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 Fair Trade USA staff.
How to Log In to ChainPoint
To login to ChainPoint, look for the ChainPoint tile in your Okta login panel. If you do not see a ChainPoint tile, submit a case to the Digital Tech team (see instructions below).
Requesting Access to ChainPoint
To request access to ChainPoint, head to the staff help center and submit a case under Computer Software/Applications/General ChainPoint Request. Include the following information in the case:
- First and last name
- Email address
- Role/department
Please submit a case with the information described above if you are requesting or troubleshooting access for a CH or CAB. If it is an urgent request, use the #ask-chainpoint slack channel to notify the ChainPoint team.
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 for which you would like to view records.
- By default, ChainPoint will display information related to the company your user profile is linked to.
- If you are a FTUSA employee, you will see Fair Trade USA at the top of the screen and you will have access to records associated with all accounts linked to FTUSA.
- 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 FTUSA ChainPoint sections such as Audits, Terms of Reference, NC Review, Audit Scheduling, and Companies
-
Username: Click on ‘username’ 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.
- FTUSA Logo: Click on the FTUSA logo to navigate back to the Main Page.
How to Edit List Views
FTUSA can access a list view for Persons, CH Profiles, Site details, Scoping and Scheduling, Audits, Terms of Reference, and 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 of 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
FTUSA can access CH Profiles, Site details, Scoping and Scheduling, Audits, Terms of Reference, 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 ‘Field 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 records throughout ChainPoint. To add a new record, navigate to the section of records 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).
- To enter the record, fill out the necessary fields in the form and click the Save icon
.
- Once saved, you will see the newly created record. Click the Edit icon
to make any changes to the record.
- 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 or editing is part of a workflow, you will see the option to submit the form, indicated by the submit icon . When you submit a form in a workflow you will have the options to 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.
Note that you will also be able to save a form as a draft as part of any workflow.
FTUSA Certification has the following permissions in ChainPoint (note: permissions may be different between standard and may be updated in the future):
| Form | Workflow Status | Access |
| Scoping and Scheduling | All | Create, Edit, View |
| CH Profile | NA | Edit, View |
| Site Details | NA | View |
| Certificate Scope | NA | Edit, View |
| Audit Tool | Scheduled, Lead Auditor Assigned, In Progress, Draft Preliminary Report | Edit, View |
| NC Review and Closure | Review CAB, Review CH | Edit, View |
FTUSA Field Advisors have the following permissions in ChainPoint:
| Form | Workflow Status | Access |
| Scoping and Scheduling | All | View |
| CH Profile | NA | View |
| Site Details | NA | View |
| Certificate Scope | NA | View |
FTUSA BD/PS have the following permissions in ChainPoint:
| Form | Workflow Status | Access |
| Scoping and Scheduling | All | View |
| CH Profile | NA | Edit, View |
| Site Details | NA | View |
| Certificate Scope | NA | View |
| Audit Tool | All | View |
| NC Review and Closure | Review CAB, Review CH | View |
AutoSave
For some forms, such as the audit checklist, the autosave feature is enabled. With AutoSave, ChainPoint will automatically save the form to prevent data loss if connection is lost or the browser (or app is accidentally closed). Next time you open the form, you will see the following message:
You can choose to load the saved version of the form or remove it from the system and start over.