A Gamification Method for Improving the Onboarding Process of Software Engineers

FEATUREARTICLE:SOFTWAREENGINEERING A Gamification Method for Improving the Onboarding Process of Software Engineers Mercedes Ruiz and Elena Orta , University of Cadiz, 11519, Cadiz, Spain Javier Guti errez ,University of Seville, 41012, Seville, Spain In software engineering, the onboarding process of new software engineers is crucial. The primary goal of this process is to ensure that professionals gain the necessary knowledge and skills to comprehend the company’s culture, integrate into the organization, and perform their activities effectively. Enhancing corporate learning processes and addressing human aspects, such as motivation, engagement, and commitment, are among the key factors influencing the success of the onboarding process. Gamification—the use of game elements in nongame contexts—has been widely employed in different contexts to promote positive changes in people’sbehavior and increase their engagement and performance. We consider the integration of gamification into the onboarding process an interesting field of study and research. In this work, we propose a novel method for gamifying the onboarding process and introduce an application case within an organizational context. The field of gamification has experienced significant growth and widespread acclaim in recent years. Multiple definitions of gamification have been presented in the literature, including “the use of game elements and game design techniques in non-game contexts.” 1 Gamification does not mean developing a complete game but involves incorporating concepts from games into nongame scenarios to enhance engagement, motivation, and innovation; encourage social interactions; and improve the actions’ quality and productivity. Gamification has been adopted in numerous IT contexts, including education and training, mobile applications, and corporate websites, with the aims of increasing user engagement, performance, and user loyalty as well as improving the overall user experience and motivation. 2 In the field of software engineering (SE), gamification has experienced significant evolution in recent years as a way to enhance software engineers’motivation and engagement and to guide their behavior for improving productivity. 2 Gamification’s importance in this field is underscored by numerous academic research papers. While most focus on teaching and learning software processes, some present theoretical gamification proposals to improve them or describe specificgamification experiences in companies. 2 Practitioners also recognize gamification benefits and use support tools with basic gamification components, such as JIRA Hero, 3 ScrumKnowsy, 4 and Visual Studio Achievement. 5 A very important process in the field of SE is the onboarding of new software engineers. This process aims to integrate software engineers into the company, familiarize them with the new work environment, and establish clear expectations for their responsibilities and professional development. For a successful onboarding process, it is very important that software engineers are motivated and engaged and that they have a positive attitude toward change. Thus, gamification emerges as a promising trend that has the potential to positively impact the success of the onboarding implementation in organizations. This article proposes a method for gamifying the onboarding process of new software engineers and presents an application case within a hypothetical company. GAMIFICATION IN SE This section analyzes the use of gamification within SE. Our objective is not to present a comprehensive review of the literature but to offer a broad perspective on the Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MITP.2024.3374129 Date of current version 8 May 2024. applicability and utility of gamification in this particular field. We employed the query TS=(gamif* AND “software engineer*”)intheTopic field of Web of Science to retrieve relevant works. The query searched for the specified terms in the title, abstract, and keywords fields of a record. After reviewing titles and abstracts to identify relevance, excluding papers and articles not aligned with our topic, and conducting fulltext assessments, we determined that, out of the 199 retrieved papers, 163 presented proposals on gamification in the field of SE. Enhancing student motivation and engagement in SE education seems to be the most frequent aim of gamification within SE, with around 71% of the analyzed works dealing with this topic. The most frequently gamified SE processes are software development, 6 project management, 7 software requirements, 8 and software testing. 9 The gamification elements most commonly employed include points, badges, and rankings. 10 Several studies highlight the practice of rewarding users’actions through point-based incentives, a concept frequently criticized and referred to as pointsification. 2 The primary challenges of applying gamification within SE are the complexity of gamifying software processes and the need for more empirical research in real organizational settings. 10 The existing literature on gamification within SE suggests its potential to effectively motivate software engineers and enhance their commitment and performance. 10 However, despite the outlined advantages, a notable gap exists in the literature concerning guidance for adopting gamification, with only a conceptual framework as an exception. 11 The maturity level observed in gamification within SE seems limited. Only a few studies have presented empirical evidence regarding the effects of gamification on user engagement and performance. Moreover, the absence of a gamification methodology means that proposals often lack maturity and face challenges in replication. Another crucial aspect to consider is the seamless integration of the gamification solutions with the tools used in the organization’sworkplace.These challenges represent critical points that researchers and practitioners need to address. THE ONBOARDING PROCESS OF NEW SOFTWARE ENGINEERS The onboarding process of new software engineers focuses on ensuring that they efficiently integrate into the organization. 