Developing Soft Skills in Project Management Education: A Narrative Review of Gamification Applications Based on Competency Standards

The paradigm of project management has shifted significantly in recent years, emphasizing behavioral and interpersonal competencies-often termed "Power Skills" or "People Competences" by leading standards such as PMI and IPMA-as equally critical to technical expertise. However, traditional pedagogical methods in higher education frequently struggle to effectively teach these dynamic soft skills. This paper conducts a narrative review to explore the application of gamification in project management education as a robust solution to this pedagogical gap. By synthesizing contemporary literature, the study maps specific gamification mechanics to established competency frameworks. The findings demonstrate that interactive branching narratives enhance stakeholder communication and negotiation, asymmetric cooperative challenges cultivate collaborative leadership, and time-pressured dynamic scenarios build resilience and conflict-resolution skills. While highlighting implementation challenges such as superficial "pointsification" and high development costs, the review concludes that pedagogically sound, competency-based gamified environments provide essential experiential learning. Ultimately, strategically designed gamification is not merely an educational trend, but a vital evolution in project management curricula, enabling the cultivation of adaptable and emotionally intelligent project leaders.

Keywords:

Project Management Education , Soft Skills , Gamification , Competency Standards , Experiential Learning , Power Skills