El-Khatib, A and Salhieh, S M (2026) Interconnected success factors for offsite modular construction in developing economies: A fuzzy-DEMATEL approach. International Journal of Construction Management, 26(3), pp. 445-469. ISSN 1562-3599
Abstract
Offsite modular construction (OMC) is emerging as a sustainable and efficient solution to meet the demand of rapid urbanization while mitigating the environmental consequences of traditional construction methods. Despite the success of OMC in several developed regions, its adoption in developing countries faces unique challenges influenced by context-specific factors. This study investigated the critical success factors driving the success of OMC in developing countries and focused on the interconnectedness among these factors to identify the major causative factors. The study adopted a multistage methodology guided by Fuzzy-DEMATEL to identify and evaluate the interconnectedness of twenty-five specific factors relevant to the local context, categorized into seven generic principal factors that are universally applicable to modular construction projects. The findings revealed that human resources management (relation value = 0.967) and early stakeholder engagement (relation value = 0.376) are key causal factors, while cost control and procurement emerged as critical effect factors. The results provide insights for policymakers and practitioners aiming to promote OMC while offering a replicable methodology for assessing the success factors in other contexts.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | developing countries; fuzzy-DEMATEL; offsite modular construction; success factors |
| Index terms: | developing country, face, developing economy, success factor, human resource, cost control, modular construction, methodology, practitioner, critical success factor, urbanization, traditional construction, stakeholder engagement |
| Subjects: | management, health monitoring assessment and metrics, financial and cost management, control systems, community and social dimensions, heritage and conservation, building construction, development economics, economic development, research methods, urban planning, psychology, practitioner |
| Topics: | Project Management, Health and Safety, Human Resources, International Construction, Design Practice, Organizational Design, Research Practice, Cost Management, Construction Technology, Governance, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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