Tips & Shortcuts

This guide covers productivity features and time-saving tips to help you work more efficiently in the SCF Controls Platform.

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Search Features

Search is available throughout the platform. Each search box searches different fields:

Location	Searches
Control Library	SCF ID, name, description, domain
Control Scoping	SCF ID, name, description, domain
Evidence Workspace	Evidence ID, name, domain
Systems Registry	Name, description, vendor
Vendor Inventory	Vendor name
Risk Register	Risk code, name
User Management	Name, email

Search Tips

• Searches are case-insensitive
• Partial matches work (e.g., “access” finds “Access Control”)
• Search updates results instantly as you type

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Filtering

Every list screen uses the same pattern: a filter sidebar down the left, which you can collapse, and a search box in the toolbar above the list. There is no “Filters” dropdown button.

Control Library

Filter	Options
Domain	Drawn from the catalogue you imported
CSF Function	Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover
Weight	Control weight from the catalogue

Control Scoping

Everything the Library offers, plus the scoping-specific ones:

Filter	Options
Scope	Narrow to in-scope or out-of-scope controls
Domain	Drawn from the catalogue
NIST CSF Function	Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover
Control Weight	Control weight from the catalogue
Framework	One of your selected frameworks
Business Function	As assigned during scoping
Owning Team	Teams defined in your organisation
Accountable Owner	A named user

Tasks

• View — My Tasks / All Tasks
• Status — All, Not started, In progress, Completed
• Task Type — All types, Feasibility, Setup, Collection, Review, Documentation, Issue
• Owning Team

Systems Registry

• Type — the system types from the registry: Cloud Provider, Identity Provider, Ticketing System, Logging Platform, Security Tool, Code Repository, Document Management, Endpoint Management (MDM), Vulnerability Management, Email Security, Security Awareness, Password Manager, Communication, HR System, Custom
• Status — Active, Inactive, Deprecated

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Change detection and refresh

The platform does not reload your data on a timer. Every 20 seconds it asks the server whether anything has changed, and tells you if it has — refreshing is your decision.

• The header caption reads “Updated just now”, then “Updated 40s ago”, “Updated 5m ago” and so on, counting from your last refresh
• When the poll sees a change, the caption becomes “Updates available” with a dot beside it
• Click the refresh button in the header, or press R, to pull the changes in
• Switching away from the tab stops the poll; switching back polls immediately, and refetches the data currently on screen

There is no editing pause, because nothing refreshes underneath you in the first place. A form you are part-way through is never replaced by incoming data — the worst that happens is the “Updates available” dot appears while you type.

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Database Management

Click 📊 Database in the header to access:

Statistics

View counts of all records in the system:

• Scoped controls
• Evidence tracking entries
• Tasks, comments, systems
• Organization members

Backup & Restore

• Download Tenant Export — export this organisation’s working data as a timestamped JSON file
• Import Tenant Data — upload a previous export, review the preview, then confirm

Restore Warning

Restoring a backup replaces all current data. Always create a fresh backup before restoring.

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Notifications

The notification bell in the header shows:

• New tasks assigned to you
• Comments mentioning you
• Tasks approaching due dates and overdue tasks
• Evidence rejected by a reviewer
• Controls marked ready for review (admins)
• Composite evidence assessments turning insufficient
• Auditor queries raised on engagements (admins)
• Catalog reconciliations applied to your organisation (admins)

Click a notification to navigate directly to the relevant item.

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Bulk Operations

Control Scoping

To build your compliance scope:

1. Use filters to narrow down to a domain or theme
2. Use Scope by Framework to add every control mapped to a framework at once, or tick a control’s scope checkbox to add it on its own
3. Changes save automatically to the database

To update many scoped controls at once, tick the checkbox on each row you want. A selection bar appears above the list with:

Action	What it sets
Set maturity	Your organisation’s maturity level (L0–L5) on every selected control
Set status	The implementation status on every selected control
Assign owner	The accountable owning team for every selected control

All three apply to the whole selection in a single operation, and the bar reports how many controls were updated. None of them changes whether a control is in scope — scope is set by Scope by Framework or by a control’s own scope checkbox.

Evidence Scheduling

In the Evidence Workspace, set collection frequency for multiple evidence items:

Frequency	Description
One-time	Collect once during initial assessment
Monthly	Recurring monthly collection
Quarterly	Recurring quarterly collection
Annually	Recurring annual collection
On-demand	Collect only when specifically requested

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Quick Actions

Control Detail Panel

When viewing a control, quickly access:

• Graph View — Visual representation of control relationships
• Framework Mappings — See which frameworks this control addresses
• Required Evidence — List of evidence artifacts needed

Evidence Detail Panel

When viewing an evidence item:

• Link to System — Associate evidence with a registered system
• Set Collection Method — Define how evidence is collected
• Create Task — Generate a collection task with one click
• Add Comment — Collaborate with team members

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Time-Saving Workflows

Starting a New Framework Implementation

1. Go to Dashboard → Review framework coverage
2. Go to Control Scoping → Filter by framework
3. Select all applicable controls → They auto-save
4. Go to Evidence Workspace → Set collection schedules
5. Create tasks for evidence collection

Preparing for an Audit

1. Go to Evidence Workspace → Dashboard tab → Review coverage status
2. Filter by framework being audited
3. Identify any missing evidence (red/yellow status)
4. Create tasks to collect missing items
5. Export status report for auditor preparation

Daily Task Review

1. Click Tasks in sidebar
2. Use “My Tasks” view to see your assignments
3. Filter by status to focus on in-progress items
4. Click any task to update status or add notes

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Browser Tips

Hard Refresh

If the interface seems stale after an update:

• Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Shift + R
• macOS: Cmd + Shift + R

Multiple Tabs

Open multiple views simultaneously:

• Dashboard in one tab for overview
• Control Scoping in another for detailed work
• Tasks in a third for tracking progress

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Related Guides

• Dashboard Overview — Overview of your compliance posture
• Control Management — Scoping and tracking controls
• Evidence Management — Managing evidence collection