Verifying practical design on furniture industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to draw a picture on the reality of furniture industries in relation to management practices for project design of new products. Design/methodology/approach – In order to do so it was developed a multiple case study in three companies of the sector located in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul. This study was based on verification criteria focussing on project’s lifecycle. Findings – As a result, it was possible to detect major faults from the organizations examined, it was found that processes are analyzed in a non-formalized and non-standardized way and, thus, restricting the integration of the projective stages, which reduced the quality of the final product. Originality/value – From the results obtained in the multiple case study, it was possible to propose actions managerial characteristics that demonstrate the process of design of new products as a result of an operational standard, integrated with the management practices of the organization.