Introduction to Gamification

Transcription

1 emergingtrends Introduction to Gamification Sponsored by

2 Introduction to Gamification Sponsored by

3 Association for Project Management Ibis House, Regent Park Summereys Road, Princes Risborough Buckinghamshire HP27 9LE Association for Project Management 2014 A rights reserved. No part of this pubication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieva system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the express permission in writing of the Association for Project Management. Within the UK exceptions are aowed in respect of any fair deaing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of the icenses issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms and in other countries shoud be sent to the Rights Department, Association for Project Management at the address above. British Library Cataoguing in Pubication Data is avaiabe. Paperback ISBN: EPUB ISBN: Cover design by Steven Haton Typeset by RefineCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffok in 10/12pt Foundry Sans Reguar

4 Contents Contents Acknowedgements 04 Foreword 05 Introduction 06 Gamification theory 09 Game mechanics 13 Gamification in the workpace 17 Gamification good practice 21 Gamification case studies 24 The future of gamification 28 References 30 Further reading and usefu resources 32 Appendix Gamification and the APM Body of Knowedge sections 33 03

5 Acknowedgements Acknowedgements In creating this guide, the Association for Project Management (APM) woud ike to acknowedge and extend its appreciation to the foowing contributors: APM Thames Vaey branch study tour team 2012 members: Sachio Baig, Laura Beasey, Scott Bunden, Aexa Briggs, Richard Hoand, Leia Kirk, Natacha Redon, Fernande van Schee, and Dougas Siva. 04

6 Foreword Foreword How do you motivate and engage a team which is gued to their smartphones? That was the question we set out to answer when exporing the subject of gamification. With its origins in the computer games industry, game thinking, or rewarding payers to sove probems, has become more widey used across different sectors. However, its use within the project management community is sti in its infancy. Through this guide we want to raise awareness of this exciting new trend, highight the benefits the effect of incentives such as points for payers and badges to showcase achievements and its appication to everyday projects. If we can make you think of how you coud incentivise your team, through gamification, perhaps through their smartphone then we wi consider this project a success. APM Thames Vaey study tour team ILX Group is deighted to support this brand new series of APM pubications. We firmy beieve that gamification is an emerging trend that wi add rea vaue to the project management profession and, with the hep of this guide, more users wi be abe to benefit. We have been supporters of gamification for some time now and have deveoped a number of products to support project professionas in their quest for a professiona quaification. As a eading educationa provider, ILX Group recognised the potentia benefits of game pay very eary in its deveopment. In fact, we have been activey using games in our elearning and cassroom courses for some years. The effect has been significant, bringing together earners in a way which woudn t be achievabe using more traditiona educationa techniques. ILX Group 05

7 Introduction Introduction 06 The concept of gamification and its techniques in non-gaming environments is a fast emerging practice in business. Though in its infancy, the dynamics and techniques of gamification have been found to be easiy transferrabe from their gaming software origins into the word of commerce. The use of gamification toos and methods has the potentia to benefit project managers from a industries because of their fundamenta potentia to shape and infuence behaviour. It is important for project professionas to fuy understand the concept, how it coud be appied to projects and the associated benefits or risks, if its transition to project management is to be successfu. This guide buids on the Association for Project Management (APM) Thames Vaey branch study tour team s report on gamification and introduces the concept as a too for project management. The team carried out a yearong study into this emerging practice, undertook research with industry experts and tested the theories themseves. The report, pubished in 2012 (APM, 2012), detaied recommendations on utiising gamification within project management. This guide has been designed to offer project managers an introduction to gamification and provide an insight into its origins, possibe uses and benefits within the profession. What is gamification? Gamification originates from the computer games industry and is the use of game thinking and game mechanics in a non-game context in order to engage users, sove probems and drive behaviour. When used in a business environment, it is the

