Help Center › Troubleshooting & FAQ
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Common questions, fixes, and a quick “How do I…?” recipe index. If you’re stuck, you’ll almost certainly find the answer here.
A. “How do I…?” recipe index
| I want to… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Start a brand-new assessment | Open the app → Dashboard → Start the assessment →. To add a separate practice, use the Client/entity bar → + New. (Guide) |
| Rename my practice | Client/entity bar at the top → Rename. |
| Add a second practice (MSP) | Client/entity bar → + New; each is isolated. (Guide) |
| Resume where I left off | Just reopen the app in the same browser — work auto-saves. (Guide) |
| Rate a gap’s risk | On the Assessment tab, answer Partially/No, then pick a threat, likelihood, and impact. (Guide) |
| Raise my 2026 readiness score | 2026 Readiness tab → fix Gaps/Partials → set linked questions to “Yes.” (Guide) |
| Assign an owner & due date to a fix | POA&M tab (per question) or 2026 Readiness tab (per mandate). (Guide) |
| Build my ePHI asset inventory | Asset Inventory tab → + Add asset. (Guide) |
| Customize a policy & track who signed it | Policies tab → edit → Save new version / + Attest. (Guide) |
| Log a vulnerability scan / pen test | Scan/IR Cadence tab → Mark done today + evidence note. (Guide) |
| Track a vendor’s BAA | Vendors / BAAs tab → + Add vendor; set access & BAA status. |
| Record staff training | Training tab → add a course and members, then mark completion dates. |
| Produce an auditor-ready package | Reports tab → 📦 Download audit binder (ZIP). (Guide) |
| Save a PDF | Reports tab → 🖨 Print / Save as PDF. (Guide) |
| Back up everything | Data tab (or Reports) → Export assessment (JSON). (Guide) |
| Move my work to another computer | Export JSON on machine A → Import JSON on machine B. (How) |
| Capture a year-over-year baseline | Snapshots tab → freeze a dated snapshot. |
| Migrate from the ONC SRA Tool | Integrations tab → Migrate from the ONC SRA Tool. (How) |
| Erase a practice’s data | Data tab → Reset this client, or Client bar → Delete. (Export first!) |
| Turn on AI drafting | AI assist tab → paste your own provider key. (Guide) |
B. The app won’t load or looks broken
“Couldn’t load the SRA content”
This message means the data files couldn’t be fetched. The usual cause: you opened the app by double-clicking the file (a file:// address), and browsers block data loading on file://.
Fix: serve the files over HTTP. From the ward folder run a static server, e.g. python3 -m http.server 8000, then open http://localhost:8000/app/index.html. (If you’re using the hosted version at a normal https:// address, this shouldn’t happen — try a hard refresh.)
A blank screen or stale layout
- Hard refresh the page (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + R) to clear a cached older version.
- Make sure JavaScript is enabled and you’re on a modern browser.
- Check that
localStorageisn’t disabled (some strict privacy settings block it — see section E).
The optional cloud tab says it’s “loading…”
That’s expected and harmless. The cloud module is optional; if it can’t load (offline, blocked, or not deployed), Ward stays fully local-first and everything else works unchanged. You don’t need the cloud tab to use the SRA.
C. The score / readiness meter looks wrong
“My 2026 readiness seems too low.”
The meter only gives credit for mandates that are Ready (all linked questions “Yes”/“N/A”) and half credit for Partial. Common reasons it reads low:
- Unanswered questions. Mandates with no answered linked questions are “Not assessed” and earn nothing. If the meter says “provisional — N questions left,” finish them. (More)
- One Partial drags a mandate down. A mandate is only “Ready” when all its linked questions are in place. Find the not-yet-“Yes” question via “Go to related questions.”
- Severity weighting. Missing a critical mandate (encryption, MFA, risk analysis) costs 3× a moderate one — so a single critical gap can hold the percentage down. (More)
“My readiness seems too high.”
Usually because controls are marked “Yes” without evidence, or “N/A” is overused. Re-read each linked question honestly; “N/A” should be rare and justified in the notes. A realistic score with a clear POA&M is the goal, not 100%.
“A gap’s risk rating didn’t appear.”
A Low/Moderate/High rating only shows once you’ve selected both a likelihood and an impact. Pick both and the rating chip appears. The math is likelihood × impact (1–5 each): 1–5 Low, 6–12 Moderate, 13–25 High. (Details)
“⚠ Integrity check: ‘[record]’ was modified outside Ward.”
