Robotic Process Automation - A Systematic Mapping Study and Classification Framework

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) deals with the automation of rule-based process
tasks to increase process efficiency and to reduce process costs. Due to the utmost
importance of business process automation in industry, RPA attracts increasing attention in the scientific field as well. This paper presents the state-of-the-art in the
RPA field by means of a Systematic Mapping Study (SMS). In this SMS, 63 publications are identified, categorised, and analysed along well-defined research questions. From the SMS findings, additionally, a framework for systematically analysing, assessing, and comparing existing as well as upcoming RPA works is derived. The discovered thematic clusters suggest further investigations in order to develop a more elaborated structural research approach for RPA.