• create your repository on github
• in case you start with branches, stick with the default workflow branches (master-develop). you can create these on github (master is already default)
• create a clone with e.g. sourcetree
• add a folder called ODS, optional a folder called NSF
• setup source code management for your NSF in DDE. Point to the ODS folder.
• add swiper to your application
• disable automatic synchronisation between NSF and the on disk project. otherwise you have two listeners to the ODS folder (sourcetree and DDE) which may slow down performance
• follow the workflow in sourcetree e.g. each design request is a new feature in sourcetree
• commit as often as necessary and provide text
• ...

I find the pull requests work finer from the github UI 

I hope this helps.