8 Introduction process of integrating game dynamics into a website, business service, onine community, content porta or marketing campaign to initiate participation and promote engagement. On a basic eve gamification techniques tap into and infuence peopes natura desires for competition, achievement, recognition and sef-expression. Software companies introduced the same kind of concepts into work ife that were being deveoped within their games. They found that their empoyees responded positivey to being awarded badges dependent on their performance or eve of effort. Gamification appears to be making the eap from game-pay to the workpace at a great pace. A growing number of organisations are adopting gaming techniques and game-stye rewards in order to motivate and incentivise empoyees and customers (Gartner, 2011). Within the ast three years, gamification has started making the transition into mainstream industry as a too used to increase the engagement and motivation of a workforce. This transition has been faciitated by the increased avaiabiity of appropriate technoogy and connectivity, such as smartphones and tabets, which can support a gamification environment. Further detai on recognition and reward can be found in the Game mechanics section on page 13. Who uses gamification? The basic principes of gamification have existed for over a decade in areas such as internet consumer engagement appications (apps), frequent fyer cards, oyaty schemes and heathcare fitness programmes. Many companies have introduced gamified schemes in order to increase customer 07

9 Introduction engagement or more recenty empoyee engagement. These schemes motivate the customer or user to continue buying or using a product or engage the user s interest and increase motivation. Companies incuding Starbucks, Nike, ebay, Saesforce and Badgevie are among the organisations which have found success with the concept of empoying gameike activities to improve business and customer interaction. Lee Shedon, a gamer, game designer and assistant professor at Indiana University, USA, beieves that managers may have to rethink how best to engage the next generation entering the mainstream workforce (Shedon, 2010). However, the benefits of gamification are not necessariy confined to the next generation; they are equay appicabe to a person of any age, gender or background. Reviewing education and the courses estabishments offer is a good indicator of how gamification is viewed and being utiised in business. Severa UK and US universities offer courses encompassing gamification, ranging from one-off courses to a modue on a master s degree. 08

10 Gamification theory Gamification theory When defining the term gamification, there are a number of different interpretations of the method, situations and context in which gamification shoud or coud be impemented. Some peope refer ony to gamification as used within its originating software industry. Others argue that gamification can be used as a saes and marketing too to capture the interaction of an onine customer base. Increasingy, however, there are a number of references to gamification as a project management or empoyee engagement too. Put at its simpest, gamification is the use of game design eements, game thinking and game mechanics to enhance non-game contexts. This is the main function that gamification coud provide enhancing a situation through the use of gaming mechanics, the benefits of which incude: increased engagement; higher motivation eves; increased interaction with the user (customer or empoyee); greater oyaty. This is important in project management terms, as one of a project manager s main objectives shoud be to increase the engagement and motivation within their team, in order to improve performance and strengthen working reationships. These, in turn, resut in a stronger and more effective project team and performance. Within project management there are many different modes to hep us understand how peope work. As managers of peope it is very important to have a good knowedge of these, how best to use them, and how your behaviour impacts on the peope you work with. In the report, the APM study group considered some popuar behavioura modes and appied gamification to understand the outcomes, incuding Masow s Hierarchy 09

11 Gamification theory of Needs which identified that humans have a number of needs that we aim to fufi during our ives and gamification coud be utiised to promote and achieve the top three eves. Dan Pink s Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us (Pink, 2011) correates the hierarchy of needs with the basic principes of gamification and expains that the deficiency needs in the mode are satisfied by a ong-term interaction with the gamification method, where peope can attain status, socia cohesion and reputation. The reason gamification is so successfu is due to the rewards provided in the sef-actuaisation pinnace of the Masow mode. By paying the same game socia cohesion is created, and by using rewards and feedback, sef-esteem and a sense of achievement are promoted. Abraham Masow s hierarchy of needs Dan Pink s intrinsic motivators game mechanics game dynamics being-needs meta-needs sef-actuaization purpose autonomy mastery quests, discovery, epic meaning, etc. points, progression, eves deficiency needs esteem beonging safety physica status, achievements, ranks, reputation, etc. socia cohesion & most communa/community dynamics Figure 1 Masow/Pink mode created by Michae Wu PhD, chief scientist, Lithium Technoogy (Wu, 2011) 10 The APM Thames Vaey branch study tour undertook a survey of 95 project professionas as part of its research and the resuts support the Masow/Pink mode.

