34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) - Singapore, Singapore - 2026

https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0125

A minimal-data toolkit for diagnosing loss of flow resilience in interior fit-out work

Ashan Senel Asmone1, Danny Murguia2, Zhengyang Ling3, Asitha Rathnayake4 & Campbell Middleton5

1Research Associate, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-2173-3890
2Assistant Research Professor, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0003-1009-4058
3Research Associate, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0005-6755-1741
4Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-1389-7801
5Emeritus Professor, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK, orcid.org/0000-0002-9672-0680

Abstract

This paper proposes and empirically tests a minimal flow performance measurement toolkit for construction fit-out works, designed to characterise flow stability, continuity, and vulnerability to schedule disruption using only routinely collected progress observations. The toolkit operates across activity, trade, and location-levels, requiring no detailed plans or bespoke data capture infrastructure. Drawing on lean construction flow theory and empirical evidence linking variability, discontinuity, and performance loss, the framework generates interpretable diagnostics available during project execution. A case study of interior fit-out works across 11 floors, 111 apartments, 21 activities, and 4 trades were selected. Weekly activity progress was captured using visual data analysed with computer vision. Results demonstrate that similar mean outputs can mask radically different flow patterns. Large schedule slippage is associated with extreme flow instability signatures rather than any single metric. The contribution is a standardisable, empirically grounded diagnostic toolkit that lowers the data and tooling barrier for flow-based performance assessment, supporting managerial sensemaking and early intervention rather than prediction.

Keywords

Flow, waste, production variability, Location-Based Management (LBM), Work in Progress/process (WIP).

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Asmone, A. S., Murguia, D., Ling, Z., Rathnayake, A. & Middleton, C.. (2026). A minimal-data toolkit for diagnosing loss of flow resilience in interior fit-out work. In Hamzeh, F., Poshdar, M., & Garcia-Lopez,, N. P. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) (pp. 1499–1510). https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0125

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Asmone, A. S., Murguia, D., Ling, Z., Rathnayake, A. & Middleton, C.. (2026). A minimal-data toolkit for diagnosing loss of flow resilience in interior fit-out work. IGLC34. https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0125

 

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