1. A computer-implemented method for providing automated process flow through trial stages in product development using a system comprising a processor and a memory encoded with program instructions, the program instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform, the method comprising: defining, using the processor, a structured data object to have object types, at least one recipe, and at least one formula; defining said object types to correspond to the trial stages, wherein trial stages are defined for laboratory tests, pilot production tests, and/or factory production tests; instantiating an instance of said structured data object, stored in the memory, from said data object definition according to the position of the process flow in the product development, wherein the data object definition provides multiple instances that correspond to the trial stages; specifying a type of said instance from one of said object types according to the position of the process flow; providing said recipe and/or said formula to a user according to the specified type; and directing the user through the trial stages in product development using at least one of the recipe or the formula, wherein said recipe comprises process flow instructions, said process flow instructions assigned to object types, and define a succession of object states.