12 Gamification theory Respondents were asked to describe their own persona motivating factors. The majority of peopes motivating factors fe within the need for esteem and sefactuaisation (APM, 2012). The seven deady sins have been appied to gamification by Wang (2011) where for exampe guttony reates to peope with the desire to accumuate, acquire and contribute; greed taps in to the desire for power and status, and envy fues a need to desire what others have (reating to the success of others and transparency). Gamification and neura activity Whie trying to gain an understanding of the behaviours and expected responses of an individua or team, it can aso be important to consider what is happening in the brain that affects peope s behaviour. There has been significant study into the neura activity inside the brain when a person is undertaking exciting and addictive tasks and whie there has been no specific study into the impact of gamification within the brain, it coud be assumed that the effect is simiar to that of gaming, gambing and other competitive activities which reease specific chemicas to create feeings of excitement, euphoria and peasure. It has even been hypothesised that gamification aims to activate the brain s natura reward system through the reease of a chemica known as dopamine, giving a feeing of satisfaction and happiness. By tapping into a person s neura system and rewarding them, this activation shoud then fue the motivation to continue and become further engaged in the activity. Why are peope interested in gamification? Gamification taps into the basic needs and desires of individuas; impuses which often revove around competition, status and achievement, and in some cases even a form of sef-expression. These attributes are embodied in everyone, at differing 11

13 Gamification theory degrees, and it is this which gives gamification the potentia to be such an effective too within the project team and wider workpace. Software provider Bunchba has described the attraction and pu of gamification in a very iustrative way: two peope paying monopoy every day for a week woud get bored very quicky, but if you add in another eement capturing statistics it starts to take on another dimension. How many times each person won, which properties were most profitabe, how much money each payer accumuated; a these eements create another eve to the game (Bunchba, 2010). The statistics become the game and peope want to outpay each other. It is the excitement generated by the coection of a number of statistics, and the use of those statistics, that can encourage peope to perform tasks they woud ordinariy consider uninteresting, repetitive or strenuous. It is this appication that has created a high eve of interest within the business word. 12

14 Game mechanics Game mechanics There are four main areas under the gamification banner. The understanding and correct appication of these four areas together produce an environment in which engagement, oyaty and motivation are abe to fourish. The four areas are: points something for payers to earn; rewards something for payers to spend their earned points on; badges something to show peers the achievements payers have unocked; eader boards a method of gaining some rea-time feedback which is visibe to everyone. It is important to understand the distinctions between these areas before introducing gamification within a project team, the detais of which are expored beow. Points Points provide the main method of currency within a gamified system. In order to earn points, team members have to compete tasks. One of the reasons gamification works so we is that the natura human psyche urges peope to coect resources - the more resources a person has, the greater their status. Points can be a great way to virtuay move up in an organisation and demonstrate to other peope within the team and organisation that a person is remaining on track (Mashabe.com, 2011). Points work as a highy-effective motivator and can be used to reward users, with different categories of points being used to drive different behaviours within the same site or appication. These are not ony used as status indicators, in a gamified 13

15 Game mechanics environment they can be used to buy items or services as determined by the project manager or organisation. In project management terms, earning points can aso be a good way for project managers to track team performance or direct behaviours. With a points system, project managers have the opportunity to incentivise tasks according to the importance of specific activities at any given time in a project, and to recognise good performance within the team. By monitoring the points earned within the team, project managers have an important too which aso acts as an eary warning system in identifying and resoving any poor performance or other issues. Rewards When a payer earns points and competes chaenges in a game there is a reward and a reason for having done the task. This shoud aso be true within the workpace. Purist gamification theory states that, as in a game, the reward shoud be non-monetary; the earning of points is a reward in itsef. However, in the workpace, some organisations set up reward portas from which empoyees can purchase a variety of rewards ranging from: team dinner; vouchers for a famiy day out; vouchers for high street stores; unch with directors; company private venture funding; a roe on a top secret future project. To increase the chances of peope continuing to wish to spend their points, and therefore making them more ikey to perform tasks and earn further points, it is very important that the rewards avaiabe are reguary refreshed to incude new opportunities. 14

