AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE OF TELECOMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Project managers and organizations seek to adopt varying project methodologies and practices to achieve the best outcomes in tandem with emerging issues and challenges. This study examined the effect of agile project management practices on performance of telecommunication infrastructure projects in Nairobi City County, Kenya. It sought to examine the effect of value-based work prioritization, and iterative development on performance of telecommunication infrastructure projects in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study was anchored on the following theories: Scrum theory, utility theory, Complexity Theory, and Theory of Change. This study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population for the study was 123 project managers and field engineers. A sample size of 94 respondents drawn from the target population was used. Stratified random sampling was employed to select respondents. The study collected primary data by means of questionnaires. The pilot study was done in Nairobi County where the researcher administered the questionnaire to 9 respondents from the 3 randomly selected telecommunication projects. These respondents were not included in the final study. From the pilot study, the results showed that the internal consistency of the variables was above the accepted 0.7 value. Thus, the instrument was reliable. Based on the output of Pearson's correlation, p-values obtained from the dependent variable and predictors were less than 0.05. Hence, it was concluded that there was a significant relationship between the independent and dependent variables and that they were valid. From the findings, the tolerance for all the variables was more than 0.1 and the VIF less than 5; therefore, there was no need for further investigations to assess for multicollinearity. Based on the output of the One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test, the p-value on value-based prioritization was 0.20, the Agile project team was 0.20, iterative development was 0.20, and agile quality management was 0.20, and it was concluded that the data of all the variables were normally distributed since the p-value is more than 0.05. The Scatterplot output indicated that the spots were diffused and did not form a clear specific pattern. Thus, it was concluded that the regression model did not have a heteroscedasticity problem. Finally, the Durbin-Watson test reported a test statistic, with a value that showed a value of 2.277, denoting the absence of autocorrelation. The regression analysis revealed significant beta coefficients for each variable, indicating their unique impact on the performance of telecommunication infrastructure projects in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Specifically, value-based work prioritization (β = 0.341, p < 0.05), iterative development (β = 0.524, p < 0.05), showed positive associations with project performance. These findings suggest that incorporating these practices into project management frameworks can improve project outcomes. Therefore, the study recommends that organizations prioritize value-driven approaches, foster agile team structures, implement iterative development processes, and emphasize agile quality management practices to enhance the performance of telecommunication infrastructure projects in Nairobi City County, Kenya.

Key words: Value-Based Work Prioritization, Iterative Development, Performance