Ward detected that a stored record’s checksum doesn’t match — meaning the value changed outside the app (corruption, or a manual localStorage edit). Review the affected area; if it looks wrong, re-import a known-good JSON backup. (What this is)
D. Cadence & overdue questions
“A cadence artifact shows Overdue but I just did it.”
Overdue is based on the Last completed date plus the interval. If the date is old (or blank), it’ll read Overdue. Click “Mark done today” (or set the correct date) to update it — the next due date recalculates immediately. (Details)
“Why didn’t I get an email/calendar reminder?”
Cadence reminders are computed and shown in the browser only (on the Dashboard and the Scan/IR Cadence tab). There is no email, SMS, or calendar delivery — any external reminder delivery is a planned opt-in feature, not built today. Check the app periodically. (More)
“I logged a scan but my 2026 meter didn’t move.”
Expected. The readiness meter is driven by your assessment answers, not by cadence completions. Logging a scan keeps your evidence current; to move the meter, answer the linked questions (e.g. mark the vuln-scan question “Yes”). Wiring cadence status into the meter is on the roadmap. (More)
E. Data persistence, loss & reset
“My assessment disappeared.”
Ward stores data in your browser’s localStorage, scoped to that exact browser and profile. Your data is gone or “missing” if you:
- Cleared browsing data / site data / cache.
- Switched browsers, computers, or OS user profiles.
- Worked in private/incognito mode (discarded on close).
- Selected a different Client/entity (check the dropdown at the top!).
- Reset or deleted the entity.
Recovery: only possible from a JSON backup you exported earlier. There is no server copy by design. Going forward, export JSON regularly.
“Will a browser update wipe my data?”
Normal updates don’t, but aggressive “clear everything” cleanups or storage-eviction under low disk can. Keep a JSON backup as insurance.
“How do I start over for one practice?”
Data tab → Reset this client (erases that entity’s data after confirmation), or Client bar → Delete (removes the entity entirely; you must keep at least one). Export first — both are permanent.
F. Import / export & migration
“How do I move my work to another computer?”
- On the source machine: Data tab → Export assessment (JSON). Transfer the file securely.
- On the target machine: open Ward, select (or create) the entity, then Data tab → Import assessment (JSON) → choose the file.
Import merges the file’s data into the current entity, so select the right one first.
The JSON may contain PHI if you typed any into notes. Treat it like a patient record when transferring.
“How do I migrate from the ONC SRA Tool?”
Integrations tab → “Migrate from the ONC SRA Tool.” Import the ONC tool’s exported assessment (JSON). Ward maps answers by CFR reference first, then by question-text similarity, and flags anything it can’t place for manual review. A sample ONC export is included to try it. Note: the importer targets the JSON shape; direct .xlsx/proprietary .sra binary parsing is not supported.
“What’s the posture import on the Integrations tab?”
It auto-answers technical/physical questions from a posture export (encryption, MFA, logging, vuln-scan cadence, training). Load the included sample to see it, or import your own export. You can override anything afterward. Live connectors (M365/Google/Jamf/EDR) and cloud posture pull are roadmap/opt-in items, not part of the local free tier.
“Import said ‘Invalid file’.”
The file must be valid JSON in the expected shape. Re-export from Ward (or the ONC tool) and import that exact file; don’t hand-edit it.
G. General FAQ
Is Ward really free?
The core local-first SRA — all 108 questions, the readiness meter, POA&M, asset inventory, policies, cadence, exports, and the audit binder — is free, with no account. Optional cloud/MSP/white-label features are a separate opt-in Pro tier; see Pricing.
Does using Ward make me HIPAA-compliant?
No. Ward helps you conduct and document your risk analysis and risk management — a major HIPAA requirement — but compliance is broader. Ward is a self-assessment aid, not legal/compliance advice and not an official OCR audit. (Full statement)
Is the 2026 content final?
No. It’s based on the proposed rule (December 2024 NPRM) and may change. Each mandate is labeled proposed or final, and the content ships as a versioned pack so it can be updated. (More)
Does my patient data ever leave my machine?
Not with the core SRA — it makes zero network calls and has no server. The only ways data leaves are when you export a file, or if you deliberately enable the opt-in cloud sync (which syncs control state only, never PHI). (Full details)
Can my whole team use it together at the same time?
The free tier is single-user and local to one browser. Share by exporting/importing JSON, or use the opt-in cloud tier for sync. Real-time multi-user collaboration and granular roles are roadmap/cloud items.
Which browsers work?
Recent Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on desktop. localStorage and modern JavaScript must be enabled.
Still stuck?
Re-read the topic page for the feature, then re-check the recipe index above. Most issues come down to: serve over HTTP, finish unanswered questions, check the selected entity, or restore from a JSON backup.