A process is only as effective as the people executing that process, and we all know that human behavior can be influenced with the use of incentives. One way to incentivize the correct following of a process, and to make the execution more enjoyable, is through the use of gamification. Gamification is proven to increase productivity in powerful ways, but relies on a strong process knowledge to ensure that a process based game is set up for success. In this meetup we discussed the concept of gamification, and how one might successfully gamify a process through process and incentive analysis.

1. Gamification and Incentivization for Driving
Business Processes
NYBPP Meetup (2/16/2017)
Highlights and Q&A

2. Agenda
I. Gamification and Incentivization for Driving Business Processes
– Gamification for Business Operations
– Associating Game Mechanics with Process and Value Drivers
– Mix Drivers to Promote Value Optimization
– Playing Games: Using Time as Another Incentive Layer
– Dashboard Visualization and Process Transparency
– Summary
II. Q&A
– Who decides what is value adding in a process in order to gamify it?
– Does gamification apply to software development, or IT in general?
– How can you gamify boring tasks or elements of compliance?
– How will gamification differ between generations in terms of effectiveness and
sustainability?

3. Gamification and Incentivization for Driving
Business Processes
Discussing the foundation of gamifying complex
business processes

4. Gamification for Business Operations
● Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game
principles in non-game contexts.
Gamification is based off an idea called flow: the mental state of operation in
which the person in the process of performing the activity is completely
immersed in a feeling of energized focus and enjoyment.
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5. Associating Game Mechanics with Process and
Value Drivers
How do we know what to gamify?
● Value drivers have to be derived from
your value chain.
○ Without knowing the value chain,
you risk creating a game that
disrupts, instead of enhances the
process.
● Once the value chain is identified, it should
be clear what the customer is paying for
within the operation.
○ It is these elements (typically speed,
cost, expertise, etc.) which must be
tied to game elements.
● The game should clearly promote play that
directly enhances a process’ value
proposition.

6. Mix Drivers to Promote Value Optimization
You need to properly balance a mixture or combination of gamified drivers, which adds a
more complicated layer to the equation!
Once you understand how to connect to value drivers, care must be applied to mix incentives in
order to optimize the entire value chain, not just parts of it.
You have to understand the relation of all the variables in the value chain and how you can
optimize all areas instead of sacrificing in one area to gain in another (e.g. speed over quality, or
cost over speed). Poorly balanced drivers can compromise value creation.

7. Playing Games: Using Time as Another Incentive Layer
What is the biggest element we add to operating processes by introducing gaming?
Time!
● You can change the dynamic of repetitive work by adding visualized tracking and
scoring over time
• This makes continued performance incentivized on a different dimension
• The same task can actually build a different goal when repeated over and over

8. Dashboard Visualization and Process
Transparency
What makes gamification so powerful?
Making a complete process and value chain transparent, which otherwise wouldn’t be easily visualized or
understood by staff doing small parts of it.
● Employees can see what they're doing and what their peers are doing, which promotes information
transparency between parties, flow, and collaborative optimization.
● Competition is really just the incentivization to draw on best practice from the bright spots in the
operation (which can be visualized for everyone to see through gaming).
● Also, staff can selectively see key value drivers of upstream or downstream processes.

9. Summary
• Dynamics can be added on top of “work” to make it more
enjoyable, achieving productivity increases in operations.
This approach is called gamification.
• Good game design is difficult because it relies on a clear
and accurate understanding of a process’ value chain and
individual drivers.
• Mixing and understanding different game drivers and how
they could impact process optimization is complicated, but
essential to making a game sustainable in the long term.
•Visualizing the game as much as possible is what will drive
participation, knowledge, collaboration, and results.

10. Q&A
Answering questions from the Meetup

11. Who decides what is value adding in a process in
order to gamify it?
You don’t!
● The customer always defines value and a process’
value chain is defined by the market spending money
on your process (or not).
● It is the job of a process professional to simply identify
(not define) what parts of a process are value adding
and non-value adding, which should serve as the
foundation for gamification.

12. Does gamification apply to software development, or
IT in general?
Yes.
● Gamification can be done to any process, and
software development, or IT more broadly, has as
much process as any other corporate department.
● This doesn’t mean we should gamify every aspect of
the SDLC or IT, as many of these processes are
project processes, which are less likely to provide
additional value from gamification (when compared to
operations).

13. How can you gamify boring tasks or elements of
compliance?
Incentivization.
● “Boring” is subjective, but if we think about “boring” as
highly tedious, repetitive, low-complexity tasks,
gamification can add incentives to perform the task in a
certain way over a time period, increasing complexity
and therefore making the task more engaging.
● Compliance is usually considered business non-value
add from a process perspective and should not be
considered as a value driver eligible for gamification.

14. How will gamification differ between generations
in terms of effectiveness and sustainability?
It won’t!
● While these two demographics are very different in
their perceptions, motivations, and subjective views,
the principles of gamifying based on the value chain
will remain the same, and add maximum value to
gamification efforts when carried out in a consistent
and disciplined way.

15. THANK YOU FOR COMING!
•Thank you so much for coming to our meetup – we hope to see you again
in future sessions and please don’t hesitate to post additional questions on
the group discussion board.
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