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

https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0255

Speech-to-update BIM: a lean, voice-enabled workflow for real-time site progress capture

Avi Singhal1 & Sahil Garg2

1Post Graduate Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), New Delhi, India, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0000-0702-840X
2Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), New Delhi, India, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-1303-3288

Abstract

Progress reporting on construction sites is often separated from digital model updating by several manual handling steps. Information is first noted in the field, later transcribed into reports or spreadsheets, and only afterwards reflected in BIM environments. This sequence introduces delay, repeated data handling, and opportunities for error, all of which conflict with Lean Construction principles that emphasize flow and reduction of non-value-adding activities. This paper examines a voice-enabled reporting workflow designed to shorten this information pathway. Instead of periodic transcription, site personnel communicate progress through natural speech, allowing updates to be recorded digitally with minimal intermediate handling. The work is presented as a process intervention rather than a technology deployment. A functional prototype is used to illustrate representative use situations, and the workflow is analysed in terms of reporting cycle compression, administrative effort, and relevance to production control practices such as the Last Planner System. The findings suggest that speech-based reporting can reduce reporting effort while helping project teams maintain more up to date visibility of site progress.

Keywords

Lean construction, visual management, digital twin, voice user interface (VUI), real-time monitoring.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Singhal, A. & Garg, S.. (2026). Speech-to-update BIM: a lean, voice-enabled workflow for real-time site progress capture. 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. 204–213). https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0255

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Singhal, A. & Garg, S.. (2026). Speech-to-update BIM: a lean, voice-enabled workflow for real-time site progress capture. IGLC34. https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0255

 

Founded in 1993, the IGLC is an international network of researchers from practice and academia in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) who feel that the practice, education, and research of the AEC industry have to be radically renewed in order to respond to the global challenges ahead.

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