12 Building upon Sharma and Stol’s recommended activity definition for the onboarding of software engineers, 13 we propose a classification outlining the diverse thematic areas (TAs) to which the onboarding process for these professionals should be directed: TA1: Culture and organizational structure. TA2: Internal tools and processes. TA3: Development tools and technologies. TA4: Development process and methodologies. TA5: Testing and software quality. TA6: Collaboration and teamwork. TA7: Problem solving and optimization. TA8: Professional development and continuous improvement. Each TA focuses on skills and knowledge new software engineers must acquire to understand the company’s culture, integrate into the organization, and perform effectively. Influential onboarding factors include software engineers’human factors, like motivation, engagement, abilities, background, performance, and openness to change. Therefore, improving corporate learning processes is crucial for facilitating the acquisition of such skills and knowledge. The integration of gamification could positively help to achieve this aim. However, despite gamification’s applicability in this field, there is currently limited research. In the Web of Science database, only the work by Kosa and Yilmaz 12 puts forth a specificgamification process, yet it lacks the necessary maturity for practical application within a company. Consequently, in the gamification of the onboarding process, researchers and practitioners have a broad area to explore. A METHOD FOR GAMIFYING THE ONBOARDING PROCESS Given the importance of having methods to develop gamification proposals, in this section, we propose a novel method for gamifying the onboarding process. Several gamification proposals exist to guide the implementation of gamification strategies in general. Some proposals view gamification as a software development process, providing a classification of technical solutions for the integration of gamification into information systems. 14 However, they lack detailed focus on user-centric elements, potentially limiting their impact on delivering an immersive onboarding experience. Other proposals are rooted in the traditional software development lifecycle framework and offer a general overview of the gamification process. 15 In spite of this, they do not offer granular details about specific activities and may not suit organizations seeking detailed steps for each phase. In contrast, our proposal offers detailed and granular guidelines with a user-centric focus, providing a comprehensive breakdown of the TAs and activities of the onboarding process as well as a focus on enjoyment and game elements. This approach aims to deliver a highly engaging onboarding experience, making it suitable for organizations valuing customization. The method is based on that introduced by Werbach and Hunter 1 and consists of the following activities. Activity 1: Define the Onboarding Process Objectives Agamification project begins by defining the objectives of the onboarding process set in the organization. This allows measuring the gamification project’s success and mapping the objectives to the behavior that software engineers should exhibit. Each organization will define its objectives depending on its specificcharacteristics and needs (e.g., improve software engineers’ knowledge about internal tools and processes, development tools and technologies, or software processes and methodologies of the organization). Activity 2: Determine Software Engineers’Actions This activity focuses on determining the actions that software engineers should exhibit to achieve the organization’sobjectivesanddefine metrics to measure their performance. Each organization will define concrete metrics adapted to its goals and needs (e.g., integration time, social event participation, attendance in meetings and training sessions, collaboration with other teams, completed training courses, compliance with procedures and regulations, level of autonomy, implementation of software development best practices, code quality, and error rate). Analyzing the metrics’ values will enable the organization to identify the actions that software engineers need to improve (e.g., conducting training courses, performing presentations, solving technical problems, identifying errors in the code, and developing tasks collaboratively). Activity 3: Characterize the Software Engineers Participating in Onboarding Theusersofthegamified system are new software engineers participating in the onboarding process. To define an adequate gamification strategy, it is necessary to characterize software engineers and to know their needs and motivations. For that, organizations can employ various methods, such as interviews, observations, and measuring the current software engineers’ behavior. Activity 4: Define Activity Cycles and Progression Stars The purpose of this activity is to define engagement loops and progression stars. Engagement loops model the actions that software engineers should perform in the process and the feedback they receive (e.g., points, badges, and levels). Progression stars represent the software engineers’advancements. Activity 5: Integrate Enjoyment This activity aims to ensure that software engineers find enjoyment in performing the process activities. For this, we propose integrating the activities into a game or gamification platform with characteristics tailored to the established objectives, personalities, and motivations of the software engineers. Activity 6: Incorporate Game Elements This activity consists of selecting the game elements that will be included in the gamified system to motivate and engage software engineers. Based on their level of abstraction, the gamification elements are classified as dynamics, mechanics, and