Quick Start Checklist
Launch SmartFormTools across your team in three focused steps. Share this with new administrators during onboarding.
1. Create your workspace
- Pick a plan on the Pricing page. The Free plan is perfect for evaluation (single user, limited storage).
- Sign up with your name, email, and organisation name. Confirm the verification email sent by Supabase auth before logging in.
- Head to the dashboard and complete your profile. Administrators can upgrade at any time from the Billing page.
2. Configure the essentials
- Dashboard → Settings → Organisation Profile: upload your logo and set primary colours used in navigation and PDFs.
- Admin → Settings → Document Approval Workflow: tick the document types that must go through manual approval (risk assessments recommended).
- Admin → Branding: customise PDF header/footer text and optional watermark behaviour for draft documents.
3. Explore the key areas
- Dashboard shows your recent documents, approval queue, and review countdowns.
- Documents lists every file you have access to with filters for owner, type, and status.
- Risk Assessments provides lifecycle tools: draft, edit hazards inline, request changes, and approve.
Documents & Templates
Templates provide the structure. Documents capture project-specific data while preserving the template lineage.
Key Concepts
- Templates define columns, sections, default hazards/tasks, and helper text. Edits to templates do not retroactively change existing documents.
- Documents are created from templates or from scratch. Each document keeps its own audit history.
- Version history is available inside the editor. Restoring an older version keeps the audit trail intact.
Creating Templates
- Dashboard → Templates → Create Template. Choose the document type and add sections/columns to match your process.
- Populate default rows (for example, common hazards) so contributors see a starting point.
- Save the template. Organisation templates are private to your tenant; superusers can publish “system” templates for all tenants.
Producing Documents
- Go to Documents → Create Document. Select a template or start blank and add sections manually.
- Fill in structured fields, attach supporting files (stored securely in Supabase Storage), and assign an Activity Owner where applicable.
- Collaborate by leaving inline comments. Approvers and contributors receive notifications when mentioned.
Exporting PDFs
- Click “Download PDF” inside any document. Risk assessment PDFs include workflow status, review dates, and watermarks when not approved.
- PDFs generate in your browser and are not stored on our servers. Download and archive them in your internal document system if required.
Risk Assessment Lifecycle
Capture hazards, justify changes, and shepherd every assessment through review to maintain compliance evidence.
Drafting
- Dashboard → Risk Assessments → New Assessment. Select templates to preload tasks and hazards (supports nested copy-on-write).
- Complete details: Activity Owner, consulted parties, review cycle (Never, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 36, 60 months), and reviewer notes.
- Hazards are unchecked by default. Contributors must tick relevant items, edit wording, adjust risk scores, and specify mitigation equipment or responsible persons.
Approval Workflow
- Submitting routes the assessment to approvers. Workflow events record every transition along with optional notes.
- Approvers use the Risk Assessment Control Centre to review outstanding items, approve, or request changes. Notifications trigger in-app and (optionally) via email.
- When an approver marks a hazard as “not needed”, a reason is captured. Restoring hazards clears the flag and the reason.
Ongoing Review
- Review countdowns flag assessments due within 14 days (amber) or overdue (red). Updating the assessment recalculates next review dates automatically.
- PDF exports contain “Removed Items” and “Content Changes” tables so stakeholders see exactly what differed from the template.
- Archived assessments remain searchable and watermarked “ARCHIVED” on export to avoid accidental use in the field.
Notifications, Audit Trail & Operations
Stay informed, maintain evidence, and administer your tenant safely.
Notifications
- The notification bell surfaces approval requests, feedback, waitlist signups, and other key events.
- Daily email digests are available for approvers who prefer inbox summaries (toggle in Organisation Settings → Notifications).
- Need Slack or Teams alerts? Contact support to enable the notification webhook for your workspace.
Audit Trail
- Admin → Reports → Audit Trail shows every event, including workflow transitions and PDF downloads, scoped to your organisation.
- Use the “View” action to inspect full payloads (before/after data, user IDs, notes). Export CSV for quarterly compliance reviews.
- Programmatic access: /api/audit (GET requires admin context). Calls must be made from secure server-side environments using service-role keys.
Operations
- Service-role logic (Stripe webhooks, waitlist, notifications) runs inside Next.js API routes using Supabase Admin client—never expose service keys in the browser.
- When deploying to staging or preview, replicate Supabase and Stripe environment variables to keep features working.
- Billing is self-service: Dashboard → Billing links to the Stripe customer portal for card updates and plan changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which roles are available and what can each role do?
Roles include Superuser (internal), Admin (manage users, templates, approvals, billing), Approver (review/approve and request changes), Contributor (draft documents and submit for approval), and Viewer (read-only access to published documents).
Do all plans support inviting additional users?
The Free plan is single-user. Paid plans allow user invites from Admin → Users with role assignment controls.
How do I require approval for a document type?
Admin → Settings → Document Approval Workflow. Tick each document type that should go through the approval pipeline. Contributors see “Submit for approval”; approvers receive notifications until the document is approved.
What happens when I remove a standard hazard?
You must supply a reason. The hazard remains visible with strikethrough and is listed in the “Removed Items” section of PDF exports along with the justification. Restoring removes the flag.
Where can I view approval history?
Workflow events appear on the assessment detail page and in the Risk Assessment Control Centre. PDFs also include a workflow log so external stakeholders can audit the sequence.
How are PDFs stored?
PDFs are generated client-side only. We never persist them—download and archive in your internal systems if you need long-term retention.
Top Tips
Maintain a “Sandbox” organisation for training so new staff can practise without touching production data.
Document template updates in Template → Metadata → Notes so contributors understand the latest changes.
Encourage approvers to leave reviewer notes; they surface in notifications and workflow logs, creating a rich audit trail.
Attach supporting evidence (photos, permits, drawings) to documents. Files live in Supabase Storage with row-level security applied.
Schedule regular reviews using the review cycle feature so countdown badges remain green.