Work Control Framework (WCF) and Work Control System (WCS)
Last updated: June 13, 2025
Author: Marc Ragsdale
1. Purpose of This Declaration
This document establishes the original authorship, ownership, and use policy for the Work Control Framework (WCF) and the associated product category, the Work Control System (WCS). It serves as the public source of truth for how these terms may be referenced, used, or implemented by individuals, organizations, and software developers.
2. Authorship and Ownership
The Work Control Framework (WCF) is a body of original intellectual work developed by Marc Ragsdale, encompassing a philosophy of structured work management, along with models, terminology, diagrams, and system logic for organizing modern teams and tasks. The WCF has been developed over more than two decades and is the foundation for a new category of work software and practice.
The term Work Control System (WCS) was also coined and defined by Marc Ragsdale to describe a new class of software products designed to implement and operationalize the WCF philosophy.
I retain full intellectual property rights, authorship credit, and moral ownership over both the WCF and WCS definitions.
3. Open Use and Attribution Policy (WCF)
The Work Control Framework is made available to the public under the following conditions:
- Open Use: Individuals, researchers, software developers, and organizations may study, reference, and build upon the WCF freely.
- Attribution Required: Any public, academic, commercial, or software use of the WCF (or its substantial derivatives) must credit Marc Ragsdale as the original author and link to WorkControl.org.
- Non-Exclusive Use: No individual or company may claim exclusivity over the WCF or prevent others from referencing or building upon it in good faith.
4. Use of the Term “Work Control System” (WCS)
“Work Control System” (WCS) is a trademark-in-progress and represents a defined software category. While others are encouraged to build systems that align with WCF principles and use the term “WCS” to describe them, the following guidelines apply:
- Proper Use: The term WCS should only be used for tools, systems, or platforms that meaningfully implement or align with the principles of the Work Control Framework.
- Respect for Origin: Any use of the WCS label must acknowledge that the term was originated by Marc Ragsdale and defined through the system architecture outlined on WorkControl.org.
- Commercial Products: Products claiming to be WCS-aligned may be asked to provide a public explanation or implementation summary to ensure alignment with WCF principles.
- Official trademark registration is pending. Unauthorized or misleading use of the WCS label in commercial contexts may be challenged under applicable trademark law.
5. Future Evolution and Community Participation
WorkControl.org will continue to publish versions, refinements, and extensions of both the WCF and WCS definitions. Others are welcome to contribute ideas, analysis, and tools, provided they respect the attribution and category boundaries outlined here.
For proposed collaborations, licensing questions, or commercial engagements, please contact: marcragsdale@hotmail.com.
6. Summary
The Work Control Framework is an open, structured, and principle-based philosophy for managing work in the modern age. The Work Control System defines the software architecture and category derived from that framework. Kaamfu is the first implementation of this system, but the ecosystem is open. This declaration ensures that the core ideas remain accessible and properly credited, even as adoption grows and new tools emerge.
…