Shared Mental Models, Team Adaptability, and Agile Project Success

Agile methodologies are widely adopted in software development projects; however, their effectiveness varies across contexts. Prior research has focused primarily on procedural routines, providing limited insight into the cognitive and behavioral mechanisms through which Agile practices enhance performance, particularly within emerging economies. This study investigates the mediating roles of perceived shared mental models and team adaptability in the relationship between Agile practices and team performance. Survey data were collected from 252 software professionals in Vietnam and analyzed using mediation analysis (PROCESS Model 4) with bootstrap resampling and robust standard errors. The findings indicate that Agile practices enhance team performance both directly and indirectly through perceived shared mental models and adaptability. By proposing a dual-pathway model of Agile effectiveness, this study advances Agile and project management research while offering practical implications for strengthening Agile adoption through shared cognition and adaptive capabilities.