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Getting Started

Welcome to ForgeComply. This guide walks you through setting up your account and starting your first compliance assessment.

Overview​

Getting started with ForgeComply involves four steps:

  1. Create your account — Sign up and verify your email
  2. Create an organization — Set up your company
  3. Create an assessment — Choose your framework and audit type
  4. Start working — Use guided setup or dive in directly

Most users complete initial setup in under 10 minutes.

Step 1: Create Your Account​

Sign Up​

  1. Visit forgecomply.com and click Get Started
  2. Enter your name, email, and password
  3. Click Create Account

Verify Your Email​

  1. Check your inbox for a verification email
  2. Click the verification link
  3. You'll be logged in automatically

Note: If you don't see the email, check your spam folder or click "Resend verification email" on the login page.

Step 2: Create an Organization​

An organization represents your company in ForgeComply. All your compliance work happens within an organization.

During Onboarding​

After verifying your email, you'll be guided through organization creation:

  1. Organization name — Your company name (e.g., "Acme Corp")
  2. Industry — Select your industry sector
  3. Company size — Approximate employee count

This information helps ForgeComply provide relevant guidance.

Organization Settings​

You can update organization details anytime in Settings → Organizations, including:

  • Company name
  • Industry
  • Security contact information
  • Policy profile (for policy generation)

Step 3: Create an Assessment​

An assessment is your compliance project for a specific framework and audit type.

Choose Your Framework​

FrameworkDescription
SOC 2Service organization controls — common for SaaS companies
ISO 27001International information security standard

Choose Your Audit Type​

For SOC 2:

  • Type I — Point-in-time design evaluation (start here if this is your first audit)
  • Type II — Effectiveness over time (requires operating history)

For ISO 27001:

  • Stage 1 — Documentation readiness
  • Stage 2 — Full certification audit

Create the Assessment​

  1. Click + New Assessment in the header
  2. Select your framework
  3. Select your audit type
  4. Give your assessment a name (e.g., "SOC 2 Type I - Q1 2025")
  5. Click Create

Your assessment is now ready with the appropriate controls pre-loaded.

Step 4: Start Working​

You have two ways to proceed:

Guided setup walks you through each control step-by-step. This is ideal if:

  • This is your first compliance assessment
  • You want structured progress tracking
  • You prefer completing one thing at a time

To start: Click the Guided Setup toggle in the header, then click Continue on the dashboard.

Option B: Self-Directed​

Jump directly into any area:

  • Dashboard — Overview of your progress
  • Controls — View and respond to all controls
  • Policies — Generate and manage policies
  • Evidence — Upload and manage evidence

This approach works well if:

  • You're familiar with compliance frameworks
  • You need to work on specific areas
  • You prefer non-linear workflows

You can switch between Guided Setup and standard mode at any time without losing progress.

Understanding Your Dashboard​

After creating an assessment, your dashboard shows:

Assessment Completion​

A progress ring showing how many controls are evaluated vs. total.

Status Breakdown​

  • Passing — Controls fully satisfied
  • At Risk — Partially complete
  • Failing — Critical gaps
  • Not Started — No action taken

Next Step​

The next control to work on, with a direct link to continue.

Evidence Coverage​

Overview of evidence status across controls.

Action Required​

Priority items that need attention.

Inviting Team Members​

Compliance is a team effort. Invite colleagues to help:

  1. Go to Settings → Team Members
  2. Click Invite User
  3. Enter their email
  4. Select a role:
    • Admin — Full access to everything
    • Member — Can view and edit, but limited settings access
    • Auditor — Read-only access to reports

Team members receive an email invitation to join.

What's Next?​

After setup, you'll typically:

  1. Complete controls — Answer each control question and assign owners
  2. Generate policies — Create policy documents from templates
  3. Upload evidence — Attach supporting documentation
  4. Review and approve — Finalize policies and review evidence
  5. Generate reports — Create audit-ready reports
  6. Share with auditors — Grant auditor access for review

Common Questions​

Can I have multiple assessments?​

Yes. Organizations often have multiple assessments (e.g., SOC 2 Type I, then Type II).

Can I change framework after creating an assessment?​

No. Create a new assessment for a different framework.

What if I make a mistake?​

Everything is editable until you generate reports. Even then, you can make changes and generate new reports.

Do I need to complete everything before generating reports?​

No, but incomplete items will show as gaps in your reports.

Need Help?​

  • Documentation — You're here! Browse the sidebar for more guides.
  • In-app guidance — Look for help icons and tooltips throughout the app.
  • Support — Contact [email protected] for assistance.

Next Steps​