters:
- sample size
- confidence interval
- overlap limitations
- segment noisiness
- assumptions behind extrapolation

But keep uncertainty concise and subordinate to the main message.

## Layout behavior to preserve

Respect the template's visual rhythm:
- mostly light background
- dark navy title and divider treatment
- one strong accent color per slide
- 40/60 balance between message block and proof area for standard insight slides
- footer / branding area left clear
- appendix visibly separated from the main story

Reserve darker or more dramatic pages for:
- section dividers
- chapter openers
- occasional executive summary emphasis

## Text behavior

Write like a consultant, not a lab notebook.

Do:
- use short declarative sentences
- use concrete business nouns
- use verbs that imply action: lifts, cuts, shortens, concentrates, separates, improves, slows, accelerates
- keep body text to the minimum needed to interpret the chart

Do not:
- dump methodology into a main slide
- use topic titles
- write paragraphs where bullets or callouts are clearer
- let every slide sound equally important

## Appendix policy

Use the appendix for:
- methodology
- cohort / scope definitions
- robustness checks
- diagnostic plots
- alternative aggregations
- backup tables
- technical assumptions

The appendix should support the main story, not compete with it.

## Deliverable standard

The final output should usually be:
- an editable `.pptx`
- created from a working copy of the bundled template
- visually cleaned and internally consistent
- clearly named with version/date if relevant

If the user also wants notes, outline, or a handoff memo, provide them as separate files.

## Final review

Before delivering, run the full checklist in [checklists/final-qa.md](checklists/final-qa.md).

Do not deliver the deck until all of the following are true:
- titles are conclusion-led
- story flows logically
- charts are readable
- sources are present
- appendix contains the technical spillover
- no placeholder/sample content remains
- template branding and footer are intact

## Example invocation behavior

When invoked with a brief like:
`/consulting-ds-ppt Build a 10-slide executive deck on model retrain impact using results.md and metrics.csv`

you should:
1. read the source files
2. fill any critical brief gaps
3. draft the storyline
4. map each slide to a template pattern
5. create the `.pptx` from the bundled template
6. review against the QA checklist
7. deliver the finished deck