This template is part of the network change acceptance guide. It gives a network automation integrator a short, forwardable handoff that the operator can pass to whoever approves data discussions. Copy the blank lines, fill them from what you already know, then confirm with the network operations head.
Template: the eight lines of a network change brief
Fill each bracket. Write "unknown" where nobody knows yet; that is more useful than a guess.
- Operator: [type of provider], about [number] full-time employees at peak, operating in [countries], records in [language].
- Tools: change requests in [ITSM tool]; test results in [test system]; maintenance notes in [where]; saved configs in [archive]; inventory in [tool].
- Years covered: change records since [year]; test results since [year]; config history [how long kept per device, or since year].
- Scale: roughly [range] changes a year; roughly [range] with a linked incident or emergency change.
- Linkage: test runs [are / are not] tagged with the change number; incidents [are / are not] linked to changes.
- Owners: [role] administers the change tool; [role] the test system; [role or contractor] wrote most test plans and notes.
- Open question and dates: [the rights question nobody can answer yet]; [retirement date from the project plan, or "none set"].
- Who decides: [role] to convene; the CEO, with [counsel], to approve a licensing discussion.
Lines 4 and 5 tell a reviewer whether exception history exists and can be followed. The cross-system map explains why the change number tag matters so much. Line 6 flags contractor-authored material early, which saves a round of questions later.
A completed brief for a 210-person regional carrier (Illustrative)
The provider and every figure below are fictional, showing the level of detail to aim for.
| Line | Entry |
|---|---|
| 1. Operator | Regional carrier selling business connectivity and managed WAN, about 210 full-time staff at peak, U.S. only, records in English |
| 2. Tools | ServiceNow change module; legacy test automation server; maintenance notes in the change record; config archive; legacy inventory system |
| 3. Years covered | Change records since 2016; test results since 2019; saved configs kept 90 days per device |
| 4. Scale | Roughly 4,000 changes a year; a few hundred a year with a linked incident or emergency change |
| 5. Linkage | Test runs tagged with change number since 2021; incidents linked by a related-record field |
| 6. Owners | Change manager for ServiceNow; network test lead for the test server; an outside contractor wrote templates since 2023 |
| 7. Open question and dates | Whether contractor-written notes and customer circuit data can be included; test server and inventory retire in the final stage of the upgrade program, date not yet set |
| 8. Who decides | Head of network operations to convene; CEO, with general counsel, to approve |
ServiceNowTwo entries deserve a second look. "Kept 90 days per device" means older configuration history is already gone, which is worth knowing before anyone overstates the archive. "Date not yet set" is honest; inventing a deadline would be fake urgency.
Turning the brief into a short note
Many integrators send the brief as a few sentences rather than a table. The same Illustrative facts, written as a note to the head of network operations:
Subject: change acceptance history before the upgrade program
Your upgrade program retires the test server and inventory system that hold much of your change history: change requests and approvals since 2016, test results since 2019 and maintenance notes, with test runs tagged by change number since 2021. Some changes passed testing and still needed follow-up, and those carry the clearest reasoning. Open question: whether contractor-written notes and customer circuit data can be included. Could you confirm the retirement date once it is set and introduce your CEO, who would approve a data licensing discussion?
The note asks for two things only: a date and a name. It does not ask for files, and it does not describe any specific change.
Five things the brief must not contain
| Leave out | Why | Write instead |
|---|---|---|
| Customer names or circuit IDs | Customer information belongs to the operator and may be legally protected | "Some changes affected business customers" |
| Configs, IP addresses or topology | Security sensitivity | The tool name and years only |
| FCC outage report details | Part 4 filings are presumed confidential | "Some incidents were reportable" if the operator says so |
| A specific incident story | The operator decides what to share | The pattern, in general terms |
| Invented deadlines | Fake urgency damages trust | The date in the project plan, or "none set" |
The first row needs the most care. Where the operator is a telecommunications carrier, federal law treats information about the technical configuration, type, location and amount of use of a customer's service as customer proprietary network information under 47 U.S.C. 222. Whether that reaches any given change record is for counsel; the brief simply never carries it.
Where the brief goes next
The head of network operations forwards it to the executive in line 8. If the operator applies, SourceX reviews eligibility, rights and fit with that authorized contact; the decision tree shows who that is likely to be. Until then, nobody knows whether buyers want change acceptance history, what the contractor terms allow, how much customer information must be removed, or whether an offer follows.
The introduced company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), documented operating history, rights to license and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English. Partners sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting introductions; the first valid introduction within the 90-day window is credited when the company submits a verified application.
To decide which operators to approach first, use the business network shortlist worksheet. Building a referral network as a consultant covers the habits that make briefs like this routine, and integrators with contacts outside the U.S. can read building a U.S. referral practice from an international network.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
When the eight lines are filled and none of the five exclusions slipped in, register as a partner, confirm the operator on who qualifies and read the program terms before sending the brief.