{"id":"data2-spreadsheet-share-checklist-five-issues","audience":"office","category":"spreadsheets","track":"data","technique":"verification","level":"beginner","title":"List five problems to fix before sharing a spreadsheet","free":false,"task":"You're about to send a budget workbook to an outside partner. Write at most 5 lines in plain text, each starting '- [ ]', naming where the problem is, what it is and the fix. Under 100 words. Use only problems described in the notes, and put the one that exposes private data first.","materialLabel":"Workbook inspection notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Budget workbook inspection - \"final_v7_REAL.xlsx\" (Larkspur Events)\n\nFindings from opening the file:\n- Sheet \"Payroll\" is hidden. It lists each employee's name and salary. The workbook will be emailed to an outside partner.\n- Cell F9 on the \"Summary\" tab shows #REF! because a row was deleted.\n- The \"Total\" row on the \"Summary\" tab uses a typed-in number (18,250) instead of a SUM formula, so it won't update.\n- Dates in column B on the \"Events\" tab are mixed: some are 07/11/2025 and some are 2025-11-07; the team uses day-month-year, but some entries look like month-day.\n- Header cells A1:F1 on the \"Summary\" tab are merged, which breaks sorting and filtering.\n- The file's author name in the properties is a former employee. (Minor, not a finding for this checklist.)\n\nNumbers: the partner only needs the Summary and Events tabs.","rules":[{"type":"maxBullets","max":5},{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":100}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Burying the privacy risk","why":"The AI lists the hidden Payroll sheet last or doesn't call out the salaries.","fix":"Add: \"Put the hidden Payroll sheet (names and salaries) first.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Missing the fix","why":"The AI names problems without the fix.","fix":"Add: \"Each line: Where: problem - fix.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Padding the list","why":"The AI adds generic tips or the minor author item.","fix":"Add: \"At most 5 lines, only problems in the notes. Skip the minor one.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Leaving the format to chance","why":"The AI picks its own length and layout unless told the exact shape.","fix":"Add: \"At most 5 bullets. Plain text, no bold or headings.\"","checks":["maxBullets","plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead, for example \"each line under 15 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Asks for the line shape","patterns":["- \\[ \\]","where: problem"]},{"label":"Puts privacy first","patterns":["privacy","payroll","first"]},{"label":"Names the issues","patterns":["#ref","merged","dates","typed"]},{"label":"Limits to the notes","patterns":["only the problems","skip"]},{"label":"Caps length","patterns":["at most 5","under \\d+ words"]}],"hint":"Checklists need a priority order and a fixed line shape. Say which issue goes first.","mission":"What do I need to fix before sending this spreadsheet?","musts":["Privacy issue first","Where, what and fix","At most 5 lines"],"rubricLabels":["The first line is about the hidden Payroll sheet with employee names and salaries (private data) and its fix is to delete it (or remove it) before sharing","The other lines cover the #REF! in Summary F9, the typed-in Total of 18,250 instead of a SUM formula, and the mixed date formats in Events column B (and/or the merged headers)","Every line starts with '- [ ]' and names where, what and the fix, there are at most 5 lines, and the former employee's name in the file properties is not listed"]}