Creative productivity

Creative Productivity -- Consulting Deliverables Pipeline

Turn ideas into polished, client-ready artifacts. This skill bundles the best open-source tools for agentically generating visual and written deliverables -- diagrams, presentations, architecture visuals, and documents.

When to Use

• Creating diagrams (architecture, flow, sequence, ERD, system design)
• Building presentations (pitch decks, QBRs, workshop slides, training materials)
• Drafting documents (one-pagers, proposals, executive summaries, workshop handouts)
• Producing visual arguments that communicate strategy, not just data
• Any task where the deliverable must look professional and be editable

Tool Selection Guide

Pick the right tool for the job:

Need	Tool	Output	Best For
Visual argument, conceptual diagram	Excalidraw	.excalidraw + PNG	Architecture overviews, concept maps, strategy visuals
Quick flowchart, sequence, ERD	Mermaid	.md with mermaid blocks	Documentation, README diagrams, inline visuals
Editable architecture diagram	draw.io	.drawio XML + PNG	AWS/cloud architectures, detailed technical docs
Slide deck (web, interactive)	Reveal.js	Single HTML file	Pitch decks, conferences, interactive presentations
Slide deck (markdown, fast)	Marp	.md → PDF/PPTX/HTML	Internal decks, quick iterations, dev-friendly slides
Written deliverable	Markdown	.md → PDF	Proposals, one-pagers, executive summaries

Decision flow:

1. Is it a diagram? → How complex? Simple inline → Mermaid. Visual argument → Excalidraw. Detailed architecture → draw.io.
2. Is it a presentation? → Interactive/branded → Reveal.js. Fast/iterative → Marp.
3. Is it a document? → Markdown with structured templates.

Setup (Per Tool)

Each tool has optional dependencies. Install only what you need.

Excalidraw (Diagrams that argue)

# Render pipeline (validates output visually)
cd <skill-dir>/references/excalidraw && uv sync && uv run playwright install chromium

• Generates .excalidraw JSON → rendered to PNG via Playwright
• Brand colors in references/excalidraw/color-palette.md
• See references/excalidraw/guide.md for full methodology

Mermaid (Inline diagrams)

npm install -g @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli  # optional: for PNG/SVG export

• Write mermaid blocks directly in Markdown -- most renderers (GitHub, Obsidian, Notion) handle them natively
• For PNG export: mmdc -i input.md -o output.png
• See references/mermaid-patterns.md for consulting-specific patterns

Reveal.js (Interactive presentations)

npm install -g reveal.js  # optional: for local preview

• Generates single self-contained HTML files (no build step)
• Themes, Chart.js, Font Awesome built-in
• Speaker notes, animations, PDF export via DeckTape
• See references/revealjs-guide.md for templates

Marp (Markdown slides)

npm install -g @marp-team/marp-cli  # required for export

• Write slides in Markdown with --- separators
• Export: marp --pdf deck.md or marp --pptx deck.md
• Themes via CSS, Marp directives for layout
• See references/marp-guide.md for patterns

draw.io (Architecture diagrams)

# CLI for PNG conversion (optional)
# Install draw.io desktop or use drawio-cli
pip install drawio-batch  # or use the desktop app

• Generates .drawio XML files (editable in draw.io/diagrams.net)
• AWS/Azure/GCP icon support
• See references/drawio-guide.md for XML patterns

Workflow

1. Understand the Brief

Before creating anything:

• Audience: Who will see this? (Client exec, dev team, workshop participants)
• Purpose: Inform, persuade, teach, or decide?
• Format: Where will it be shown? (Screen share, print, embedded in docs, posted in Slack)
• Brand: Does the client or company have specific colors/fonts? Check references/ for palettes.

2. Choose the Right Tool

Use the Tool Selection Guide above. When in doubt:

• For persuasion → Excalidraw (visual arguments win hearts)
• For precision → draw.io or Mermaid (technical accuracy wins minds)
• For presenting → Reveal.js or Marp (structured narrative)
• For reading → Markdown document (depth and detail)

3. Create the Artifact

Follow the tool-specific guide in references/. Key principles across all tools:

Structure First:

1. Outline the argument or narrative before touching any tool
2. Each section/slide/region should answer ONE question
3. Flow: Context → Problem → Solution → Evidence → Next Steps

Visual Hierarchy:

• Most important element = largest / most isolated
• Use color semantically (not decoratively)
• Whitespace signals importance

Consulting Standard:

• Every diagram tells a story, not just shows a structure
• Every slide has a "so what?" takeaway
• Every document has an executive summary
• Numbers and claims have sources

4. Validate

• Diagrams: Render to PNG → visually inspect → fix → repeat
• Slides: Preview in browser → check overflow → fix → repeat
• Documents: Read the executive summary aloud -- does it stand alone?

