Intelligent process automation adoption: A systematic literature review and identifying research gaps for the Sri Lankan telecommunications context

This study systematically reviewed and synthesized the existing literature on Intelligent Process Automation (IPA) adoption, with a particular focus on identifying empirical, theoretical, methodological, and contextual gaps in the telecommunications industry, particularly in emerging economies such as Sri Lanka. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. From 192 identified articles published between 2020 and 2025 retrieved from Lens.org using the keywords “Intelligent Process Automation” and “IPA, irrelevant studies were excluded automatically and manually. The remaining 30 articles were retrieved and the content was assessed for relevance and and included in the analysis. Bibliometric and keyword co-occurrence analyses were performed using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny in RStudio to identify thematic clusters, research trends, and knowledge gaps for the 30 peer-reviewed empirical journal articles. The findings revealed two dominant thematic clusters: (1) enhancing business continuity through the evolution from Business Process Automation (BPA) to Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and IPA, and (2) accelerating digital transformation through AI-driven predictive analytics and machine learning. While IPA research shows significant annual growth (51.57%), studies are largely qualitative and concentrated in developed economies, with minimal focus on the telecommunications sector. Empirical and theory-driven quantitative studies remain limited, and contextual evidence from Sri Lanka is absent. The review is limited to articles indexed in Lens.org and published in English. The study highlights the need for theory-driven, quantitative, and industry-specific empirical research, particularly in telecommunications and developing countries. The findings guide managers and policymakers in leveraging IPA to improve operational efficiency, drive digital transformation, and ensure business continuity, while addressing adoption determinants and technological integration challenges. This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric and thematic synthesis of IPA adoption literature and uniquely identifies critical gaps in the telecommunications context, offering directions for future empirical research.