Survey links agile project management to sustainability outcomes among Pakistani IT managers

A three-wave, time-lagged survey of 302 managers in Pakistan’s information technology sector found that stronger agile project management capability was positively associated with more agile leadership, which was in turn associated with greater strategic agility. Strategic agility was positively associated with sustainable performance across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The observational study supports the proposed sequence statistically but does not establish that agile project management capability caused the reported outcomes.

Researchers developed and tested a sequential mediation model connecting agile project management capability, agile leadership, strategic agility, and sustainable performance. The model supported a positive indirect association between agile project management capability and sustainable performance through agile leadership and strategic agility. The findings suggest that the four constructs form a layered capability system in the surveyed organizations.

Managers reporting greater agile project management capability also tended to report more agile leadership. Agile leadership was positively associated with strategic agility, and strategic agility was positively associated with outcomes spanning economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Together, these paths provided statistical support for the proposed indirect relationship linking project-management capability to sustainable performance through the two intervening mechanisms.

Using data collected at three points in time helps the researchers represent the proposed order of the variables, rather than drawing all conclusions from responses given at a single moment. Nevertheless, the design remains observational. It cannot determine whether agile project management capability produces changes in leadership, strategic agility, or sustainable performance, nor can it rule out other factors that could influence those relationships.

The results therefore should be interpreted as measured associations rather than demonstrated causal effects. Scope is another important qualification. The evidence comes from managers working in Pakistan’s information technology sector, and the findings may not automatically apply to other industries, regions, or organizational settings.

Within these limits, the study offers a structured empirical account of how agile project management capability, agile leadership, and strategic agility were related to sustainable performance in the surveyed IT managers’ organizations.

Subject of Research: Survey analysis of sequential relationships among agile project management, agile leadership, strategic agility, and sustainable performance in Pakistani IT managers.

Article Title: Agile project management capability enhances sustainable performance through the sequential mediation of agile leadership and strategic agility

Article References: Arshad, R., Mirza, M. Z., Ullah, M., & Duraipandi, O. (2026). Agile project management capability enhances sustainable performance through the sequential mediation of agile leadership and strategic agility. Discover Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-04707-3

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s43621-026-04707-3

Keywords: agile project management, agile leadership, strategic agility, sustainable performance, Pakistan, information technology, survey research, structural equation modeling, organizational capability, Agile, project, management