5. Deliver

• Save artifacts in the project's deliverables/ or docs/ directory
• Include source files (.excalidraw, .drawio, .md) alongside exports (PNG, PDF, HTML)
• Source files ensure editability; exports ensure portability

Consulting Document Templates

One-Pager

# [Title]

## Executive Summary
[2-3 sentences: What, Why, Impact]

## Context
[Current situation, pain points]

## Recommendation
[What we propose, with rationale]

## Expected Outcomes
- [Metric 1]: [Target]
- [Metric 2]: [Target]

## Next Steps
1. [Action] -- [Owner] -- [Date]

Workshop Handout

# [Workshop Title] -- [Date]

## Objectives
- [What participants will learn/decide]

## Agenda
| Time | Topic | Format |
|------|-------|--------|
| 09:00 | Intro & Context | Presentation |
| 09:30 | Deep Dive | Interactive |
| 10:30 | Workshop | Hands-on |
| 11:30 | Wrap-up & Actions | Discussion |

## Key Takeaways
[Filled in after the workshop]

## Action Items
| Action | Owner | Due |
|--------|-------|-----|

Proposal Structure

# [Proposal Title]

## 1. Understanding
[Client's situation and challenges -- show you listened]

## 2. Approach
[How we'll solve it -- methodology, phases]

## 3. Deliverables
[What the client gets -- be specific]

## 4. Timeline & Investment
[Phases, milestones, cost]

## 5. Why Us
[Team, experience, differentiators]

## Appendix
[Technical details, references, case studies]

Mermaid Quick Patterns

For common consulting scenarios, use these Mermaid patterns inline:

Process Flow:

graph LR
    A[Current State] -->|Assessment| B[Gap Analysis]
    B -->|Design| C[Target Architecture]
    C -->|Implement| D[Rollout]
    D -->|Measure| E[Optimization]

Decision Matrix:

quadrantChart
    title Technology Selection
    x-axis Low Effort --> High Effort
    y-axis Low Impact --> High Impact
    Quick Wins: [0.2, 0.8]
    Strategic Bets: [0.8, 0.9]
    Low Priority: [0.3, 0.2]
    Avoid: [0.9, 0.1]

Timeline / Gantt:

gantt
    title Project Roadmap
    dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD
    section Phase 1
    Discovery     :a1, 2026-01-01, 2w
    Assessment    :a2, after a1, 2w
    section Phase 2
    Design        :b1, after a2, 3w
    Implementation:b2, after b1, 4w

Architecture (C4-style):

C4Context
    title System Context
    Person(user, "User", "End user")
    System(app, "Application", "Core system")
    System_Ext(ext, "External API", "Third-party service")
    Rel(user, app, "Uses")
    Rel(app, ext, "Calls")

Best Practices

1. Source files always accompany exports. Never deliver only a PNG -- include the .excalidraw, .drawio, or .md source so clients can edit.
2. One artifact, one message. Each deliverable should communicate a single clear argument or narrative.
3. Brand before beauty. Client colors and fonts trump your aesthetic preferences.
4. Validate visually. Always render and inspect before delivering. JSON/XML/Markdown previews lie.
5. Progressive disclosure. Start with the summary view. Offer detail on demand (appendix, thread, drill-down diagram).
6. Platform-aware formatting. Slack uses *bold*, Discord uses **bold**, PDF needs proper headings. Adapt.

References

Detailed guides for each tool live in the references/ directory:

• references/excalidraw/ -- Full Excalidraw methodology, color palette, element templates, render script
• references/mermaid-patterns.md -- Consulting-specific Mermaid diagram patterns
• references/revealjs-guide.md -- Reveal.js presentation templates and workflow
• references/marp-guide.md -- Marp slide creation patterns
• references/drawio-guide.md -- draw.io XML generation and AWS icons

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"Make the invisible visible. Make the complex clear. Make the argument irresistible." 🐾