This paper discusses the implementation and development of Digital Visual Management (DVM) systems to support decision-making and situational awareness among construction workers. The research identifies challenges associated with traditional Visual Management (VM) methods and explores the potential of DVM solutions like Info Screen and ActorLeap. Key findings are presented highlighting how DVM can enhance information distribution, transparency, and overall task performance on construction sites

Charlesraj, V. Paul C.

Görsch, Christopher

Hakkarainen, Mika

Kiviniemi, Markku

Liinasuo, Marja

Rainio, Kari

Salonen, Tuisku-Tuuli

Siltanen, Pekka

van den Brink, Robert

English

VTT Research System

This document is downloaded from theVTT Research Information Portalhttps://cris.vtt.fiVTThttps://www.vttresearch.comVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland LtdP.O. box 1000FI-02044 VTTFinlandBy using VTT Research Information Portal you are bound by the following Terms &Conditions.I have read and I understand the following statement:This document is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, andduplication or sale of all or part of any of this document is not permitted, except duplicationfor research use or educational purposes in electronic or print form. You must obtainpermission for any other use. Electronic or print copies may not be offered for sale.VTT Technical Research Centre of FinlandDigital Visual Management Enhancing Construction Site Decision-MakingKiviniemi, Markku; Liinasuo, Marja; Görsch, Christopher; Salonen, Tuisku-Tuuli; Hakkarainen,Mika; Rainio, Kari; Siltanen, Pekka; Charlesraj, V. Paul C.; van den Brink, RobertE-pub ahead of print: 21/05/2025Document VersionPublisher's final versionLink to publicationPlease cite the original version:Kiviniemi, M., Liinasuo, M., Görsch, C., Salonen, T.-T., Hakkarainen, M., Rainio, K., Siltanen, P., Charlesraj, V.P. C., & van den Brink, R. (2025). Digital Visual Management Enhancing Construction Site Decision-Making.Paper presented at 12th International Workshop When Social Sciences meets Lean and Digital Technologies,Lafayette, IN, United States. Advance online publication.Download date: 04. Aug. 2025 1 DIGITAL VISUAL MANAGEMENT ENHANCING CONSTRUCTION SITE DECISION-MAKING  Markku Kiviniemi1, Marja Liinasuo2, Christopher Görsch3, Tuisku Salonen4, Mika Hakkarainen5, Kari Rainio6, Pekka Siltanen7, V. Paul C. Charlesraj8, Robert van den Brink9 ABSTRACT This paper discusses the implementation and development of Digital Visual Management (DVM) systems to support decision-making and situational awareness among construction workers. The research identifies challenges associated with traditional Visual Management (VM) methods and explores the potential of DVM solutions like Info Screen and ActorLeap. Key findings are presented highlighting how DVM can enhance information distribution, transparency, and overall task performance on construction sites. Keywords: Digital Visual Management, Construction, Situational Awareness, Task Performance INTRODUCTION The construction industry is characterized by its complexity and the dynamic nature.  Effective communication and decision-making on-site is crucial for high performance.  VM methods aim to communicate information clearly and effectively, based on faster and easier to process visual information (Greif 1991). However, it often falls short in addressing the complex work environment, leading to fragmented information flows (Reinbold et al., 2020).   1  Senior Scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, markku.kiviniemi@vtt.fi, ORCID: 0000-0003-3512-9894 2 Senior Scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, marja.liinasuo@vtt.fi, ORCID: 0000-0003-0070-1926 3 Senior scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, christopher.gorsch@vtt.fi, ORCID: 0000-0001-9632-4031 4 Research Scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, tuisku.salonen@vtt.fi, ORCID: 0000-0002-9528-1735 5 Senior scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, mika.hakkarainen@vtt.fi, ORCID: 0009-0004-9855-1931 6 Senior scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, kari.rainio@vtt.fi, ORCID: 0009-0000-0056-7566 7 Senior scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, pekka.siltanen@vtt.fi, ORCID: 0009-0001-0292-910X 8 Senior Lecturer, Department of Design and Architecture, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Huddersfield, UK, p.c.vasantharaj@hud.ac.uk, ORCID: 0000-0002-9868-3350 9  Research Scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finland, robert.vandenbrink@vtt.fi, ORCID: 0009-0006-3078-4784 Enhancing Construction Site Decision-Making Through Digital Visual Management  2 LITERATURE REVIEW Managing task performance in construction predominantly relies on traditional management practices based on, e.g., document deliveries and verbal communication (Ballard 2000). Here, workers organize and plan their activities autonomously focused on individual task planning and control practices, allowing to navigate on-site conditions (Görsch et al. 2023). Improved information flows and decision-making are expected to enhance productivity by increasing the proportion of value-adding work time and reducing waste.  