16 Game mechanics Badges A key human desire that impacts on the workpace is the desire to show competency. Usuay the ony pace to do this is through the standard organisationa hierarchy, however gamification provides a method for dispaying a person s competencies so that everyone is abe to recognise an individua s abiity. It works in a simiar way to the armed forces, where badges showing training undertaken, competency and responsibiity are dispayed on uniforms; payers within gamification can aso earn badges which are seen by the whoe organisation and peer groups. Badges symboise an individua s abiity to perform and can be permanenty attached to a payer s profie, serving as a visibe record of achievement (Paygen.com, 2012). They are often seen as ong-term achievements, and are a determining factor for maintaining the chaenge within a gaming system. In a project management environment, chaenges coud be based on tracking important project tasks and rewarding the team, or individuas within the team, for reaching those miestones with points, badges and recognition (Bunchba, 2010). Leader boards The recognition that foows the coection of points and badges forms an important component of gamification. Such recognition can be within the project team, peer group or coud extend to senior management. One method of achieving this recognition is through eader boards. By accumuating points or recognition and seeing these on a eader board, individuas can advance through the ranks and be recognised by their teammates (Mashabe.com, 2010). This pubic dispay of achievement can hep gente, heathy workpace competition 15

17 Game mechanics and aid team deveopment as it feeds the human socia need to compare onesef with friends and peers as we as experts aike. In a workpace that utiises gamification, being at the top of a eader board feeds an individua s need for recognition, socia status and sef-worth. Being ower down on the board has the effect of encouraging peope to improve their pacing. It is this eement of competition that drives peope, satisfies their need for chaenge and reward, and motivates the workforce through target setting. Equay, instant feedback can create a sense of achievement for those motivated by progression, and not externa competition. Here, the eader board can achieve resuts where a participant sees their progress over time. To some members of the team, the eement of socia recognition may be more important than the tangibe rewards. Individuas ooking for career deveopment may benefit more from the recognition gained through gamification. Coeagues are aso abe to track each other s progress and pubicy recognise we-executed tasks, whie managers have the opportunity to ook at a team s performance and provide praise and usefu feedback (Mashabe.com, 2011). 16

18 Gamification in the workpace Gamification in the workpace Some team members embrace change easiy, whie others may be a itte more reuctant to accept something new. The best way of introducing a new idea is to start with something that is easy to use, which is entertaining and fun. This generates a eve of interest in peope that wi make them want to join and compete. The impementation must enabe peope to see that the system is a positive, rewarding step forward, and one which wi have a positive impact on daiy working ife. It is aso important to have a visibe onger-term pan in terms of profiing and future career deveopment. An important consideration in faciitating the acceptance of gamification is the eadership the project manager demonstrates towards the method. If the project manager can communicate convincingy that the experience wi be a rewarding one, which chaenges and invigorates individuas and the team as a whoe, the experience has a higher chance of being successfu. There must be a cear observabe benefit to both the organisation and the individua taking part, and it is the impementing project manager s responsibiity to convey this in order to foster initia engagement. Once the team has bought in to the concept and participants have reached a critica mass, a sustained eve of gamification can be achieved. How coud gamification be appied to project management? Projects and games share some noticeabe traits. Games are usuay driven by coherent goas, we-defined payer roes and meaningfu metrics in order to provide feedback on progression. Simiary, we-managed projects are guided by cogent objectives, team members have deineated roes and inteigent metrics that are empoyed to measure progress. The significant difference between the two ies in gaming feedback, which is transparent, instantaneous and pubic (Project Management Hut, 2011). 17

19 Gamification in the workpace 18 Gamification encompasses many eements that coud be utiised successfuy within a project management environment to create fun, motivate staff and increase productivity within project teams. The principes of gamification are based around the abiity to hep create and sustain reationships between the user (empoyee) and a product (the project). The use of engaging and entertaining games/activities as an addition to the working environment are designed to resonate and entice both gamers and those not interested in typica gaming practices (Paygen.com, 2012). By engaging mutipe users in a product, a community is created. Aowing interaction within the community creates a societa attraction one of the factors that encourage a user to return (Bacon, 2012). Gamification has the potentia to create a sense of community within a project or organisation, which in turn shoud inspire engaged users to contribute at a much higher eve due to camaraderie and an increased sense of oyaty. Individua project team members woud be encouraged by the accountabe goas and the cear recognition and reward poicy. Gamification coud be an important too to assist the project manager in understanding what the team has to do, as we as enabing the team to fuy understand the manager s expectations and requirements. Gamification in itsef does not add any measurabe vaue to a project or organisation. It is in peopes enhanced commitment and engagement with a project and through the deveopment of key emotions such as oyaty, pride, a strong work ethic and wiingness to win, that the rea benefits of gaming can be understood.