components 1 : Game dynamics: the most abstract game elements, which represent the needs and intrinsic motivations of the software engineers (e.g., sense of progress,sense of competence,collaboration,socialization,interactions,andrelationships). Game mechanics: fundamental actions that motivate and engage software engineers and influence their conduct (e.g., participation,challenges,chance,feedback,rewards,andwin states). Game components: specific implementation of game dynamics and mechanics (e.g., levels,achievements,points,badges,andleaderboards). APPLICATION CASE This section introduces an application case of the proposedmethodtodevelopagamification experience in a hypothetical organization. Our objective is to illustrate the utility and applicability of gamification to improve software engineers’engagement and motivation, fostering positive changes in their behavior during the onboarding. Next, we summarize the results of performing the method activities. Activity 1: Define the Onboarding Process Objectives Nineteen objectives have been identified for the onboarding process in this application case. Table 1 lists them along with their corresponding TA. TABLE 1. Onboarding process objectives. Objective Action (metric)TA O1. Enhance software engineers’knowledge about the values, mission, and culture of the organization. A1. Attend a presentation about the organization culture (m1). TA1 O2. Improve software engineers’knowledge about the organizational structure. A2. Participate in a presentation about the organizational structure (m1). TA1 O3. Increase software engineers’use of internal processes and tools (e.g., internal communication, collaboration, and personal management). A3. Perform learning activities about internal processes and tools (m1 and m2). TA2 A4. Address internal issues using processes and tools (m1,m3,m5, and m12). O4. Enhance software engineers’use of development tools and technologies (e.g., project management, development framework, database management, continuous integration, version control, and deployment). A5. Perform learning activities about development tools and technologies (m1 and m2). TA3 A6. Perform practical cases using development tools and technologies (m1, m4,m5, and m12). O5. Increase software engineers’knowledge about security and privacy policies. A7. Perform learning activities about security and privacy policies (m1 and m2). TA3 A8. Address practical issues of security and privacy (m1 and m3). O6. Enhance software engineers’use of software development methodologies. A9. Perform learning activities about software development methodologies (m1 and m2). TA4 A10. Conduct practical scenarios using software development methodologies (m1 and m4). O7. Improve software engineers’use of coding standards and development best practices. A11. Perform learning activities about coding standards and development best practices (m1 and m2). TA4 A12. Conduct practical coding cases using standards and best practices (m1 and m4). A13. Perform reviews and code quality evaluation (m1 and m4). O8. Enhance software engineers’use of testing process and tools. A14. Perform learning activities about testing process and tools (m1 and m2). TA5 A15. Perform practical testing cases using tools (m1 and m4). O9. Improve software engineers’skills to create effective test cases. A16. Perform learning activities about test cases (m1 and m2). TA5 A17. Create test cases in practical scenarios (m1 and m4). O10. Improve software engineers’knowledge about quality standards and policies. A18. Perform learning activities about quality standards and policies (m1 and m2). TA5 A19. Address practical issues of software quality using standards and policies (m1 and m3). O11. Increase software engineers’knowledge about their responsibilities and expectations within the team. A20. Attend team meetings (m1 and m6). TA6 Activity 2: Determine Software Engineers’Actions To accomplish the aforementioned objectives, a specific set of actions has been outlined for the software engineers to undertake. Refer to Table 1 for a comprehensive list of these actions along with the associated metrics defined to assess their performance. Those metrics are the following: m1: Percentage of software engineers performing the action. m2: Percentage of software engineers achieving learning objectives. m3: Number of issues addressed by software engineers. m4: Number of practical cases performed by software engineers. m5: Number of tools and technologies utilized by software engineers. m6: Frequency of software engineers performing the action. m7: Number of positive evaluations of the work team. m8: Average time taken by software engineers to reach optimal productivity. m9: Retention rate of software engineers. m10: Problem resolution time. m11: Compliance with established deadlines. m12: Frequency of use of tools and technologies. For each metric, the organization will establish the target value to be achieved within a specificperiod (e.g., the percentage of software engineers acquiring a solid knowledge about internal processes and tools within the firstthreemonthsissetat90%orhigher, and the retention rate of software engineers during the first year is targeted to be 75% or higher). Activity 3: Characterize the Software Engineers Participating in Onboarding For this application case, we draw upon characterizations of software engineers derived from existing literature. Capretz 16 identified a prevalent personality type among software engineers, marked by a combination of introversion, sensing, thinking, and judging (ISTJ). This personality profile can be aligned with the achiever user type in the Hexad model. 