contract-approval-deck

/vallor:contract-approval-deck

Purpose

When a contract needs sign-off from a deal committee, board, or exec staff, the ask is always the same shape: here's what we're buying/selling, here's what it costs, here's where it deviates from standard, here's the risk, and here's the decision we need. This skill produces a deck that asks for that decision in 6-10 slides. No more.

Load context

1. Read ~/.claude/plugins/config/vallor/CLAUDE.md.
2. Read the source: a contract draft, a review memo, or both. Read the Contract Brief if one exists — its risk posture and business owner drive the framing.
3. Read the deviation log (from contract-prep or contract-redline) — it becomes the deviations slide.
4. Apply the /design skill — the deck uses Calibri 11/18/24pt, navy #1F3A5F rules, no other colors except the severity markers. No gradients, no rounded rectangles, no images other than logos. Single column layouts.

Ask the user for context (optional but encouraged)

Use the AskUserQuestion tool to calibrate the deck to its audience and decision. A 6-slide ask to a board reads differently than a 10-slide ask to an exec staff.

Up front (before drafting slides): Ask 1-3 short questions when the answers aren't obvious from the brief or review:

• Audience: deal committee / board / exec staff / mixed
• The single decision being asked: sign as-is / sign with redlines / escalate / walk
• Length preference: tight 6-slide ask vs full 10-slide context
• Sensitivities to soften or amplify (e.g., dollar exposure, IP risk, exit-rights, vendor relationship)
• Speaker: who is presenting and how much they know about the deal

Mid-flight (after building the deviations and risk slides): Once the deviations table is drafted, surface concrete asks before guessing on:

• Which deviations to elevate to the recommendation slide
• Whether to include alternatives (walk-away cost) on a separate slide
• How to frame the ask if the recommendation is a conditional yes

Rules:

• Every question must offer a reasonable default the user can pick to skip ahead.
• Ask follow-ups when answers reveal more depth or a non-default choice.
• Cap a single round at ~3 questions.
• Skip when the user has signaled a fast / default run.

Deck structure (6-10 slides, no more)

Slide 1 — Cover

[CLIENT NAME] · Contract Approval                            [PRIVILEGED &
                                                              CONFIDENTIAL]
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

[Counterparty] · [Agreement type]
[Total contract value] · [Term length]

Prepared for: [committee / board / exec staff]
Date: [today]
Owner: [reviewing attorney]

A single 1pt navy rule under the masthead. Vallor + customer logos in the bottom-right corner at 24px height (use real PNG files; never a text span — see feedback_real_logos_in_brand_output).

Slide 2 — Recommendation (the decision ask)

A single sentence at the top:

RECOMMENDATION: Approve · Approve with conditions · Push back · Walk

Below: three bullets explaining the recommendation. Each bullet ≤15 words. Below that: a single "what we're asking for today" line:

DECISION REQUESTED TODAY: [Authorize counsel to execute / authorize counter-proposal at $X / authorize escalation to GC / etc.]

This is THE slide the committee remembers. Every other slide supports it.

Slide 3 — Commercial summary

Two-column layout:

Left (deal shape)	Right (financials)
Counterparty: [name]	Annual value: [$X]
Type: [MSA / SaaS / SOW / etc.]	Total contract value: [$Y]
Scope: [one-line description]	Payment terms: [Net 30 / annual upfront / etc.]
Term: [start — end]	Cap on liability: [$Z or X months fees]
Renewal: [auto / fixed / evergreen]	Worst-case exposure: [the number that matters]
Notice period: [days]	Exit cost: [the cancel-fee or zero]

Slide 4 — Why this deal (strategic context)

Pulled from the Contract Brief Q1 + Q3. Three bullets:

• Business intent (what does this let us do)
• Strategic context (why this counterparty, why now)
• Deadline / urgency (if any)

Slide 5 — Deviations from standard

Three-column table. Severity dot in the left margin (text characters, no images):

Position	Standard	This deal	Severity
Liability cap	[playbook position]	[this deal's position]	● HIGH
Indemnity	[position]	[position]	● MEDIUM
...	...	...	● ...

Pulled directly from the deviation log. If more than 6 rows, this becomes its own slide and we cap at "top 6 by severity" with "5 more deviations in the appendix" line.

Slide 6 — Risk register

A short table — max 5 risks. For each:

Risk	Probability	Impact ($)	Mitigation

Risks come from the review memo's findings table, filtered to high+blocking severity. If no significant risks, this slide is replaced by an "Assessed risk: within tolerance" callout.

Slide 7 — Negotiation history (optional)

Only if there's a meaningful history (this is v3 of the draft, the counterparty came back twice, etc.). Three bullets:

• Where we started
• Where we are now
• What we conceded vs gained

Skip if the deck is for a first-pass approval.

Slide 8 — Approval matrix

Per the practice profile's escalation matrix, which approvers are needed for this deal:

PRE-EXECUTION APPROVERS NEEDED:
  ● [Approver 1 name and role]        [their authority threshold]
  ● [Approver 2]                       [threshold]

EXECUTING SIGNER:                       [from practice profile]

POST-EXECUTION DISTRIBUTION:            [CLM record, business owner, etc.]

Slide 9 — The one question

A single line at the top:

ONE QUESTION I'D ASK THAT ISN'T IN MY CHECKLIST:

Below: 1-3 sentences pulled from the review memo's "One question" section. This is the slide that catches the second-order risk a framework wouldn't prompt for.

Slide 10 — Decision options (the close)

Four options in a 2x2 grid:

1. APPROVE — Sign as-is, execute by [date]
2. APPROVE WITH CONDITIONS — Sign once [the 1-2 specific changes] land
3. COUNTER — Authorize [reviewer] to propose [the specific counter-position]
4. WALK — Authorize closing this deal

The recommended option is bordered with a 2pt navy rule. The others are 1pt gray.

Output

Save to: ~/.claude/plugins/config/vallor/approval-decks/<YYYY-MM-DD>-<counterparty>-approval.pptx

Use python-pptx. Reference implementation at references/pptx-pipeline.md.

Single-slide mode

--single-slide produces just slide 1 — used by contract-exec-summary when the user wants a cover slide for a one-pager packet.

Constraints

• 10 slides max. If the deck is creeping toward 12, cut. Use an appendix for detail.
• No animations, no transitions, no fade-ins.
• No emoji on slides (the severity dots are text characters with color, not emoji).
• Every slide has the footer: PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT · Page X · [Owner]
• Speaker notes: keep them short. Each slide gets 2-3 sentences of notes — what the presenter should say if asked to expand. Don't write a script.
• Single body font (Calibri). No second font, no italic accents, no script.

Decision tree after delivery

1. Open in PowerPoint and review — confirm rendering before sending.
2. Convert to PDF — for board distribution where editability isn't wanted.
3. Build the executive one-pager — /vallor:contract-exec-summary if a parallel one-pager is needed.
4. Stop here — deck is saved.

Examples

/vallor:contract-approval-deck review-memos/acme-msa.md

/vallor:contract-approval-deck --audience board

/vallor:contract-approval-deck drafts/acme-msa.md --single-slide