VM aims to improve decision-making in production through improved information flows based on easy-to-understand and quickly provided visual information (Galsworth 1997). VM is an intrinsic ingredient to lean production and has been developed through practitioners’ efforts point solutions (Koskela et al. 2018). Due to such developments its implementations are limited, particularly in construction (Tezel & Aziz, 2017). Additionally, VM faces challenges such as outdated information and the suboptimal placement of VM devices which can hinder effective communication and workflow efficiency (Tezel et al., 2011). The increasing trend towards digitalization presents an opportunity to develop more integrated VM solutions that cater to the dynamic needs of construction workers (Tezel & Aziz, 2017, Pedó et al., 2022, Kiviniemi et al. 2024, Reinbold et al. 2024).  RESEARCH METHOD The research approach involved a literature review, interviews with construction workers, and validation through expert workshops. Interviews with 11 drywall installers provided practical insights into the challenges and needs on construction sites. The findings were further discussed and refined in 3 expert workshops with research consortium members and industry partners, ensuring the feasibility and relevance of the DVM requirements. The literature review identified 188 requirements for DVM systems, which were clustered into 11 key requirements.  The analysis involved validating them through expert workshops. The interviews were analysed to identify common challenges and needs among construction workers. The combined insights from these sources informed the development of DVM requirements and the design of solutions like Info Screen and ActorLeap. FINDINGS Interviews with drywall installers (Liinasuo et al., 2023) revealed that many challenges on-site can be addressed through DVM. Workers expressed, e.g., the need for up-to-date task-related information and highlighted difficulties arising from language barriers. DVM systems can mitigate these issues by providing visual information that transcends Markku Kiviniemi, Marja Liinasuo, Christopher Görsch, Tuisku Salonen Mika Hakkarainen,  Kari Rainio, Pekka Siltanen, V. Paul C. Charlesraj, Robert van den Brink  3 language differences and supports efficient task performance. All the above-mentioned results led to the development of two solutions, Info screen and ActorLeap. Info Screen is a touch display developed to provide real-time, role-specific information to construction workers. It mainly uses visual means such as colour and symbols to convey information, using this way VM principles. It displays task statuses, material locations, and no-go areas, enhancing situational awareness and decision-making on-site.   Figure 1: Info Screen key features End-user Testing Results: End-user testing (Kiviniemi et al., 2024) involved one-hour interviews at a construction site with four carpenters performing drywall installation. The average rating for information quality was 4 out of 5, and usability was rated at 3.25 out of 5.   The testers found Info Screen useful and easy to use, with positive feedback on the clarity and relevance of the information provided. The statuses and symbols used to present the situation in different work locations, especially one seen as especially unclear, elicited the most discussion.   The testers were inquired how acceptable it would be that the device identified the users’ identity or work role.  That is needed for providing tailored information to users. Contrary to researchers’ expectations, the testers did not object to this, stating that, e.g., the site is already equipped with cameras.  ActorLeap (VTTAugmentedReality, 2024) is an augmented reality solution developed to provide visual support for construction tasks. It includes features like path guidance, measuring tools, and virtual notes attached in 3D environment; information is mostly mediated by visual means instead of written sentences, in accordance with VM principles. The application was developed for the Magic Leap 2 augmented reality (AR) headset, allowing users to select and interact with the aligned 3D content of BIM that is augmented in a view of real environment of the construction site.  