Connections from the design to the service content can be implicit or explicit. There are reasons why an organization may choose one or the other, or both.

Different organizations will benefit from using implicit verses explicit linking. And, for more complex products the implicit links will work better because they are automatic and do not require detailed knowledge of both the content and the design. Whichever method, or combination of methods is used, the Digital Thread improves the content by providing associativity to multiple aspects of the product lifecycle.