A method may include obtaining, in real-time, well data regarding a wellbore and drilling fluid data regarding drilling fluid circulating in the wellbore. The method may further include determining, based on the drilling fluid data, a plastic viscosity (PV) value and a yield point (YP) value regarding the drilling fluid. The method may further include determining, based on the well data and the drilling fluid data, an equivalent circulating density (ECD) value of an annulus of the wellbore. The method may further include determining a hole cleaning efficiency (HCE) value based on a hole cleaning model, the PV value, the YP value, and the ECD value. The method may further include determining an adjusted rate of penetration (ROP) value for a drilling operation in the wellbore based on the HCE value and a current ROP value. The method may further include transmitting a command to a drilling system that produces the adjusted ROP value in the drilling operation.