Enhancing Construction Site Decision-Making Through Digital Visual Management  4  Figure 2: Example of ActorLeap augmented view at site End-user Testing Results: ActorLeap was tested in one-hour testing sessions in a construction site, utilizing the real situation at the site, by four carpenters, who rated its usefulness at an average of 9.6 out of 10 and usability at 7.75 out of 10.  Testers appreciated the guidance and measurement features as well as the possibility to leave virtual notes at the site, noting that they improved task efficiency and coordination among workers. Floorplan, made visible in the augmented world, raised positive comments the most. Floorplan is frequently needed in carpenters’ work so its constant and not-intruding presence would support work highly.   Testers also noted that AR glasses were not heavy to wear but that as the sides of the device prevented from seeing to the sides, it would be better to integrate the glasses with safety glasses or visor. All testers preferred, perhaps due to unfamiliarity with other methods, a remote control as the means of controlling the system, the method used in the test. CONCLUSIONS The present results are preliminary; testing the tools in real work instead of interviews would provide more trustworthy and detailed results regarding the practical benefits and development needs of the tools. By addressing the challenges associated with traditional VM methods and incorporating workers' perspectives, DVM solutions can improve information distribution, transparency, and overall task performance. Further research and development are necessary to refine these systems and ensure their widespread adoption in the construction industry.  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project has received funding from Business Finland’s Low Carbon Built Environment program, which receives funding from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. Markku Kiviniemi, Marja Liinasuo, Christopher Görsch, Tuisku Salonen Mika Hakkarainen,  Kari Rainio, Pekka Siltanen, V. Paul C. Charlesraj, Robert van den Brink  5 REFERENCES Ballard, H. G., 2000. The last planner system of production control. Birmingham: The University of Birmingham. Galsworth, G.D. (1997), Visual Systems: Harnessing the Power of Visual Workplace, AMACOM, New York, NY. Görsch, C., Seppänen, O., Peltokorpi, A., & Lavikka, R. (2023): Task planning and control in construction: revealing workers as early and late planners, Construction Management and Economics, DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2270080. Greif, M. (1991), The Visual Factory: Building Participation through Shared Information, Productivity Press, Portland, OR. Koskela, L., Tezel, A., and Tzortzopoulos, P. (2018). Why visual management? Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction. DOI: 10.24928/2018/0527. Kiviniemi, M., Charlesraj, V. P., Liinasuo, M., Siltanen, P., & Rainio, K. (2024) Digital Ino Screen – a visual management tool for construction workers. Proceedings in the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, 41, 489-496.  Liinasuo, M., Salonen, T. - T., & Görsch, C. (2023) Drywall installers’ work demands – tackling between normal duties and absurd challenges. Proceedings of the European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics 2023,1-8.  Pedó, B. et al. (2022). Visual Management Requirements to Support Design Planning and Control within Digital Contexts. Sustainability, 14(17).  Reinbold, A., Seppänen, O., & Peltokorpi, A. (2020). The Role of Digitalized Visual Management to Empower Self-managed Crews in Construction Projects. Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction. DOI: 10.24928/2020/0021.  Reinbold, A., Lappalainen, E., Uusitalo, P., Seppänen, O. & Peltokorpi, A. (2024). Implementing digital visual management: A case study on challenges and barriers. Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction. DOI: 10.24928/2024/0112. Tezel, A., & Aziz, Z. (2017). Visual management in highways construction and maintenance in England. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 24(3), 486-513.  Tezel, A., Koskela, L., & Tzortzopoulos, P. (2011). An examination of visual management on Finnish construction sites. Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, 115-124.  VTTAugmentedReality. (2024, September 12). Visual support for building and construction work with Augmented Reality [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8f6DQM7BAs  

Digital Visual Management Enhancing Construction Site Decision-Making

https://cris.vtt.fi/files/117346076/Enhancing_Construction_Site_Decision-Making_Through_Digital_Visual_Management_ACTOR_updated_rev2_.pdf

Digital Visual Management Enhancing Construction Site Decision-Making

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

VTT Research System