Title: Qualitative research approach to gain an in-depth understanding of the use of heuristics in project risk management of agile projects

Authors: Anand Lokhande

Addresses: Imagilytica Leadership Consulting LLP, Bhuvaneswarinagar, BSK 3rd Stage, Bengaluru – 560085, KA, India

Abstract: The nature of complexity and pace of software development projects managed using agile methodologies acquire a high-risk potential due to their inherent nature. The risks that a project faces can change over time; hence risk management should be able to adapt to these changes. Risk management practices in agile projects differ from project to project and the project circumstances like the product requirements, experience of the project manager and the skills of the team members. The paper highlights, through exploratory and qualitative research and data analysis, the importance of heuristics in risk management activities. Through systematic literature review and qualitative research, the paper provides all project management practitioners with an understanding on how heuristics approach plays an important role in risk management practices. The primary purpose of this paper is to study how the risk management process in agile software development projects is impacted by heuristics based on certain parameters.

Keywords: agile project management; risk management; heuristics optimisation approach; risk mitigation; project management; project risk management; heuristics-based risk management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAOM.2026.154439

International Journal of Advanced Operations Management, 2026 Vol.17 No.2, pp.109 - 125

Received: 18 Nov 2024
Accepted: 14 Jun 2025
Published online: 29 Jun 2026 *

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