Bridging the Gap : Understanding the Adoption of Gamification for Technical Debt Management in Agile Software Development

Abstract

Most software companies have adopted agile methodologies for their software development projects. Due to its delivery-oriented nature, Agile Software Development (ASD) is more prone to Technical Debt (TD) than traditional project management methodologies, as developers tend to prioritise short-term gains over long-term code quality. This practice can lead to challenges in managing the TD incurred, ultimately affecting the long-term software quality. Therefore, TD prioritisation is essential when implementing new features in agile projects. Despite the importance of Technical Debt Management (TDM) in ASD, the area still lacks systematic processes. TD is associated with less progress and wasted time and software developers are assumed to spend approximately one day a week repaying TD. Prior research has attempted to implement game design elements into the software development process to develop high-quality codes. These studies indicates that Gamification can be useful as a motivational tool for developers to manage TD in ASD. This study utilises a complementary mixed-method approach, comprising a quantitative questionnaire and qualitative interviews to investigate what affects software companies' Behavioural Intention to adopt Gamification for TDM in ASD. The study develops five hypotheses based on a proposed UTAUT-TTF model and emphasises the significant effect of Social Influence and Task-Technology Fit in facilitating the adoption of Gamification. This study presents potential implementation challenges and factors affecting Norwegian software developers' adoption intention towards Gamification for managing TD in ASD. Qualitative interviews are conducted to understand the underlying reasons for the results obtained from the quantitative data analysis. The main finding implies that managers should be aware of software development teams and their unique preferences and approaches for ASD. Managers should consider the purpose, challenges, and potential when introducing game elements and features to the development process. Careful consideration is essential for the game elements to be effectively integrated into TDM in ASD and successfully adopted by team members.