17 Achievers are motivated by competence. They seek to progress within a system by completing tasks or prove themselves by tackling difficult challenges. TABLE 1. (Continued) Objective Action (metric)TA O12. Foster strong professional relationships and collaboration among team members. A21. Participate in social events (m1 and m6). TA6 A22. Perform activities collaborating with the work team (m1,m6, and m7). O13. Encourage a diverse and inclusive work environment. A23. Participate in inclusive team-building challenges (m1 and m6). TA6 O14. Increase the involvement of software engineers in real projects. A24. Participate in real projects (m1,m6,m9, m10, and m11). TA7 O15. Enhance software engineers’ problem-solving skills. A25. Solve real problems (m1,m3,m10, and m11). TA7 O16. Improve the professional development of software engineers. A26. Participate in professional development programs (m1 and m6). TA8 O17. Enhance software engineers’performance and interest in the company. A27. Perform activities of evaluation of software engineers’performance (m1,m6, and m8). TA8 O18. Promote a culture of innovation and creativity among software engineers. A28. Solve problems with creative and innovative solutions (m1 and m6). TA8 O19. Cultivate in software engineers’ responsibility and professional ethics in decision making and behavior. A29. Attend sessions about professional ethics and responsibility (m1 and m6). TA8 A30. Solve real problems with professional ethics and responsibility (m1 and m6). Activity 4: Define Activity Cycles and Progression Stars The actions (denoted by “A”) that software engineers should perform and the system feedback, presented in the form of metrics (see Table 1), have been grouped into four levels. These levels symbolize the logical progression that software engineers should undergo in the onboarding process. Level 1: Software engineers know the culture and organizational structure and use the internal processes and tools correctly (A1, A2, A3, and A4). Level 2: Software engineers use development tools and technologies appropriately, ensuring compliance with the security and privacy policies (A5, A6, A7, and A8). Level 3: Software engineers use software development methodologies, standards, and best practices for software coding, testing, and ensuring software quality (A9, A10, A11, A12, A13, A14, A15, A16, and A17). Level 4: Software engineers implement quality standards in actual projects and suggest creative and innovative solutions to real problems (A18, A19, A24, A25, and A28). The complexity of the activities of each level will increase based on the knowledge and performance of the software engineers. We have not assigned the remaining actions (A20, A21, A22, A23, A26, A27, A29, and A30) to a specific level because software engineers can perform them at any point during the onboarding process. Activity 5: Integrate Enjoyment We have selected GoRace, 18 a multicontext and narrativebased gamification tool, to support the implementation of gamification and provide enjoyment to the participants. GoRace supports game mechanics particularly suitable for the achiever profile type, 19 such as rewards, narrative, competition, progression, status, resource acquisition, achievement, immersion, and feedback. In the GoRace experience, participants immerse themselves in a virtual world inspired by Greek mythology, engaging in an Olympic race (narrative and immersion) (see Figure 1). Participants progress in the race using distance points and divine points, earned as rewards for real-life activities (rewards and competition). Distance points represent units of progress in the race (progression), while divine points serve as a virtual currency for acquiring powerful items called relics (resource acquisition). The relics enable the player to advance in the race, attack, or defend themselves from the attacks of other participants (competition and status). Including attack and defense elements does not necessarily promote aggressive competitivenessforachieverprofile, as such elements can enhance strategic thinking, collaboration, and a sense of achievement within a gamified context. Furthermore, the relic element does not necessarily imply an aggressive attack/defense behavior; it can also foster altruism and helpful features when a player targets another with a positive effect. Software engineers will earn distance points and divine points upon the completion of the gamified process activities and achievement of set objectives (achievement and feedback). Consequently, the progress of software engineers in the race will depend on both their performance in the onboarding process and the strategic decisions they make in the game. GoRace seamlessly integrates with the organization’s tools via a REST API, through which real-time informationontheidentification of the software engineer who completes an activity or achieves a goal, along with the corresponding reward, is sent to GoRace. Software engineers can also earn special rewards (extra points and relics) by redeeming codes provided by their managers, either individually or collectively (achievement and status). Additionally, software engineers receive immediate feedback on their performance, progress, and accomplishments in the onboarding process through a leaderboard, push notifications, and e-mails (feedback). Figure 1 displays different screens of the GoRace user interface. Activity 6: Incorporate Game Elements The game dynamics, mechanics, and components introduced in the gamification strategy for this experience are as follows. The main game dynamics that reflect the needs and intrinsic motivations of software engineers are progress, engagement, motivation, responsibility, autonomy, collaboration, socialization, and relationships. The game mechanics selected to guide the actions of software engineers in the onboarding process and generate engagement are the following: Challenges: Software engineers should manage internal issues using the organization’s processes and tools; conduct practical cases of software development utilizing the organization’s development methodologies, technologies, and tools; code software using standards and best practices; and create valid test cases, resolve problems of security and software quality, address real problems with creative and innovative solutions, and develop projects within the