20 Gamification in the workpace Adopting gamification techniques The use of gamification in the workpace shoud ony be impemented after carefu consideration of the possibe impications. Gamification within a working environment is very different to gamification with a consumer, onine or internet community. It is therefore necessary to fuy understand the positives and negatives of the gamification process, and it is particuary important to reaise that it is not a soution in itsef, but a too that can have both positive and negative effects on the workforce. The benefits of gamification techniques In the workpace, gamification coud have a positive impact on individuas and project teams in a number of ways incuding: higher motivation eves; greater productivity eves; an increase in feeings of shared goas; increased acceptance of repetitive, ess exciting tasks; greater individua and team achievements; providing a timey understanding of team performance; data coection that can assist project managers in understanding the skis base within the project team; stronger commitment to the project/ organisation; greater transparency; cearer accountabiity; increased staff retention rates; immediate and ongoing feedback. 19

21 Gamification in the workpace The risks of gamification techniques Introducing new systems into an organisation coud aso have a negative impact. Possibe risks incude: aienating some members of the project team/organisation; the system may not work for a areas and eves of the team; where there are winners there are osers what effect wi this have on the team? some empoyees may react negativey to being measured; appying gamification to every aspect of the workpace may cause a ack of focus and prevent interest in the engaging aspects it can provide; points and badges may become ess excusive as time goes on, eading to a ack of interest in the initiative; work coud be de-vaued if the behaviours enhanced are not we considered and not aigned to desired work behaviours; heathy competition coud turn into destructive competition, creating divides and preventing a team cuture; cheating coud ead to demotivation and dissatisfaction; gamification may aienate oder members of the team who are unsure and unfamiiar with the terminoogy (this coud appy equay to any team member regardess of their age). 20

22 Gamification good practice Gamification good practice Experts agree on some fundamenta rues for the successfu impementation of gamification which specify that user participation shoud be vountary and the system shoud be adapted to the organisation. A variety of eves shoud be introduced which increase in difficuty and the feedback and data generated from the patform shoud be used to improve the patform. The most common pitfas identified by experts in conversations with the APM study group were: toos not fitted to users; ack of a cheat-proof concept; ack of monitoring; restricted usabiity; absence of intrinsic meaning and rewards; socia impact not accounted for; no increasing chaenge. It is aso key to remember that gamification is not a soution to fundamenta issues within a project team or organisation. Where issues are present, these woud need to be considered and addressed before the introduction of the gamification too in order for it to stand a chance of success. Successfu gamification ies in a carefuy panned and organised setting, reviewed and adapted according to feedback from users. The APM Thames Vaey branch study tour research ed the group to construct these good practice dos and don ts for gamification in project management. 21

23 Gamification good practice Do... Aign the system with your company vision, identity and brand. Integrate the gamification into the brand and the ook and fee of the company. Identify the key existing behaviours you wish to enhance or change. Design the system to your company s specific needs. Coect data and use it as feedback to improve the system. Provide data to users to enabe them to anayse their own performance. Keep it simpe the fewer cicks the better. Make it enjoyabe empoyees wi buy into it more easiy if it is fun. Tria your system with a user group. Make it optiona and trust you wi attract more users having to use the system wi have a negative effect on those who are ess interested in taking part. Ensure the badge is worth earning through either socia or professiona recognition. Ensure the points are worth getting by making it a chaenge to earn them. Make it shareabe to entice sharing of information between users. Contextuaise the system it makes it meaningfu. Be transparent about how the system works. Look into how the system coud be broken to highight unintended consequences. Periodicay review the points system users wi ose interest if the top of the board is unreachabe (or too easy). 22

24 Gamification good practice Don t... Trust the system can ook after itsef a system that is not adapted wi ose users. Go for reay ow-tech systems the technoogy is there to hep administer and adapt the system. Assume that the system wi take off by itsef project managers need to work to se the concept. Use the term gamification with those organisationa members who may have probems with the gaming concept consider using incentive or motivationa and engagement too instead. Make the system inaccessibe for peope ensure a users have appropriate access through the right eve of technoogy. Increase admin ensure it either saves time or the enjoyment outweighs the number of cicks. Aienate groups within the potentia user base identify what motivates them and work it into the mode. Reward undesirabe behaviours test the system for any oophoes. Get disheartened a new systems have teething probems and take time to become estabished and accepted. Let the system get outdated a good system is aways improving. Punish ower performers. 23

