New & Noteworthy: Agile Engineering Collaboration

Authentise introduces Threads, a new software tool for distributed communications and project management. The company says the new tool uses digital thread technology to create a new collaborative suite that sits alongside existing engineering and project management systems. 

The company says Threads “helps transform R&D and industrial engineering teams into innovative engines with more fluid operations demanded by today’s increasingly distributed environments.” 

Key features described by Authentise include: 

• Cross-functional work thread collaboration: Create, search, follow and link work threads across engineering teams and partners with real-time structured communication, chat and notification. 
• Shared knowledge repository: Threads offers a shared repository for all key data, resources, goals and metrics required for work thread execution, including tacit knowledge (experience), resources and project context. 
• Collaborative digital decision making: The software tracks and manages all processes related to efforts, insights, actions, decisions, and resolutions. 
• Continuous learning and improving: Threads allows all users to share full history of work, discussions, issues, decisions, actions, and metrics. 

Authentise says a leading surgical robotics company is an early user of Threads. This company reports being “up to speed” with the software in 30 minutes. Within 2 weeks they were seeing a 1.5x ROI on their investment by tracking 100% of their R&D decisions digitally. This manufacturer estimates it saved 150 hours and 20 meetings across a distributed team during those 2 weeks. 

Amit Visrolia is chief of Digital Engineering for the National Composite Centre. He says, “Authentise Threads provides us with a place for people to communicate and for data to be connected. With Threads, decision processes and their context are captured, which is critical to our ability to demonstrate certifications. Essentially, with Threads we have a people and communication work chain.” 

“Despite the noise about the need to be more agile, it is clear there is a relative lack of software solutions available today to support R&D, industrial engineering and manufacturing to actually accomplish this agility. If there definition and simulation of product and process is digital, then there is no reason we cannot adopt similar processes to those pioneered in software development, and to move at digital development speeds.” 

Authentise Threads is available directly from Authentise. A demonstration may be booked here.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.