deadlines. Achievements: The most relevant achievements that software engineers should accomplish align with the target values of the metrics established to evaluate their actions (see Table 1). Rewards: Software engineers will receive rewards upon performing the specified actions (see Table 1) or achieving the set milestones. Additionally, they may receive unexpected rewards when accomplishing other objectives, such as obtaining the highest number of positive opinions from the teamwork or suggesting the best solution to a particular problem. Chance: Software engineers will have the opportunity to resolve additional problems and case studies based on their performance in the onboarding process. Feedback: Software engineers will receive immediate feedback whenever an event or action impacts their progress in the race. Finally, the game components included in the gamification strategy to instantiate the dynamics and mechanics are the following: Avatar and nickname: Software engineers can define their avatars and nicknames in the race (see the “Profile”screen in the upper-left corner of Figure 1). Points: Software engineers obtain distance points as rewards for performing the actions included in Table 1. Virtual coins: Software engineers receive divine points as rewards for meeting objectives. They can use them to buy relics and add them to their backpack (see the “Shop”and “Backpack” screens at the bottom of Figure 1). Virtual goods: Process managers can provide software engineers with codes containing specific rewards (distance points, divine points, or relics) based on their actions and performance in the process. FIGURE 1. Screenshots of the GoRace user interface. Notifications: Software engineers can receive real-time notifications, via e-mail and push notifications, regarding their performance in the onboarding process. Leaderboard: This game element enables the comparison of software engineers’progress and performance in the onboarding process (see the “Ranking”screen in the upper-right corner of Figure 1). CONCLUSION Research literature in the field of gamification within SE suggests that this technique holds the potential to effectively motivate software engineers and enhance engagement and commitment to conduct their daily activities. Currently, there is minimal research on gamifying the onboarding process for new software engineers, making it an interesting area to explore. The use of this technique could improve human aspects, such as motivation and engagement, encourage social interactions, and promote positive changes in software engineers’behavior, enhancing their overall performance. In this work, we propose a method for gamifying the onboarding process, providing guidelines for systematically developing gamification proposals tailored to the specific characteristics of the organization. The application case presented illustrates the utility of the method in defining actions to promote in software engineers to meet the process objectives, designing suitable gamification strategies, incorporating enjoyment in the process, and seamlessly integrating gamification solutions within the organization’stools. Our future work mainly focuses on assessing the proposed method by conducting expert evaluations and gamification experiences in real organizational settings. The outcomes of the evaluations will offer us valuable insights to make informed decisions for refining the method. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was supported by Grant PID2022-137646OB- C33 and Grant PID2022-137646OB-C31 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Regional Development Fund A Way of Making Europe. REFERENCES 1. K. Werbach and D. Hunter, For the Win: How Game Thinking Can Revolutionize Your Business. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Wharton Digital Press, 2012. 2. O. Pedreira, F. Garc ıa, N. Brisaboa, and M. Piattini, “Gamification in software engineering: A systematic mapping,”Inf. Softw. Technol., vol. 57, pp. 157–168, Jan. 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.infsof.2014.08.007. 3. “Status Hero for Jira.”Atlassian Marketplace. Accessed: Dec. 22, 2023. [Online]. Available: https:// marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1225763/status-hero- for-jira?tab=overview&hosting=cloud 4. ScrumKnowsy. Accessed: Dec. 22, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.scrumknowsy.com/home 5. “Bring some game to your code!”Visual Studio Blog. Accessed: Dec. 22, 2023. [Online]. 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Ruiz, “GoRace: A multi-context and narrative-based gamification suite to overcome gamification technological challenges,”IEEE Access, vol. 9, pp. 65,882–65,905, 2021, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3076291. 19. R. M. Andrias and M. S. Sunar, “User/player type in gamification,”Int. J. Adv. Trends Comput. Sci. Eng., vol. 8, no. 1.6, pp. 89–94, 2019, doi: 10.30534/IJATCSE/ 2019/1481.62019. MERCEDES RUIZ is an associate professor with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Cadiz, 11519, Cadiz, Spain. Her research interests include gamification, serious games, and simulation modeling and data-driven decision making. Ruiz received her Ph.D. degree in computer science from the University of Seville. Contact her at [email protected]. ELENA ORTA is an associate professor with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Cadiz, 11519, Cadiz, Spain. Her research interests include gamification, simulation modeling, and business process management. Orta received her Ph.D. degree in computer science from the University of Cadiz. Contact her at elena. [email protected]s. JAVIER GUTIÉRREZ is an associate professor with the Department of Languages and Computer Systems at the University of Seville, 41012, Seville, Spain. His research interests include serious games, software testing, and modeldriven engineering. Guti errez received his Ph.D. degree in computer science from the University of Seville. Contact him at [email protected].