SourceXHow to identify valuable operational data before making a referral
Ask metadata-level questions about what the company documents, how much, over what period, in which systems and who owns it. Original, consistent, well-maintained, company-owned material is the strongest signal. You never need to see the content.
The five questions
- What kinds of work do they document? Procedures, projects, support, quality, finance.
- How much? Rough counts, such as hundreds of procedures or years of projects.
- Over what period? Consistent history is more useful than a single snapshot.
- Where is it kept? For example Google Drive, Notion or Salesforce.
- Who owns it? The company, rather than its clients or vendors.
Worksheet
| Signal | Strong | Weak |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Created in-house | Copied or generic templates |
| Consistency | Maintained for years | Sporadic |
| Structure | Organized, versioned | Scattered files |
| Rights | Clearly company-owned | Client or third-party content |
Red flags
- Mostly personal data about customers or employees
- Material created under client contracts
- No one able to authorize a discussion
Next step
If the signals are strong, introduce the company.
By SourceX Partnerships Team · Updated 2026-10-04
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