This paper proposes a foundational framework for establishing control over the software development process. Critical objectives stressed include (a) the complementary integration of maintenance and development activities, (b) the identification and definition of a (semi-) automated data collection and analysis process which employs quality indicators that are definitively linked to the existence of process and product attributes, and (c) the formulation and use of control methods that are designed to work within the defined automated process and to provide decision support capabilities. The significance and necessity of these objectives are established through an examination of the Abstraction Refinement Model, the Objectives/Principles/Attributes Framework and the Software Quality Indicator concept.