A rule-based design methodology for solving control problems is presented. For the representation of various constraints, activities, and other dependency properties of the control problem, abstract Petri nets (APNs) which are an extended form of Petri net modeling are used as a specification and formalism tool which can be analyzed using the analysis techniques of Petri-net-based models. The APN provides a compact, consistent, and verifiable description of the dynamic behaviour of the system under consideration in a structured mode. The proposed design methodology supports specification, validation, and analysis through high-level interaction with the modeled system. The various steps which were taken towards the development of such a design paradigm are explained. An example which shows the APN modeling of an elevator system is given.>