Is Gamification a Way to a Softer Software Process Improvement? A Preliminary Study of Success Factors

Abstract

People factors and more specifically, motivational factors, are key in software initiatives given the intrinsic importance of people in knowledge intensive industries. Within software engineering knowledge areas, in software process improvement (SPI) initiatives the importance of personnel is also paramount. In this scenario gamification can increase the motivation and motivation of the workforce, and by doing so, rise productivity and performance of personnel. However, although SPI could initially benefit from gamification initiatives, it is needed to study carefully the effects of gamification in SPI arenas. Given that SPI presents its enablers and barriers, it is also true that gamification presents also its own panoply of pro and cons. In this paper, authors show some of the anti-patterns but also the enablers of a set of initiatives conducted in the joint field of SPI and gamification.