25 Gamification case studies Gamification case studies 24 Cranfied University Cranfied uses gamification in a compex, highy interactive project simuation to improve project professionas performance in a protective environment that aows them to subsequenty anayse their performance. Participants have to not ony manage project panning and contro, but aso manage stakehoders. Project simuations that can be used incude managing a mining project in South America, buiding a footba stadium in the UK and merging two banks. The simuation aows users to earn virtua money and the performance management extends to osing your job due to non-performance. The simuations force users to work under the pressure of unforeseen events and manage projects under high eves of stress. Most students earn from the opportunity to try and commit errors in a simuated/safe environment. The Cranfied simuation and use of gamification creates an instant appreciation of the compexity of projects, and human interaction. The feedback that is generated aows participants to modify their behaviour and their actions back in the rea-time word, but it is easy to make the jump to be abe to see how the same data and feedback coud hep in a cassic project in a ive environment. giffgaff giffgaff is a UK mobie phone network that operates a mobie virtua network using O2 s infrastructure. It invites its members to participate in some aspects of its operation, such as saes, marketing and member (customer) service with members being rewarded through payback remuneration. giffgaff is a young, entrepreneuria company with a dynamic atmosphere and impressive growth curve. The community is engaged in projects that deveop concepts generated from the ideas board, incuding:

26 Gamification case studies re-aunching its knowedge base; payback for members and kudos points for invovement in projects; deveopment of the company route master a road map of projects that is shared visuay with staff and members; managing giffgaff s re-branding project with the community as stakehoders; buiding the brand vaues within the company. The route master provides a visua picture/eader board for the office, showing how projects contribute to the company strategy and vision, prioritising ideas and future projects as we as tracking the projects through to competion via an interactive board on the wa. ILX Group ILX Group provides professiona business technoogy-ed earning and consuting services. It uses gamification in its services and one particuar exampe is its snakes and adders game. Designed and buit by ILX Groups s own deveopment team, this engaging game brings together earners in a fun way. The game has been designed to be subject independent aowing ILX Group to use it across its entire training portfoio as a revision too. It comes into its own in the cassroom, where earners form teams to pay head to head. This has heped improve the earning engagement of courses; increase the earning experience and provided a deeper understanding into the earning methodoogies. The use of animation and audio aong with a big screen experience hep break the ice and bring earners together to share ideas and broaden their understanding. The feedback from customers has been incrediby positive with comments ranging from the most innovating earning experience I have ever had to I iteray cannot wait to te my work coeagues how much fun gamification is! 25

27 Gamification case studies 26 To buid on this success, ILX Group is committed to deveoping further gamification ideas and concepts which wi extend the reach to a wider audience and promote the most innovative earning methods on a goba basis. ILX Group aims to further capitaise on the rea benefits to its customers and work to enhance their practica, appied and fun earning. SAP AG Business software maker SAP uses gamification in a arge onine community of SAP professionas. When a customer or partner asks a question on the SAP Community Network (SCN), both SAP empoyees and SAP experts can provide answers and guidance. The member who posted the origina question can then reward other members for their answers based on how usefu the response was for them. It is aso used for bogging and editing wikidocuments such as FAQs, for which members can accrue more points. These points indicate a member s competence with the technoogy and these have even taken off outside the SCN as a professiona rating, particuary for independent consutants. For some members this has ed to more and more interesting projects or jobs. UK Department for Work and Pensions The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) invested just over 100,000 to set up its own gamification system to deveop interna innovations. Within the first year of operation a 20m benefit was generated from successfu ideas deveoped through the patform (Cotteri, 2012).

28 Gamification case studies The DWP patform encourages the deveopment of interna innovations through a stock exchange system with a virtua currency. Users propose their ideas on the patform and shares can be bought by feow empoyees if they consider the idea to have high potentia. The patform encourages the sharing of ideas, and it ensures the quaity of content by giving credit to marketabe ideas. Team work is promoted within the patform by using onine probem soving between users sharing ideas and soutions to deveop the ideas. This creates a sense of community, and drives user engagement. The DWP beieves that this too has created a significant return on investment within its first year through the impementation of creative ideas, as we as creating a more stimuating environment to work in and faciitating the discovery of previousy untapped potentia. 27

