Welcome to ChainPoint for Fair Trade USA (FTUSA)! This guide is designed for all levels of expertise to help you get started with this platform.
ChainPoint is a powerful tool designed to automate and streamline certification assurance workflows. The user-friendly interface and robust features are tailored to meet the diverse and specific needs of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), Certificate Holders (CHs) and FTUSA staff.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the essential steps to get started with ChainPoint for FTUSA compliance. These steps detail navigating the interface and utilizing key features to maximize efficiency.
These steps should provide the overview you will need to understand how to get started and use ChainPoint’s basic core functions.
Training Audience
This guide is intended to be a resource for CAB Auditors, Program Admins, and Technical Reviewers.
How to Log In to ChainPoint
To log in in for the first time, follow the steps below:
- When a login is first created, an email will be sent to you containing your username and instructions to set your password with the subject “Login information for Fair Trade USA” and the email sender “audits@fairtradeusa.org.”
- Click on the Create a Password button in the email to set your password.
- At the link provided, enter your new password. Confirm and save.
- You will be redirected to the ChainPoint welcome page to login using your new password.
- When you need to login again, go to and log into ChainPoint with your username and password.
- If you do not know your username, please reach out to Fair Trade USA.
Resetting Your Password
If you have forgotten your password, follow the instructions below:
- Go to https://assurance.fairtradecertified.org/login and select the “Reset password” option.
- Enter your username/Email address then click “Request password reset information”
- You will receive an email from support@chainpoint.com with the subject “Password reset information for Fair Trade USA”
- Follow the “Change my Password” link in the email. Enter your new password. Confirm and save.
- You will be redirected to the ChainPoint welcome page to login using your new password.
Language Settings
Set your preferred language (English, Spanish, or French) on the top right of the homepage by clicking on the flag, then select your language from the dropdown list.
Start Page
ChainPoint’s main page consists of the following areas:
- Company Unit Selection: Use this menu to select the company you would like to view records for.
- By default, ChainPoint will display information related to the company your user profile is linked to.
- If you are logged in as a CAB user, you will only be able to see records of the companies associated with the CAB.
- Menu Items: Display sections such as Company Details, Terms of Reference, Audits, NC Review, Audit Scheduling, and Priority Issue Forms.
- Username: Click on the ‘username’ icon to edit any information related to your profile, including: Personal Information, Address, and My Settings.
- My Settings: In the My Settings section, it is possible to hide the company selection section after selecting a company to simplify the view, specify the system to remember your filtered sets after conducting a search, and default to auto-detect display orientation or default to portrait or landscape modes (mostly relevant to mobile app).
- Task List: Shows list of pending tasks related to your user profile. These tasks are assigned to your user depending on a specific forms and workflow status.
- Messages: Displays messages such as reminders or comments on forms.
- Company Unit Selection: ChainPoint will automatically display information related to your company
- FTUSA Logo: Click on the FTUSA logo to navigate back to the Main Page.
How to Edit List Views
CABs can access a list view for Persons, CH Profiles, Site details, Scoping and Scheduling, Audits, NC Review and Closure forms. When entering any form overview, the list of available results will be shown in a table format. To best view the results, the table can be edited by changing the columns displayed or by filtering the results.
Filtering Tips
- To manage the filter, use the four icons on the top right of the page.
- To apply a filter, select the funnel icon.
- To change the columns that are visible on the list of form records, select the columns icon.
- To clear the filter, select the trash can icon.
- To search, use the magnifying glass icon.
Column Display
- Select the column option from the top right of the table.
- In the pop-up, move fields from the left (gray) column into the right (blue) column to display them in the table.
- In the right column, move fields up or down to reorder the display in the table.
- Save column settings when all the desired fields are in the blue column.
How to Use the Company Unit Selection Search Box
The search box is essential to navigating records in ChainPoint. The following features are available in search boxes across the system:
- Select favorite records by using the star icon . You can then use the star icon at the top of the search bar to toggle between displaying only favorite records and displaying only the records that are not a favorite or a combination of both records.
- Use the export records icon to export the filtered list of records in Excel format.
