Gamification for Project Governance: A Case Study in a High-Maturity Software Factory

Abstract

This study evaluated the application of gamification to project management in a high-maturity software factory (CMMI Level 5), a setting in which governance and audit rituals often generate bureaucratic overhead and operational resistance. Given the contractual constraints that limit the use of extrinsic financial incentives, the study empirically evaluated gamification as a strategy to increase the engagement of project leaders and managers in operational governance routines. The solution was embedded into the legacy corporate tools (Jira and Confluence) under the principle of workflow continuity, with ten game techniques allocated according to the motivational profile previously diagnosed within the team. The evaluation was carried out through a longitudinal industrial case study conducted with 12 professionals in leadership roles over twelve months, comparing six months of a gamified pilot with a historical baseline of equal duration drawn from the same team. Throughput, the rate of delayed demands, defect density and the motivational profile assessed by the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI), applied as a pre- and post-test, were analyzed. The operational indicators showed modest variations — a 7.16% increase in throughput and a 1.77 percentage point reduction in the delay rate, with no deterioration in technical quality —, accompanied by a marked decline in the perceived overhead, evidenced by a 0.91-point reduction in the IMI Pressure/Tension item. An exploratory pattern was also identified, termed behavioral asymmetry, characterized by faster adherence to normative routines than to spontaneous collaborative actions. Low-intrusion gamification thus proved feasible in formalized governance environments, with a clearer effect on reducing bureaucratic friction than on increasing intrinsic motivation.