Digital transformation (DT) fundamentally reshapes how organisations operate, create value, and respond to complex environments through the integration of digital technologies. Beyond mere technical deployment, DT involves behavioural, strategic, and institutional changes. As these transformations are increasingly managed through projects and programmes, project management plays a pivotal role, not only in delivering these transformations but also in enabling them. However, the relationship between DT and project management remains fragmented and insufficiently explored. This paper addresses this gap by systematically reviewing 66 peer-reviewed articles using a qualitative thematic coding approach informed by sociotechnical systems theory. The analysis reveals four interrelated themes: methodologies and the sociotechnical integration of digital tools, misalignments in sociotechnical interfaces, governance and leadership, and industry- or project-specific transformation trajectories. Based on these findings, the paper proposes three key future research agenda: (1) embedding digital tools through methodological mediation and governance integration, (2) governance and leadership as strategic enablers, and (3) advancing sector-specific insights into DT. By offering a structured synthesis and a theory-driven research agenda, this review contributes to a more integrated understanding of how DT unfolds within project-based contexts and lays the groundwork for future interdisciplinary research.

Digital transformation (DT) requires organizations to navigate complex technological and organizational changes, often under conditions of uncertainty. While agile methodologies are widely adopted to address the iterative and cross-functional nature of DT, limited attention has been paid to identifying critical success factors (CSFs) from a socio-technical systems (STS) perspective. This study addresses that gap by integrating and prioritizing CSFs as interdependent elements within a layered socio-technical framework. Drawing on a systematic review of 17 empirical and conceptual studies, we adapt Chow and Cao’s agile success model and validate a set of 14 CSFs across five domains—organizational, people, process, technical, and project—through a Delphi-informed Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The findings reveal that organizational and people-related enablers, particularly management commitment, team capability, and organizational environment, carry the greatest weight in agile-based DT contexts. These results inform a three-layered framework—comprising organizational readiness, agile delivery, and project artefacts—which reflects how social, technical, and procedural factors interact systemically. The study contributes both theoretically, by operationalizing STS theory in the agile DT domain, and practically, by providing a prioritized CSF model to guide strategic planning and resource allocation in transformation initiatives.