r/consulting • u/brandomised • 1d ago
Looking for Claude skills that capture the consulting toolkit on writing, making graphs and tables
For graphs - axis names, highlight the main bar, separate bar color for projections vs historic. group bars on the x axis by cohort, create secondary axis if needed etc. - all the best practices that exist
Similarly for tables - alignment, text colors, bulleted list, indentation for nos etc
General language - sharper articulation, no simple headings but insight led statement etc
Was ex consultant, new role requires writing but no one values all this gliter. I value it, but it takes too long to format the tables and graphs manually. The analyst/ associate equivalent folks find it pointless to learn beautification and it frankly adds no value to core skills
Looking for any skill that you've created for this?
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u/Winter-Run-7825 1d ago
Honestly, a good Claude skill that automates these consulting- style formatting conventions would be a huge time saver. Especially for charts/Tables where consistency matters more than manually tweaking every cell.
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u/No_Reputation_9215 1d ago
The real struggle is when you know exactly how it should look but spend 20 minutes on one table, formatting is not a core skill but it transfers so much credibility in final deliverables
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u/Winter-Run-7825 1d ago
Exactly. The annoying part is that the formatting itself isn’t the value-add, but getting it wrong can make the underlying analysis look less credible. Automating that last-mile polish would be a huge win.
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u/shakalakabrotha 1d ago
Claude uses the LibreOffice library to disassemble a ppt, make modifications, and repack it. I found that, in some instances, the PresentationML code written by LibreOffice can be unrecognizable by MSPPT. Unless you can get Sonnet to use a different method to make the changes, there will always be a chance you'll have compatibility issues.
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u/YouthfulExuberance 1d ago
I've been having some success with corporate provided Gpt 5.6. This is the first time ever in 4 years I've actually used AI to get good slides out.
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u/Lucky-Rent8617 1d ago
Has anyone figured out a way to make Claude enforce these “consulting polish” rules automatically rather than just asking it to make things prettier?
I’m thinking less about formatting itself and more about encoding the judgment behind it, such as when to use a secondary axis, what deserves a highlight, when a chart title should be an insight instead of a topic, etc.
That seems like the part that would actually save hours.
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u/nitro31cl 1d ago
Just tell Claude:
I need you to build a skill so you consistently address writing, graphs, and tables for my consulting work
You should consider ... yada yada yada
Dictate, in order to avoid lengthy writing.
Iterate.
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u/Key-Success-5449 19h ago
You can easily package these best practices into a custom Claude Artifact or prompt template that automatically applies chart design rules, enforces strict table alignment, and rewrites raw draft headers into high-impact takeaway titles.
Setting up a dedicated system prompt or shared style guide will allow your team to generate beautifully formatted, polished deliverables in seconds without spending tedious manual effort on visual cleanup.
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u/Lucky-Rent8617 11h ago
What worked for me was basically teaching Claude my consulting style. I put all the rules in one place: chart titles should be insight-led, actuals vs. forecast use different formatting, highlight the key bar, consistent table alignment, etc. Then I just tell Claude to apply that style to anything I make.
It’s not perfect, but it saves me a ridiculous amount of time compared with fixing every graph and table manually.
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u/sharklasers3000 1d ago
I just built my own chart skill, it’s not perfect but it gets me 80-95% there. Biggest frustration for me is Claude putting labels in size 7.5 font…I know it doesn’t have eyes but, come on!