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Discuss your brief with AxistraA new resource for the first conversation
An automation inquiry starts with a production question: what needs to change? Axistra’s new, free project brief turns that question into 11 practical prompts. Available in English and Bulgarian, as a printable PDF and an editable text file, it helps your team collect the details needed for a productive first discussion.
The template is intended for an initial inquiry about a new application or an existing installation. You can use it for one machine, a process or a group of connected systems. Answer what you know; a complete engineering specification is not needed to begin the discussion.
Put your objective and starting point into words
What would you like to change, and why is it a priority now? The opening questions invite you to describe the process and the reason for the inquiry in your own words. A short explanation of the difficulty or opportunity gives the discussion a clear starting point.
If a current value or recurring observation is already known, include its source and period. Label estimates as estimates and leave unknown values open. What outcome would matter to your team? Record that outcome as a goal to discuss, keeping it separate from the current situation.
Make equipment and platform preferences visible
Which machines and systems are involved? What equipment is already present, and do you have a preferred control or supervisory platform? The template gives these details their own space, including a place to distinguish an established company requirement from an option you would like to explore.
For PLC and control-system engineering, start with the process, current equipment and available documentation. The brief also makes room for SCADA, DCS, BMS and drives. Tell us which platforms your team knows and which choices remain open; technology selection follows the application, compatibility and your preferences.
Identify the roles and constraints
Who needs to contribute to the discussion? The template asks for the relevant roles or departments, such as production, maintenance or IT, and who can clarify requirements or approve access. Names and personal details are not needed in this working document.
What conditions already shape the inquiry? Record known timing, space, access or production constraints, and a budget framework if one has been defined. Distinguish a firm restriction from a preference. If a date is provisional or depends on another decision, include that context so it can be discussed.
Give unanswered questions a place
Which documents are available, and what still needs to be established? List relevant drawings, equipment lists or process descriptions with their dates where known. At this stage, identifying a document can be enough; its availability and permission to share it can be clarified separately.
The final question gathers the decisions you want help exploring. These might concern the boundary of the work, an existing platform preference or the information needed for a next discussion. “Not yet known” is a useful answer. It leaves the question visible without filling the gap with an assumption.
Download, complete and start your inquiry
Download either language version included with this publication and save a copy. Add short answers beneath the 11 questions, keep the points that apply to your task and mark the rest as unknown or not applicable. The two files follow the same structure for teams working across languages.
Use your completed brief as the basis of an inquiry to Axistra through our contact page. You can paste the relevant answers into your message. The template supplies a starting structure; project scope, engineering choices and commercial terms remain topics for the subsequent conversation.