Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention

Eric Ries was born in September 1978. He graduated from Yale University and moved to silicon Valley in the beginning of the millennium. He pioneered the philosophy of Lean Startup, based on his experience with multiple startups, primary being IMVU which he co-founded along with Will Harvey in 2004. Eric Ries originated his Lean Startup philosophy after getting inspired from the Japanese Philosophy of Lean Manufacturing.

The Lean Startup:How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses

Context The use of games in software engineering education is not new. However, recent technologies have provided new opportunities for using games and their elements to enhance learning and student engagement. Objective The goal of this paper is twofold. First, we discuss how game-related methods have been used in the context of software engineering education by means of a systematic mapping study. Second, we investigate how these game-related methods support specific knowledge areas from software engineering. By achieving these goals, we aim not only to characterize the state of the art on the use of game-related methods on software engineering education, but also to identify gaps and opportunities for further research. Method We carried out a systematic mapping study to identify primary studies which address the use, proposal or evaluation of games and their elements on software engineering education. We classified primary studies based on type of approaches, learning goals based on software engineering knowledge areas, and specific characteristics of each type of approach. Results We identified 156 primary studies, published between 1974 and June 2016. Most primary studies describe the use of serious games (86) and game development (57) for software engineering education, while Gamification is the least explored method (10). Learning goals of these studies and their development of skills are mostly related to the knowledge areas of “Software Process”, “Software Design”, and “Professional Practices”. Conclusions The use of games in software engineering education is not new. However, there are some knowledge areas where the use of games can still be further explored. Gamification is a new trend and existing research in the field is quite preliminary. We also noted a lack of standardization both in the definition of learning goals and in the classification of game-related methods.

A systematic mapping study on game-related methods for software engineering education

You are not a gadget

This paper reports on a grounded theory to study into software developers' use of software development processes in actual practice in the specific context of very small companies. This study was conducted in three very small software product companies located in Ecuador. The data collection was based on semi-structured qualitative interviews with software project managers, focus group with software developers and was supplemented by the literature and document studies. We interviewed two types of participants (managers and developers), so as to ensure that we elicited a holistic perspective of how they approached the software development process in actual practice. The goal was to study what practices are actually used and their opinion and attitude toward the potential adopting of an international standard (ISO/IEC 29110) specifically designed for very small companies. With the collected data, we performed an analysis utilizing grounded theory coding techniques, as this methodology promotes the focus on uncovering the real concerns of the participants. This study highlighted three areas of concern: customer, software product and development tasks coordination and tracking. The findings in this study give an insight toward the work products as they relate to software development process practices in very small companies and the important factors that must be considered to assist project success.

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Understanding the gap between software process practices and actual practice in very small companies

For any Software Process Improvement (SPI) initiative to succeed human factors, in particular, motivation and commitment of the people involved should be kept in mind. In fact, Organizational Change Management (OCM) has been identified as an essential knowledge area for any SPI initiative. However, enough attention is still not given to the human factors and therefore, the high degree of failures in the SPI initiatives is directly linked to a lack of commitment and motivation. Gamification discipline allows us to define mechanisms that drive people's motivation and commitment towards the development of tasks in order to encourage and accelerate the acceptance of an SPI initiative. In this paper, a gamification framework oriented to both organization needs and software practitioners groups involved in an SPI initiative is defined. This framework tries to take advantage of the transverse nature of gamification in order to apply its Critical Success Factors (CSF) to the organizational change management of an SPI. Gamification framework guidelines have been validated by some qualitative methods. Results show some limitations that threaten the reliability of this validation. These require further empirical validation of a software organization.

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Gamification as a Disruptive Factor in Software Process Improvement Initiatives

Motivation is one of the main obstacles for every organization. In software processes, where people are key, this aspect is even more critical. In this paper, authors present Gamiware, a gamification platform aimed to increase motivation in software projects. Grounded on both gamification roots and in software process improvement initiatives, it minimizes the cost of implementation of gamification initiatives and makes this discipline closer and more accessible for organizations aimed to improve their software process. Initial results on its implementation shows remarkable success.

Gamiware: A Gamification Platform for Software Process Improvement

One of the main reasons for failure in Software Process Improvement (SPI) initiatives is the lack of motivation of the professionals involved. Therefore, motivation should be encouraged throughout the software process. Gamification allows us to define mechanisms that motivate people to develop specific tasks. A gamification framework was adapted to the particularities of an organization and software professionals to encourage motivation. Thus, it permitted to facilitate the adoption of SPI improvements and a higher success rate. The objective of this research was to validate the framework presented and increase the actual implementation of gamification in organizations. To achieve this goal, a qualitative research methodology was employed through interviews that involved a total of 29 experts in gamification and SPI. The results of this study confirm the validity of the framework presented, its relevance in the field of SPI and its alignment with the standard practices of gamification implementation within organizations.

Towards a Gamification Framework for Software Process Improvement Initiatives: Construction and Validation.

Virtual reality (VR) has challenged the way we perceive the world and user experience is being explored to achieve an immersive and effective experience. However, the commercial effects and impact of this technology lacks sufficient research. It is hence uncertain which role virtual reality has in information systems nowadays. This systematic literature review (SLR) focuses on the commercial impact of virtual reality and which field of study this technology is most used. To answer this question, a reference manual was used from literature review protocol standards and carried out. Results show that VR systems have a wide specter of applications and a significant potential for revolutionizing our everyday life in the digital world.

Virtual reality and its uses: a systematic literature review

Human factors are important in order to achieve outcomes which are consistent and aligned with organizational strategies and values. However, understanding how to successfully deal with human factors involved in a Quality Management System is a challenging issue. Therefore, there is a need to move beyond traditional mechanisms to manage human aspects. While much attention has focused on the motivation of people though gamification in recent years our mapping found that others human factors described in ISO 10018 such as communication, education, engagement and teamwork could be achieved. Nevertheless, getting the best out of people is not always easy and it is a challenge that cannot be ignored.

Eduardo Herranz

Papers

Gamification as a Disruptive Factor in Software Process Improvement Initiatives

Gamiware: A Gamification Platform for Software Process Improvement

Towards a Gamification Framework for Software Process Improvement Initiatives: Construction and Validation.

Virtual reality and its uses: a systematic literature review

Gamification and Human Factors in Quality Management Systems: Mapping from Octalysis Framework to ISO 10018