Get started with Ownself Gather

Product overview

Ownself Gather is a DIY case management platform that enables Singapore public officers to centralise, track, and coordinate cases in one place. Each app you create is an independent case management system with its own database, case types, statuses, user roles, and workflows.

Who this tutorial is for

This tutorial is for public officers setting up their first Ownself Gather app. By the end, you will have a working app with a configured case type, custom statuses, user roles, and at least one test case processed through your workflow.

What you will accomplish

By the end of this tutorial, you will have:

• Created an app on Ownself Gather
• Added a case type with custom fields
• Configured case statuses to match your workflow
• Set up user roles with appropriate permissions
• Added users to your app
• Created a test case and processed it through statuses
• Viewed the case audit log to confirm the workflow
• Published your app for operational use

Prerequisites

Access requirements

• Gov.sg email address — Required to log in via Whole of Government Active Directory (WoG AD) and create apps. Users with defence.gov.sg or schools.gov.sg email addresses must follow the non-gov.sg login process instead.
• Network access — Ownself Gather is internet-accessible. You can access it from any device with a web browser.

Assumed knowledge

• You understand the type of cases your team manages (e.g., enquiries, requests, applications) and the stages each case passes through.
• You are comfortable navigating web applications.

Step 1: Log in to Ownself Gather

1. Open https://ownself.gather.gov.sg/ in your browser.
2. Select Log in with WOG AD. This is the only option available for first-time gov.sg users.
3. Authenticate using your gov.sg credentials.

You should see the My Apps page after logging in. This page lists all apps you have created or been added to.

For subsequent logins, you can also use TechPass. To enable Singpass login, connect your account via the profile icon in the top right corner, then select Manage GatherSG Account and retrieve your NRIC from Singpass.

Step 2: Create an app

1. On the My Apps page, select + Create App.
2. Enter a name for your app (e.g., “HR Enquiries” or “Grant Applications”). You can change the name later.
3. Select Create.

Your app is created instantly. You are automatically assigned the Admin role. The app opens to the main Cases page.

You should see an empty Cases page with a purple banner indicating the app is in Draft mode. Steps 3 to 7 are all under your app’s Settings — select the gear icon in the top right corner to access them.

Step 3: Add a case type with fields

A case type defines the kind of information you collect. Each case type has its own fields, SLA threshold, and case source configuration.

1. Navigate to Settings > Case Types.
2. You should see a default case type called “Example”. Select Edit to modify it, or select + Add Case Type to create a new one.
3. Fill in the general details:
   • Case Type Name — A descriptive name (e.g., “Translation Request”, “Course Enquiry”, “Grant Application”).
   • Case Duration Threshold (in days) — If your cases have a fixed resolution period, enter the number of days. The system automatically highlights cases that exceed this threshold. You can choose to exclude weekends and public holidays from the count.
   • Duplicate Detection Period — If you want the system to flag duplicate submissions within a time window, specify the period here.
4. Add case fields. You have two options:
   • Import from FormSG — Select Import existing fields from FormSG, enter your form’s Form ID, and choose an import method (append, replace all, or replace matching fields). All form fields are automatically imported.
   • Add manually — Select + Add New Field and choose a field type. Available types include text, number, date, email, attachment, UEN, dropdown (single-select or multi-select), checkbox, radio button, and table.
5. For each field, configure:
   • Field name — The label displayed in the case (e.g., “Full Name”, “Email Address”, “Supporting Documents”).
   • Field-level permissions — Set View & Edit, View only, or Hidden for each user role and case status combination. By default, all roles can view and edit all fields.
   • Duplicate detection — If you set a detection period in step 3, select Yes for fields that should be used to identify duplicates (e.g., email address, NRIC).
6. Select Save to create the case type.

You should see the new case type listed in the Case Types table with its name, field count, and active status.

Step 4: Configure case statuses

Case statuses define the stages in your case lifecycle. When an app is first created, two statuses exist: Open and Closed.

1. Navigate to Settings > Case Statuses.
2. To add a new status, select Add Status. Enter a name (e.g., “Pending Review”, “In Progress”, “Approved”, “Rejected”) and choose a colour.
3. Set one status as the Default Status — this is assigned to all newly created cases. Toggle the switch in the Default column.
4. Set one or more statuses as Final Status — cases in a final status may have restricted editing and deletion depending on role permissions. Toggle the switch in the Final column.
5. Drag the reorder icon next to each status to set the display order in dropdown menus.

You should see your statuses listed with their colours, default/final indicators, and display order.

