Abstract: Taking market-driven as the starting point, the process of forward design of heavy-duty gas turbine control systems, as well as main tasks, design methods and verification technologies, were put forward. The technical difficulties and corresponding solutions were analyzed in details. Based on engineering practices of indigenous heavy-duty gas turbine development, a complete forward design system for control systems was summarized. Results show that the proposed methodology ensures the design quality, and as a result, safety, availability, reliability, economy and operational flexibility of heavy-duty gas turbines are improved. The first indigenously developed heavy-duty gas turbine prototype achieved the first trial success of ignition, ramp-up and synchronization tests. The control system played a crucial role, which validated the effectiveness of this forward design methodology.