From deal-research
Generate or customize a comprehensive Due Diligence Request List (DDR) for PE buyout or M&A sell-side transactions. Use this skill whenever the user mentions due diligence, a DDR, data room requests, diligence checklist, or wants to prepare or tailor a request list for a deal. Trigger even if the user just says "I need a DDR for [company]", "help me build out diligence questions for [deal]", or "customize this request list." This skill covers full DDR generation from scratch given a company description, and targeted customization of an existing DDR to a specific business model, sector, and deal context.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/deal-research:diligence-ddrThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Generates or customizes comprehensive, investment-grade DDRs for PE buyout and M&A sell-side transactions. Output should feel like it was written by an experienced deal team — precise, specific to the business model, and structured to surface real investment risks.
Generates or customizes comprehensive, investment-grade DDRs for PE buyout and M&A sell-side transactions. Output should feel like it was written by an experienced deal team — precise, specific to the business model, and structured to surface real investment risks.
Before writing anything, collect the following. If the user has already provided some of this, extract it from context and only ask for what's missing.
Required:
Helpful but optional:
If the user provides a document (DDR, CIM, pitch deck), read it first to extract context before asking questions.
Mode A — Generate from Scratch User provides company/deal context. Build a full DDR tailored to the business model and sector.
Mode B — Customize Existing DDR User provides an existing DDR. Tailor every section to the specific company: replace generic placeholders with company-specific terminology, add business-model-specific requests, remove irrelevant sections, and sharpen questions to reflect known deal risks.
A high-quality DDR has 8–12 numbered sections. Always include the core sections below, and add sector-specific sections as appropriate (see references/).
Universal Core Sections (always include):
Sector-specific additions: See references/sector-modules.md for add-on sections by vertical (e.g., fraud/risk for fintech, carrier/logistics for supply chain, clinical/regulatory for healthcare).
## 3. Customer Base, Scale Metrics, and Cohort Health → subtitle: Logos, Volumes, and Retention)Before generating any code, run the writing-style self-review on the DDR's narrative elements: the cover block text, any section framing sentences, and any introductory language above question lists.
Does NOT apply to: Bullet questions, sub-questions, or the data room request list. These are operational requests, not prose — applying prose standards to them would make them worse, not better.
Applies to: Cover subtitle text, any section-level framing paragraph if used, and any executive summary or context paragraph added at the top of the document.
Read: /mnt/skills/user/writing-style/SKILL.md
Calibrate to the Narvar DDR standard:
| Dimension | PE Buyout | M&A Sell-Side |
|---|---|---|
| Emphasis | Operational detail, cost structure, management depth | Strategic fit, revenue quality, integration complexity |
| Financials | QoE focus, EBITDA bridge, working capital | Revenue recognition, ARR bridge, customer concentration |
| Forward look | LRP, hiring plan, margin expansion levers | Pipeline quality, NRR trajectory, platform scalability |
| Risk focus | Key person, retention, leverage capacity | Synergy assumptions, platform dependency, data portability |
Adjust question framing and emphasis based on deal type — but the overall structure stays the same.
SaaS / subscription:
Usage-based / transactional:
Services / implementation-heavy:
Marketplace / network:
Deliver the DDR as a Pattern-branded Word document (.docx).
Before writing any code, read both skill files:
Read: /mnt/skills/user/pattern-docx/SKILL.md
Read: {SKILL_DIR}/references/narvar-example.md
The narvar-example.md is the canonical formatting reference. It specifies exact font sizes, colors, spacing, bullet levels, and the orange highlight convention. Do not deviate from it.
Cover block (Normal paragraphs, run-level formatting — not heading styles):
[Company Name] 36pt, SemiBold, color 1F4E79
Due Diligence Request List 20pt, color 2E75B6
Comprehensive Information Request | Confidential italic, color 595959
[blank line]
CONFIDENTIAL — FOR AUTHORIZED RECIPIENTS ONLY 9pt, Bold, color C00000
Page layout:
H1 — Section headers:
1. Section NameH2 — Section subtitles:
List Paragraph — bullet questions:
Orange highlight (E97132):
Header and footer:
[Company Name] — Due Diligence Request List (left, gray) + CONFIDENTIAL (right, Bold, red)[Company Name] Due Diligence (left) + Page X of Y (right)references/sector-modules.md — Add-on DDR sections by vertical (fintech/fraud,
logistics/supply chain, healthcare, consumer/retail)references/narvar-example.md — Canonical formatting reference and quality
calibration standard. Load before generating any DDR.npx claudepluginhub ian-lawrence423/claude-skills --plugin deal-researchGuides creation, editing, and verification of skills for AI coding agents using test-driven development with subagent scenarios. Use when authoring or debugging skills.