The advantages are derived from a cost-reduced managed entity configuration of various communications network equipment having diverse makes, models, and software releases. Expertise of highly trained analysts is employed in a time-efficient manner to write discrete parameterized configuration script templates for maximum re-use, thereby reducing the number of scripts that they are required to maintain and deploy with each update. Script execution dependencies and version information associated with script templates enable script dependency checking, script version control, and customization of scripts for target managed entity reducing exposure to errors in performing managed entity configuration tasks. Network management personnel with little or no command line interface configuration knowledge merely select and populate parameters for scripts required to perform required configuration tasks enhancing configuration management cost-effectiveness. Faster support for new managed entities and features is provided via the configuration task specific script templates.