THE IMPACT OF AGILE AND LEAN PROJECT MANAGEMENT APPROACHES ON CRISIS RESPONSE AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY IN RWANDA

In response to the pressing need for resilient project management strategies during crises, this study investigates how Agile and Lean approaches enhance crisis response and business continuity in Rwanda—a nation that experienced over 52% of government project disruptions during 2019–2023. Justifying its relevance, the study addresses gaps in traditional project frameworks that proved ineffective during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The research aimed to assess the measurable impact of Agile and Lean methodologies across sectors like ICT, manufacturing, healthcare, and public administration. Utilizing a descriptive and explanatory design based solely on secondary data, the study analyzed reports from over 50 organizations using statistical techniques such as correlation and regression analyses in SPSS. Major findings reveal that Agile adoption significantly reduced crisis response times by up to 50%, with a regression coefficient β = –0.62 (p = .001, R² = 0.42), while Lean adoption reduced operational downtimes by up to 20%, with β = 0.58 (p = .001, R² = 0.56). A strong overall correlation was found between Agile and Lean adoption and improved business continuity (r = 0.70–0.75), and an inverse correlation with crisis response time (r = –0.60 to –0.65). The study concludes that hybrid Agile-Lean models yield the highest project success rate (85%) and effectiveness scores (4.6/5), underscoring their synergistic value. These findings imply that integrating Agile and Lean methods can transform Rwanda's public and private sectors into more resilient and adaptive systems. Consequently, the study recommends national adoption of hybrid models, institutionalized training programs, and embedding of adaptive project frameworks into policy and practice.Keywords: Agile Project Management, Lean Thinking, Crisis Response, Business Continuity, Rwanda.