A method for computerized industrial process control provides computers networked
to communicate with one another. Each computer active in the system is responsbile
for at least a portion of the process and at least one decision for a process to
be controlled and having an output. All activities are characterized by type, the
types of activities forming a universal set including sensing facts, linking facts
into a meaningful context, and evaluating meaning to formulate a decision. An entity
responsible for an assigned decision conducts a series of activities selected from
the three types, which may be applied recursively. Decisions are communicated between
computers through the system to control the process. Producing output from the
process follows according to a combination of decisions reported from each computer
corresponding to a responsible person or other entity. In various embodiments,
the process control may be hardware product development, manufacturing, chemical
composition processing, or data collection and processing such as from instruments
and machines or computerized information processes including employee evaluation.