Example: For an HR course application workflow, you might configure: New (default) > Under Review > Pending Documents > Approved (final) > Rejected (final).

Step 5: Set up roles and permissions

Roles group permissions and are assigned to users. When the app is first created, three default roles exist: Admin, Manager, and User, each with pre-configured permissions.

1. Navigate to Settings > Roles & Permissions.
2. Review the default roles. To edit a role, select Edit under the Actions column.
3. To create a new role, select Add Role:
   • Give the role a name (e.g., “Reviewing Officer”, “Temp Staff”).
   • Select Add Permissions and choose a category:
     • Case Management — View, create, edit, delete, assign, tag, and export cases. You can scope permissions to specific case types and to specific case subsets (all cases, only cases assigned to me, or only cases created by me).
     • Customers — View and delete customer profiles.
     • Admin — Manage app settings, case types, statuses, users, roles, workflows, API keys, and audit logs.
   • Select the specific permissions within each category.
4. Select Add to save the role.

You should see the new role in the Roles & Permissions table with its permission summary.

Users can hold more than one role. The effective permissions are the union of all assigned roles.

Step 6: Add users to your app

1. Navigate to Settings > Users.
2. Select Add User.
3. Search for the user by name or email address. Gov.sg users are searchable via the Government Active Directory. Non-gov.sg users must have a registered account first.
4. Assign one or more roles to the user.
5. Select Confirm to add the user.

The user can immediately access the app and see it under My Apps on their next login.

The default user quota is 20 per app. To increase the quota at no cost, navigate to Settings > Service Quotas and submit a request. You can also import multiple gov.sg users at once using a CSV file — select the import button next to Add User to download the template.

Step 7: Create a test case

1. Navigate to the Cases page (select the cases icon in the left navigation).
2. Select + Create Case.
3. Choose the case type you created in Step 3.
4. Fill in the case fields with test data.
5. Select Save.

You should see the new case appear in the Cases table with the default status you configured in Step 4. The Case Source column shows “Ownself Gather”, indicating the case was created manually.

Step 8: Process the test case through statuses

1. Select the test case to open it.
2. Select Edit in the top right corner.
3. Change the case status using the status dropdown. Select the next status in your workflow (e.g., from “New” to “Under Review”).
4. Assign the case to yourself or another user using the Assigned To field.
5. Select Save.
6. Repeat steps 2–5 to move the case through additional statuses until it reaches a final status.

You should see the status colour update in the Cases table after each save. If you configured a case duration threshold, the duration counter is visible in the case details.

Step 9: View the case audit log

1. Open the test case.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the case details page.
3. You should see the Audit Logs section showing a timeline of all actions taken on the case: creation, status changes, field edits, and assignments.
4. Select View Details on any log entry to see field-level changes, including previous and updated values.

This confirms that your statuses, roles, and permissions are working as configured.

First value moment

After completing Step 9, you have a working Ownself Gather app with:

• A case type with custom fields tailored to your use case
• A case lifecycle defined through custom statuses
• User roles with scoped permissions
• At least one case that has been created, processed through statuses, and tracked via audit logs

This confirms your app configuration is ready for operational use.

Step 10: Publish your app

When you are ready to move from testing to managing real cases:

1. Navigate to Settings > Publish & Reset App.
2. Select Publish.

Publishing signals to the Ownself Gather team that your app is in operational use. It also unlocks the Reset App feature, which allows you to selectively clear test data (delete all cases, delete all customers, remove all users except yourself, pause all workflows, delete all reports, and remove all API keys) before going live.

You should see a green banner confirming your app has been published. The banner appears once and does not return after you dismiss it.

Common onboarding issues

Next steps

• Set up case intake channels — Link FormSG forms, configure email auto-forwarding, or connect external systems via API. Refer to Set up case intake channels.
• Configure automated workflows — Automate case assignment, email notifications, status updates, and data transfers. Refer to Configure automated workflows.
• Manage cases and track SLA — Configure duration thresholds, use bulk operations, and generate reports. Refer to Manage cases and track SLA.
• Set up a customer database — Aggregate cases by a unique customer identifier for case history views. Navigate to Settings > Customer Profile.
• Set up app variables — Define global values for cross-case tracking (e.g., remaining budget). Navigate to Settings > App Variables.
• Import historical cases — Migrate existing case records from spreadsheets or other systems. Navigate to Settings > Import Cases.
• Product demo — Watch the full-length product demo for a walkthrough of all features.

Support

• Support tickets: gather.gov.sg/support
• Feature requests: go.gov.sg/og-feature-request