Anonymize Data for an LLM

🛡️ Introduction
This guide is designed for non-technical project managers, coordinators, and office staff who use Word and Excel. You’ll learn how to scrub sensitive details—like client names, project codes, budgets, and IP addresses from your documents before sending them to any AI tool. We use a sample ACME Corp project status report to show each step in plain text, ensuring you can follow along even if you can’t use bullets or tables.

🛠️ Tools You’ll Need
Word (Office 2016 or later) or equivalent word processor that supports Find & Replace
Excel (Office 2016 or later) or equivalent spreadsheet tool with Find & Replace
Web browser with Incognito/Private mode
Access to two AI chat tools (your main AI and a secondary provider or fresh session)
A copy of your original document and spreadsheet

👥 Target Audience
Non-technical Project Managers, Project Coordinators, Office Administrators, Executive Assistants—anyone who works in Word and Excel but isn’t a developer or IT specialist

⏱️ Estimated Time to Complete
Preparing your files and legend: 2–3 minutes
Anonymizing a single Word report (up to 5 pages): 5–7 minutes
Anonymizing a medium-sized Excel workbook (10–20 rows): 3–5 minutes
Secondary AI review and corrections: 3–5 minutes
Total time per document pair: approximately 15–20 minutes

📌 Other Useful Tips
Keep your “_ANON” copies in a separate folder to avoid confusion.
Store your Legend of Placeholders in a shared template for quick reuse.
Test your secondary AI check on a short excerpt first to see how it flags items.
If you have very large files, break them into smaller chunks for easier Find & Replace.
Review your organization’s data-privacy policy to confirm any additional required placeholders (e.g., vendor names, contract numbers).

📝 Example Report
Document: ACME Corp – Internal Systems Modernization
Project Code: PRJ-4567
Prepared by: Mary Smith, Project Manager
Date: April 25, 2025
Version: v3.2.0

Section 1 – Executive Summary
ACME Corp’s Internal Systems Modernization project (PRJ-4567) is on track. Requirements Gathering complete; Design 75% done; no major scope changes.

Section 2 – Milestones & Timeline
Phase 1: Requirements, Completed, March 15, 2025 – All stakeholder sign-offs received
Phase 2: System Design, In Progress, Due June 30, 2025 – 75% complete; on schedule
Phase 3: Development Sprint, Upcoming, Starts May 10, 2025 – Kick-off next week
Phase 4: Go-Live, Planned, August 15, 2025 – User training scheduled for August 1

Section 3 – Budget Status
Total Project Budget: $2,500,000
Amount Spent: $1,250,000
Forecast to Complete: $1,200,000

Section 4 – Key Risks & Issues
Network Impact: Test server at 10.0.1.23 may go offline during maintenance
Vendor Delay: ACME IT Solutions’ hardware shipment is one week late
Resource Availability: John Doe, Lead Architect, on vacation May 5–12

Section 5 – Team Contacts & Locations
Mary Smith (Project Manager) – mary.smith@acme.com / (303) 555-0123
John Doe (Lead Architect)
Jane Roe (QA Lead)
Office Location: Denver HQ, 1234 Industrial Way, Denver, CO

Section 6 – Next Steps & Attachments
Step 1: Finalize design review by May 5, 2025
Step 2: Kick off Phase 2 Development Sprint on May 10, 2025
Attachments: NetworkDiagram.pdf (shows server 10.0.1.23), BudgetTracker.xlsx

📜 Legend of Placeholders
<CLIENT_NAME> = Client or company name (example: ACME Corp)
<PROJECT_CODE> = Internal project code or ID (example: PRJ-4567)
<BUDGET_X> = Total project budget (example: $2,500,000)
<AMOUNT_SPENT> = Amount spent to date (example: $1,250,000)
<IP_ADDRESS> = IP address or server name (example: 10.0.1.23)
<CONTACT_NAME> = Person’s full name (example: John Doe)
<EMAIL_ADDRESS> = Email address (example: mary.smith@acme.com)
<PHONE_NUMBER> = Phone number (example: (303) 555-0123)
<DEADLINE_DATE> = Key deadline or milestone date (example: June 30, 2025)
<LOCATION> = Office or site location (example: Denver HQ)
<VERSION_NUMBER> = Document version (example: v3.2.0)
<MILESTONE_NAME> = Named milestone (example: Phase 1: Requirements)

✏️ Step-by-Step Replacement in Word
3.1 Make a copy of the original:
Save “ACME_StatusReport.docx” as “ACME_StatusReport_ANON.docx”

3.2 Open Find & Replace (Ctrl + H) once and then, in sequence, do all replacements:
3.2.1 Find “ACME Corp” and replace with <CLIENT_NAME>, then “Replace All”
3.2.2 Find “PRJ-4567” and replace with <PROJECT_CODE>, then “Replace All”
3.2.3 Find “$2,500,000” and replace with <BUDGET_X>, then “Replace All”
3.2.4 Find “$1,250,000” and replace with <AMOUNT_SPENT>, then “Replace All”
3.2.5 Find “10.0.1.23” and replace with <IP_ADDRESS>, then “Replace All”
3.2.6 Find “John Doe” and replace with <CONTACT_NAME>, then “Replace All”
3.2.7 Find “mary.smith@acme.com” and replace with <EMAIL_ADDRESS>, then “Replace All”
3.2.8 Find “(303) 555-0123” and replace with <PHONE_NUMBER>, then “Replace All”
3.2.9 Find “June 30, 2025” and replace with <DEADLINE_DATE>, then “Replace All”
3.2.10 Find “Denver HQ” and replace with <LOCATION>, then “Replace All”
3.2.11 Find “v3.2.0” and replace with <VERSION_NUMBER>, then “Replace All”
3.2.12 Find “Phase 1: Requirements” and replace with <MILESTONE_NAME>, then “Replace All”

3.3 Save “ACME_StatusReport_ANON.docx”

📊 Step-by-Step Replacement in Excel
4.1 Make a copy of the original:
Save “BudgetTracker.xlsx” as “BudgetTracker_ANON.xlsx”

4.2 Open Replace (Ctrl + F → Replace) and then, in sequence, do:
4.2.1 Find “PRJ-4567” and replace with <PROJECT_CODE>, then “Replace All”
4.2.2 Find “$1,250,000” and replace with <AMOUNT_SPENT>, then “Replace All”
4.2.3 Find “$2,500,000” and replace with <BUDGET_X>, then “Replace All”
4.2.4 Find “10.0.1.23” and replace with <IP_ADDRESS>, then “Replace All”

4.3 Save “BudgetTracker_ANON.xlsx”

🕵️‍♂️ Secondary AI Validation
5.1 Open a fresh browser session (Incognito or different provider)
5.2 Paste your anonymized text into the secondary AI chat
5.3 Ask: “Please review this text and flag any remaining sensitive details.”
5.4 Correct anything it flags back in your ANON files and re-save

✅ Final Checklist
6.1 Confirm you are working on the ANON copies (_ANON.docx / _ANON.xlsx)
6.2 Confirm you have used the Legend to replace every placeholder
6.3 Confirm you ran the secondary AI check and fixed any issues
6.4 Once done, paste the cleaned-up ANON text into your main AI tool