Framework to implement customer driven product development approach for Sri Lankan furniture design industry

Abstract

Framework to Implement Customer Driven Product Development Approach for Sri Lankan Furniture Design Industry There are two major management approaches in the global product development industry: top-down and bottom-up. There is a product development approach called, “New Product Development”. This new bottom-up approach is already practiced in most developed countries. The elementary approach of this system is based on customer integration to product development. The involvement on the process has not been specified. But customers can involve throughout the design to implementation stages. There is another approach called customer driven approach, which takes place among internet communities. Those are called “virtual communities”. In those virtual communities, people gather all over the world. They share the knowledge, giving their ideas and comment on improvements. However, there is only few people from a Sri Lankan base can be seen in those gathering platforms. So, there is a need to identify this gap prior to introduce those new methodologies into the Sri Lankan furniture industry. There are more literature published under those specified subjects and focused on product development. Those indicate some identified barriers, risks and restrictions when implementing those new methods to different cultural contexts. Some of them have solutions and some of them not. Therefore, it is necessary to identify those critical factors related to Sri Lankan culture before implementing it to local furniture design and manufacturing industry. A properly composed framework is needed for guidance.