- ‘Select columns’ can be used to select which fields to display as searchable columns. In the ‘Select columns’ pop-up menu, it is possible to save the selected columns for your user so the view always displays the same columns when performing searches for a set of records. In this location, it is also possible to drag and drop fields to be displayed left to right (top-down) in the search box.
- ‘Remove searchable criteria’ removes any filters and criteria added during your last search
- Click ‘filter’ to perform your search once all values are added into the search fields. This is also achievable by pressing the enter key.
Use the arrows to navigate multiple pages of results or change the number of results per page on the bottom of the Company Unit Selection Search Box.
Form Sections
CABs can access Scoping and Scheduling, Audit Tool, and NC Review and Closure forms. Each form may include tabs, status, properties, and user and date/time stamps.
- Form Tabs: Tabs are a method for navigating through different sections of the form.
- Tab Navigation: Tab navigation button can be used to navigate between tabs by selecting the arrows or view the table of contents for the form by selecting the list box between the arrows.
- Form status: For forms containing a workflow, this section shows the status of the form. Clicking the status will open the form’s history, which includes a time & date stamp of when the form changed status and all comments associated with the form.
- Properties: Displays the properties for the form, such as form ID, company associated with the form and user who created the form.
- User and date/time stamp: Displays the last user who interacted saved or advanced the form to its current status.
How to View History of a Form
Each form has a recorded history of changes to track updates to fields and workflow statuses.
- At the top of the form, select the workflow status name (ex. Review CAB, Review CH).
- Toggle the switch left / right to collapse or expand all changes.
- The history will outline the workflow status and any notes that were generated either automatically or manually entered when the status is advanced.
- Field changes show the f’Feld name,’ the ‘Old value,’ and the ‘New value.’
Adding & Editing Forms
Depending on your user profile permissions you will be able to add or edit forms throughout ChainPoint. To add a new record, navigate to the section of form you want to add and look for the Add icon at the top of the records table.
Note: If you do not see the add button, your user may not have permissions to create new records on the section you are viewing, or the records displayed are created as part of a workflow and cannot be added individually (see workflow).
1.To enter the record, fill out the necessary fields in the form and click the Save icon .
2. Once saved, you will see the newly created record. Click the Edit icon to make any changes to the record.
3. If you need to edit a different record, navigate to the record table, select the record you want to edit and click the Edit icon .
Workflows
If the record you are creating is part of a workflow, you will see the option indicated by the Save & Next icon while editing the form. When saving a form in a workflow you will have the options to:
1. Save the form as a draft or advance the form to the next step of the workflow.
2. Leave a comment for others to review when they access the records. In the comments section, it is possible add links, upload documents, add tables and format text.
Note: Only users with designated permissions to the form you are editing will have access to your comments. For more on permissions review the “Who Can Access” in training materials.
For certain workflows such as approvals, once the form is submitted for review it will “lock” to prevent any changes to the form while it is under review. In some cases, the form can be shared back and forth to allow for edits before submitting the final form. Refer to the training materials for process-specific workflow instructions.
CAB Program Admins have the following permissions in ChainPoint:
Form | Access |
Scoping and Scheduling | Create, Edit, View |
Assurance Cases | NA |
Terms of Reference | View |
Audit Tool | Edit, View |
NC Review and Closure | Edit, View |
CAB Auditors have the following permissions in ChainPoint:
Form | Access |
Scoping and Scheduling | Create, Edit, View |
Assurance Cases | NA |
Terms of Reference | View |
Audit Tool | Edit, View |
NC Review and Closure | Edit, View |
CAB Technical Reviewers have the following permissions in ChainPoint:
Form | Access |
Scoping and Scheduling | NA |
Assurance Cases | NA |
Terms of Reference | View |
Audit Tool | Edit, View |
NC Review and Closure | Edit, View |
AutoSave
Some forms, like the audit checklist, have autosave feature enabled. ChainPoint will automatically save the form to prevent data loss in case you lose connection or accidentally close the browser (or app). Next time you open the form, you will see the following message:
You will have the option to load the saved version of the form or remove it from the system and start over.