What Is A Digital Thread?

What is a digital thread?

A digital thread is an end-to-end digital representation of a product’s lifecycle, connecting people, processes, and data across the entire value chain. It provides a single source of truth for product information that can be used to track and analyze the product’s performance, drive innovation, and optimize operations.

This term has many definitions across the internet but for our purposes it is referring to links or "threads" between softwares which automatically send/receive data.  While this data push or pull can be done manually or automatically, the important part is that the variable mappings between the parameters from one software properly interfaces/hooks to the parameters in the next software.   An example would be the thread between Cameo and Matlab.  After this integration, or "Thread", has been made, data can be seamlessly passed from one software to the other and back.  Cameo can send Matlab inputs and which function to run, the Matlab solver computes all the lines of code within the function with the Cameo inputs, and Matlab returns the outputs back to Cameo. 

What does it take to implement a digital thread?

To successfully implement a digital thread, organizations need to establish a clear understanding of the product’s lifecycle, create and maintain a single source of truth, and ensure that all stakeholders in the value chain are connected. Organizations should also ensure that their data is secure, easily accessible, and can be used to generate insights and actionable information. Finally, organizations should invest in tools and technologies to enable data sharing and collaboration across the entire value chain.