This paper constitutes an innovative attempt to analyse the risks and negative phenomena dependencies within a project portfolio. Based on the available literature, the risks and negative phenomena (that is, the problems with the availability of resources, interpersonal conflicts, irregularities in the portfolio balance, etc.) specific to a project portfolio were identified. Theoretical constructs were then used to connect the identified risks with the negative phenomena. Structural equations were used to confirm the existence and quality of these constructs, as well as models describing connections between phenomena. The determination of the structural equations also provided a setting in which statistical methods (χ², RMSEA and CFI) could be used to investigate the level of fit of the constructs and models to the empirical data.

Drawing on leadership theory, this research verified what makes shared leadership an effective form of leadership for agile project teams, and whether using it influences the outcomes achieved by such teams as well as the more distal outcomes. Survey data were collected from 251 members of agile project teams implementing projects of an iterative and incremental character. Structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was adopted to test the hypotheses. Our research confirms that shared leadership is an effective form of leadership for agile project teams whose members are empowered to engage in leadership functions or processes. The findings confirm a positive direct impact of shared leadership on the performance of agile project teams and indirect impact on project efficiency and effectiveness. The research results also confirm the influence of project team–related contextual moderators on shared leadership inputs and outputs. The study contributes to leadership theory in the plural leadership research stream and confirms the shift from individual leadership to collective leadership as a result of the growing popularity of the agility paradigm.

The subject of this article is project portfolio risk categorisation. Research conducted indicated categories containing the most probable and significant risks. The research described in this paper was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, the relevant literature was reviewed and the Delphi method was used to identify 36 risks specific to a project portfolio. In the second stage, the respondents (project portfolio managers) assessed the probability of each risk occurring and the impact of that risk on the objectives of the project portfolio. The empirical data obtained in this way made it possible to conduct an exploratory factor analysis and to identify the risk categories of the project portfolio. The presented results may also contribute to a broader discussion concerning the validity of identifying project portfolio risks and how to categorise them. The results may be useful for further discussion on the empirical confirmation of three categories of portfolio risks proposed by the Project Management Institute.

W artykule podjęto problematykę podejścia adaptacyjnego do zarządzania projektami. Celem artykułu jest analiza zakresu stosowania podejścia adaptacyjnego z uwzględnieniem zwinnych metodyk zarządzania i powiązanych z nimi narzędzi. Analiza została przeprowadzona na poziomie organizacji, projektu oraz zespołu. Zastosowaną metodą badawczą była analiza danych ilościowych. Uzyskane wyniki pozwoliły na określenie korzyści osiąganych przez organizacje stosujące adaptacyjne podejście do zarządzania projektami oraz wskazanie trendów, jakim podlegały najczęściej wykorzystywane metody skalowania zwinnego, metodyki zarządzania projektami zwinnymi oraz powiązane z nimi techniki i narzędzia.