Getting into the game: gamifying software development with the GSA framework

Abstract

Context: Improving software quality is a constant challenge in Software Engineering. One way to improve quality is to use gamification in software development activities. Purpose: This paper presents a framework and a set of strategies called GSA to gamify software development activities. Methods: Using action research as a methodology, we conduct three action research cycles. This paper presents the third action research cycle in which gamification was applied to reduce the number of faults in requirements and improve the quality of the projects. Results: The experimental study showed that the GSA framework introduced gamification into the company to reduce the number of requirements faults. However, the results were inconclusive due to the projects being in their first sprints, and possibly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Despite the inconclusive results, the authors believe that the GSA framework is suitable for replication in other companies and software quality improvement contexts. They also present insights and lessons learned throughout the experimental studies on applying gamification in the software development process.