Project stakeholder engagement through gamification: what do we know and where do we go from here?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how gamification may be used for project stakeholder engagement.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents the results of a systematic literature review of extant research concerning the gamification of projects. Based on this, an agenda for future studies is outlined.FindingsExtant research on the gamification of projects is scarce and scattered among various disciplines, but the engineering fields dominate. The research performed does indicate that gamification may be used for involving stakeholders in projects, primarily by promoting learning, but also by engaging them, motivating action and solving problems.Research limitations/implicationsIn several cases, extant research display poor quality in research design and a lack in cross-disciplinary perspectives, which means that more research is needed. The users’ perspective is often lacking. Furthermore, the ideas gamification might be “hidden” within other technologies.Practical implicationsThe findings of this research may assist project management practitioners in the endeavor of adopting gamification principles to better involve stakeholders.Originality/valueThe study fills a gap in summarizing the research on how gamification may be used to promote project stakeholder engagement. Based on this, it proposes a research agenda for future research on the use of gamification to promote project stakeholder engagement.