29 The future of gamification The future of gamification 28 Gamification has been caed a buzzword and fad by some of its critics; however eements of gamification have been used for a ong time incuding oyaty schemes and happy hours in bars and restaurants. Some statistics show that the usage of gamification in an organisation can decrease over time, though this can be due to a number of factors incuding gamification panning and impementation. If the difficuty or chaenge eves do not increase, empoyees get bored and stop engaging and interacting with the system. Uness organisations anayse the data generated and adapt the system accordingy then it risks faiure. The majority of gamification programmes currenty focus on the end goa rather than the journey to reach the end goa. Gamers traditionay find the most rewarding goa is devising the strategy to achieve that goa; stop the opposing team or evade traps, not simpy hoding the badge/reward. Therefore if gamification is to continue its path from the gaming industry into the modern workpace, carefu consideration must be given to finding a way for peope to experience some sort of narrative on their way to an end goa. To ensure gamification is not just a trend, organisations need to ensure they are using we-designed games. Simpy introducing or adding a game appication does not guarantee resuts (or the right resuts). To ensure a high eve of engagement, as we as the system being fun and reevant, the game design needs to be we researched to ensure it has the right approach to improve virtuay any aspect of a business. According to a 2011 Gartner research report it is estimated that by 2015, more than 50 per cent of organisations in the US, which manage an innovation process, wi gamify those processes. The research findings are backed up by companies such as

30 The future of gamification Cisco, Orace and SAP, which are a reported to be deveoping gamification to increase engagement. This commitment from bue chip companies suggests there is much more to earn from eary gamification successes and faiures, and that thorough investigation of this wi reap benefits in the future once the effects are fuy understood. Gamification is an interesting and exciting prospect within project management. One of the main interest points is the understanding, interaction and manipuation of human behaviours within project teams, in order to achieve the project manager s desired outcomes and resuts. Project managers must carefuy consider which behaviours need to be manipuated or changed, why these shoud change and how the gamification too can hep achieve this. Unti the detai has been considered and thought has been given to the impact on, and reaction of, the project team, the impementation of any form of gamification shoud not proceed as the risk for team destabiisation and unintentiona behavioura changes remains a rea, and potentiay damaging, possibiity. Gamification has the potentia to be a usefu and vauabe too in project management. Used in the right hands and impemented in the right way, exampes in the business word have shown that a gamified team can be a happier, more motivated, engaged and cohesive team. 29

31 References References Association for Project Management (2012) Thames Vaey branch gamification study tour report, APM: Princes Risborough. Avaiabe at: report-expores-benefits-game-thinking (accessed 7 February 2014). Bacon, J (2012) The art of community: Buiding the new age of participation (2nd edn), O Reiy: USA. Bunchba (2010) An introduction to the use of game dynamics to infuence behaviour. Avaiabe at gamification101.pdf or short ur (accessed 7 February 2014). Cotteri, D (2012) APM interview. Interview by Dougas Bezerra de Siva, 3 September 2012 (unpubished). Gartner Research (2011) Gartner says by 2015, more than 50 per cent of organisations that manage innovation processes wi gamify those processes, press reease 12 Apri Avaiabe at (accessed 7 February 2014). Mashabe.com (2010) Leve up: 4 ways to gamify workpace teams. Avaiabe at or short ur (accessed 7 February 2014 ). Pink, D (2011) Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us, Canongate Books: Edinburgh. Paygen.com (2012) The principes of gamification. Avaiabe at the-principes-of-gamification or short ur (accessed 7 February 2014). 30

32 References Project Management Hut (PM Hut) (2011) Gamification of project management. Avaiabe at or short ur (accessed 7 February 2014). Shedon, L (2010) Professor appies game dynamics in the cassroom. Suggests possibiity of business appication. Avaiabe at itnews-professor-appies-game-dynamics-in-the-cassroom-suggests-possibiitybusiness-appication or short ur (accessed 7 February 2014). Wang and Insider Associates (2011) Appying the seven deady sins to successfu gamification. Avaiabe at or short ur (accessed 7 February 2014). Wu, M, PhD (2011) Masow/Pink mode. Avaiabe at: com/t5/science-of-socia-bog/gamification-101-the-psychoogy-of-motivation/ ba-p/21864 (accessed 7 February 2014). Zichermann, G, and Cunningham, C (2011) Gamification by design: Impementing game mechanics in web and mobie apps (1st edn), O Reiy Media: Sebastopo, CA, p. xiv. ISBN:

