Digital Twin Feasibility Plan & Value Checklist

Project name

A concise name that identifies the line, cell, or asset (e.g., 'Line 3 Press Stacker Twin').

Responsible owner (name & role)

Who will be accountable for the pilot and the go/no-go decision (include role).

Hypothesis: What operational decision will the twin enable?

Describe the specific decision or class of decisions the twin is expected to improve (e.g., faster root-cause isolation, shift-level scheduling adjustments, predictive maintenance actions).

Primary outcome metric

The single most important metric you will measure to determine value (e.g., mean time to repair, first-pass yield, throughput minutes/hour, % unplanned downtime).

Baseline value (current) for primary metric

Numerical baseline or short description of current state (include measurement period).

Target value (expected with twin)

Realistic target for the primary metric that would justify the pilot investment.

Why will the twin produce this improvement? (brief rationale)

Explain the causal chain (e.g., better root-cause leads to faster repairs, which reduces downtime).

Required signals / data elements

Select the signals expected to be required. Add others in 'other_signals'.

Timestamped production counts

Equipment status / state tags (running, idle, fault)

Sensors: vibration / temperature / pressure

Process parameters (speeds, feeds, pressures)

Alarms and fault codes

Quality measurements / inspection results

Maintenance history / work orders

Other required signals (free text)

List any additional data elements not covered above.

Where does each signal come from? (systems, tags, files)

Identify the concrete sources (PLC tags, historian, MES tables, CSV exports, vision system outputs). Note owners and access constraints.

Required data frequency

How often must data be available for the twin to be useful?

Data readiness & quality checklist

Confirm the minimum data readiness items. Check those that are true today.

Data is accessible via a documented endpoint or export

Signals have reliable timestamps and can be synchronized

Sufficient historical data exists for initial model training

Coverage across shifts and operating modes is adequate

Quality events are labelled or traceable

Signal definitions and units are documented and consistent

Modeling and analytics required

Describe the types of models (physics-based, statistical, anomaly detection, digital process twin, hybrid), required fidelity, and whether off-the-shelf algorithms may suffice.

Required integration points

List systems to integrate for data in, decisions out, or visualization (e.g., MES, CMMS, SCADA, operator HMI, scheduler). Identify whether the integration must be read-only or must support action triggers.

Safety, compliance or operational constraints

Note safety, regulatory, or process constraints that limit the twin’s actions or who can act on its outputs (e.g., no automated actuation without human-in-the-loop).

Pilot scope (which line / asset / shift / time window)

Keep scope narrow and clearly bounded to reduce risk and cost.

Pilot duration (days)

Suggest a short, practical horizon (e.g., 30–90 days) that allows measurement but limits cost.

Estimated build effort (person-days)

Include data engineering, modeling, integration, and validation effort. Provide conservative estimate.

Estimated pilot cost (USD)

Include any third-party licenses, sensors, contractor time, and internal labor estimates.

How will ROI be estimated? (simple calculation)

Describe the calculation or assumptions (e.g., reduced downtime minutes * labor cost per minute - pilot cost).

Risk rating (1 = low, 5 = high)

Operational, data, integration, or safety risk to run the pilot or to act on the twin's recommendations.

1.0 10.0

Pilot success criteria (check all that apply)

Define measurable acceptance criteria that must be met to consider the pilot successful.

Primary metric meets or exceeds target

Twin produces actionable alerts with acceptable false-positive rate

Required integrations function reliably

Operators/engineers accept the twin's outputs in trials

Model outputs are stable and explainable

Pilot stays within estimated budget

Do you currently meet the minimum of 3 success criteria above?

Answer yes only if at least 3 criteria are expected to be satisfied by the proposed pilot.

Preliminary go / no-go recommendation

Based on the plan and estimated ROI/risk, choose a preliminary recommendation. Final decision should be made after pilot results.

Go to pilot

Conditional go (address specific gaps first)

No go (do not pilot now)

Recommendation rationale and required actions before pilot (if any)

Explain why you recommended this and list any concrete actions required before launching (e.g., add sensors, grant data access, schedule operator time).

Sign-off (name & role)

Person who will sign the final go/no-go after pilot completion.

Notes & next steps

Capture immediate next steps, meeting cadence, and who will prepare pilot artifacts (data extracts, integration tickets, model specs).

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Digital Twin Feasibility Plan & Value Checklist

Digital Twin Feasibility Plan & Value Checklist

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