StepHow and Hoban Construction Launch AI-Powered Initiative to Streamline Construction Document Workflows

AI software company StepHow is collaborating with Hoban Construction on an open innovation project aimed at improving the efficiency of document-based workflows in the construction industry. The collaboration follows StepHow’s Excellence Award at the 2026 Hoban Next Startup Competition.

The two companies plan to evaluate an AI-powered work environment designed to make more effective use of the vast amount of document data accumulated throughout construction projects, while jointly developing AI use cases tailored to the construction industry. Construction projects continuously generate a wide range of documents—including contracts, construction schedules, technical review materials, reports, and settlement documents—making it time-consuming for employees to locate and utilize the information they need.

The pilot project will utilize Wissly AI, StepHow’s AI RAG Agent service. Hoban Construction’s operational teams will identify challenges encountered in actual workflows and define AI application scenarios and evaluation criteria. Based on these requirements, StepHow will build an AI-powered document search and analysis environment to assess its productivity gains and practical applicability in real-world operations.

Wissly AI is an AI-powered document workflow solution that enables organizations to analyze and utilize their internal documents. It preprocesses and indexes various file formats, including PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and HWP, and provides relevant information in response to users’ natural-language queries. In addition to document search, Wissly AI supports document summarization, comparative analysis, data extraction, and document generation.

Key areas of evaluation include contract condition reviews, construction progress tracking, technical document retrieval, and report creation—document-intensive tasks that frequently occur in construction operations. The two companies will assess the impact of AI adoption by focusing on reduced document search time, fewer repetitive tasks, and improved access to information, with plans to gradually expand the scope of application.

Through this collaboration, StepHow aims to go beyond simply applying AI technology and evaluate how AI can create tangible value within real-world construction workflows. Together with Hoban Construction, the company plans to develop AI use cases specifically tailored to the construction industry, helping transform accumulated corporate document assets into greater productivity, more efficient decision-making, and stronger organizational competitiveness.