Thesis Defense PPTX

Use this skill for local, editable .pptx thesis defense decks that must follow a supplied university/lab/company PowerPoint template.

Operating Principles

• Platform: Windows + Microsoft PowerPoint for COM-driven cloning, export, and overflow inspection. On macOS/Linux, use the python-pptx-only parts and skip COM-based quality gates.
• Treat the visual template as the source of truth. Preserve its cover, colors, fonts, navigation, card styles, logos, and slide proportions unless the user explicitly asks to redesign.
• Read the thesis source first: PDF, LaTeX, figures, old PPT, experiment scripts, tables, and captions. Do not generate from topic/title alone when source files exist.
• Build a source-asset inventory before placing images: extract \includegraphics entries and captions from the final TeX/PDF, then use only thesis-cited figures or images the user explicitly approves. Do not carry over pictures from a template, old progress deck, or draft figure folder merely because they look relevant.
• Prefer copying native template slides and replacing content over rebuilding from blank slides.
• Keep slides concise and presentation-oriented. Convert thesis prose into defense talking points.
• Preserve the template's font sizes and hierarchy by default. For projection readability, first shorten text, split dense slides, or use the template's larger existing layouts; only change font sizes locally when the template itself provides no readable fit.
• Always generate an editable .pptx, not only an outline, image deck, PDF, or HTML.
• Always run a visual quality gate before final response: export slide images, inspect a contact sheet plus key full-size slide screenshots, check text overflow, check stale template words/images, and verify the PPTX opens.

Recommended Workflow