Researchers have become interested in agile approaches to information systems development, because of their potential to improve product quality and increase productivity. While often associated with project orchestration in software development, agile methods have a wider potential application within ICT4D.Our interest, in this research, is to explore how practitioners in developing countries describe factors that either enable or impede the adoption of agile information system development methods. We chose Lebanon to investigate this question, because it is a center for outsourcing software development in Middle Eastern countries. We employed a qualitative research approach by conducting 31 semi-structured recorded interviews with practitioners in three Lebanese software development companies. We employ an analytical model which interlinks institutional theory, the capability approach, and ICTs to explore creating software using agile methodology.The analysis revealed positive reinforcement between three factors that improve the effectiveness of agile methods including the inclusive and detailed sprint planning, rich variety of stakeholder communication tactics, and teams that embrace a rich variety of communication technologies that overcome challenges presented by geographical distance. On the other hand, we also discovered impediments to agile adoption including team and management misunderstandings of agile methodology and the current political and economic crisis in the country.The model revealed the low investment of companies in ICT. The lack of knowledge of agile ceremonies roles and artefacts created gaps in the implementation process. Also, the model highlighted bottlenecks that should be crucially tackled such as the lack of customer involvement and risk mitigation towards external factors.