Towards a better blockchainification of supply chain applications

Abstract

A supply chain ecosystem is a collection of complex asynchronous events. Blockchain has already found commercial applications in the SC domain, particularly in product tracing and verification. However, there is a lack of uniformity in these approaches. Application-generated data cannot be accessed across the supply chain ecosystem, resulting in data silos. Data silos reduce the opportunity for supply chain process optimizations. This paper does not propose any supply chain solution but a generic framework primarily aimed at reducing the communication gaps among the stakeholders and application developer(s) to build quality solutions. The ideal readers are who want to blockchanify their existing supply chain applications. The proposed framework can add real value to the organization by developing effective SC solutions satisfying application requirements. The framework consists of four stages. In the first stage, it extracts the application requirements and then maps on blockchain following an asynchronous mode of communication among the stakeholders and application developer(s). Next, it discusses how it can combine technologies to achieve the requirements stated in the first stage. Later, it discusses how to perform effective data management. Finally, it proposes a four-stage software build method that can lead to an efficient SC solution. The primary aim of this framework is to reduce communication gaps during solution development and ensure smooth operational data movement across the SC ecosystem, thanks to blockchain. The software development process also embeds eight essential features for a quality solution. The paper is concluded by discussing the technical challenges. • Proposes a generic framework to develop quality supply chain applications. • Framework aims at reducing the communication gap by proposing a communication model. • Framework also aims at reducing data silos by smartly processing data while integrating blockchain with other technologies (such as Internet-of-Things, and Machine Learning). • Finally, the framework recommends a four-stage software build method to develop a production-grade supply chain application.