A communication service manager (CSM) apparatus for monitoring a communication network is provided. The CSM receives configuration instruction message from a higher-level device, and creates or modifies a set of tasks based on the configuration instruction message. The CSM is thus configured to interact with data provider devices to obtain specific information, process the information, and report the results of the processing operations toward a specified device or database. The data provider devices monitor network operations and may include network functions and data analytics manager (DAM) functions. A format for configuration instruction messages, for configuring the CSM, is also provided.