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Prefabricated construction has been widely accepted as an alternative to conventional cast-in-situ construction, given its improved performance. However, prefabricated concrete building projects frequently encounter significant delays. It is, therefore, crucial to identify key factors affecting schedule and explore strategies to minimise the schedule delays for prefabricated concrete building projects. This paper adopts the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) model and analytic network process (ANP) method to quantify the cause-and-effect relationships and prioritise the key delay factors in terms of their importance in the Chinese construction industry. The DEMATEL model evaluates the extent to which each factor impacts other factors. The quantified extents are then converted into a prioritisation matrix through ANP. The delay factors of prefabricated construction projects are selected and categorised based on a literature review and an expert interview. Questionnaires are then implemented to collect the data. The results reveal that the issue of inefficient structural connections for prefabricated components is found to be the most significant factor and most easily affected by other delay factors. This research also suggests prioritising major delay factors, such as 'lack of communication among participants' and 'low productivity', in the Chinese construction industry during scheduling control. Overall, this research contributes an assessment framework for decision making in the scheduling management of prefabricated construction. developed to meet the requirements of sustainability and housing demand in China [14]. China has also embarked on several initiatives to promote prefabrication [15]. However, in comparison to conventional on-site construction, there are also notable disadvantages that should be considered, such as structural changeability, transportation restrictions, and span limits [16]. In particular, prefabricated concrete construction requires increased and more detailed coordination at all stages of a project (because of more construction phases, more complicated construction techniques, and more stakeholders), which increases the difficulty in progress monitoring and planning for construction management tasks.Unlike the traditional construction methods, researchers and engineers are advised to pay particular attention to schedule risks of prefabrication construction projects before the construction stage [17]. For example, Li et al.[18] utilised a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process approach for ranking project risks associated with modular construction. The results revealed that the control schedule in the design stage is an important factor with respect to project duration owing to a relatively high weighting value. Also, few studies have investigated stakeholder-related risks and their cause-and-effect relationships prior to the construction stage. Therefore, Li et al.[17] employed a social network analysis to recognise and investigate the underlying network of stakehol...

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International audienc