33 References Further reading and usefu resources Bunchba Deterding, S (2011) Googe tech taks: Meaningfu pay: getting gamification right. Avaiabe at: Lithosphere onine community incudes information on gamification at Zichermann, G (2013) The gamification revoution: How eaders everage game mechanics to crush the competition, McGraw-Hi: London. 32

34 Appendix Appendix Gamification and the APM Body of Knowedge sections Looking at gamification in reation to the APM Body of Knowedge (BoK) sections heps to identify how this emerging concept coud ink in with project management and be appied within a project team. The foowing tabe iustrates how gamification can be appied to just some of the aspects of project management and the different ways gamification can be impemented. APM BoK (6th edn) section How coud gamification appy? Context governance Project management Tasks are defined and aocated and the use of gamification toos aows for panning, scheduing, managing and motivating the project team Knowedge management Sustained growth of knowedge databases such as wikis can be strengthened using gamification patforms Life cyce Toos can be customised for stages of the project ife cyce to keep metrics and incentives reevant Success factors and maturity Aows cear goas and success factors to be set and measured up to competion. 33

35 Appendix Context setting Environment Simuating business environments in a gamified manner can improve the understanding of the environment. This aso aows the modeing of potentia effects of changes by empoyees and empoyers in a safe manner. Peope interpersona skis Communication Cear project objectives and goas given. Project performance information is avaiabe for a and instant feedback is avaiabe for empoyees and management Confict management Assists in reducing confict through the introduction of cear and concise goas. Rewards are transparent and can visiby be awarded for good performance. These aspects wi reduce the occurrence of confict Leadership Enabes project visions and direction to be communicated and heps project team aignment through incentives Negotiation Negotiation skis can be practiced and effective methods rewarded and reinforced. 34

36 Appendix Teamwork Increases team motivation and encourages competition within the team/with other teams. Working toward ceary defined goas heps to buid a cohesive team. Peope professionaism Communities of practice Communities can be formed utiising the communication toos avaiabe within a gamification patform. Effective cooperation, deegation and professiona deveopment can occur within these structured environments Learning and deveopment Heps individuas to buid persona profies and provides an incentive to fi competency gaps with reevant training. Deivery integrative management Business case Enabes creation of business cases coaborativey, encouraging innovation and creativity as we as reducing individua workoads. Can improve stakehoder buy-in due to the considered preparation process Information management Provides project teams with instant status updates and gives recognition to top performers. Information is easiy accessibe. 35

37 Appendix Organisation Team members can increase their profie and dispay their competence on the project, whie being abe to demonstrate their responsibiity and accountabiity Stakehoder management Encourages stakehoder buy-in and interaction with sponsors. Information can be fowed easiy to a parties. Deivery financia and cost management Budgeting and cost Assessing current performance versus budget contro within gamification enabes greater understanding of how individua contributions affect project budget eves, potentiay enabing improvements in spending behaviour Funding Enabes quicker identification and greater understanding of over or under funding of areas within a project. Deivery risk management Risk techniques Differing techniques for risk reduction and mitigation can be compared with ideas for improvement being rewarded. 36

38 Appendix Deivery quaity management P3 assurance Reevant performance statistics can be viewed via the system dashboard, enabing stakehoders to assess current time, costs and scheduing of the project compared to the baseine. Deivery resource management Contract Through the impementation of a gamified profie, members of an organisation can appy for and be seected for a new roe/project based on their badges, points or competencies Procurement Effective procurement can be gamified to encourage empoyees to undertake estabished best practice procedures when procuring suppies for a project. Interfaces 4.2 Heath and safety Incentives can be used to increase the importance of heath and safety activities. 4.3 Human resource management Enabes a business to recruit the right peope to project teams, heps retain the right peope, aows rewards when necessary and heps to deveop and train peope. 37

39 Appendix 4.5 Security Information on industry/company mandated security requirements can be disseminated and reinforced through a gamification patform. 4.6 Sustainabiity Empoyee behaviour can be monitored and rewarded using points, badges and recognition. Significant changes in empoyee behaviour can be instigated. 38

40 ISBN Association for Project Management Ibis House Regent Park Summereys Road Princes Risborough Bucks HP27 9LE