Abstract: Robotic machines, such as mobile manipulators, are controlled by a relatively high-level script while changes in the environment are accommodated by including parameters in the script. Sensors, manual inputs, and other software can be used as sources of data for setting the values of the parameters. The high-level script includes sets of instructions with each set defining movement of one portion of the robotic machine, such as a joint of the manipulator. The several sets of instructions are executed concurrently in a primary script. One or more secondary scripts, each containing concurrently executed sets of instructions may be executed when an abnormal condition is detected. The movements performed by the robotic machine are generally defined by the instructions, but precisely how the movements are performed is determined by the values of the parameters. By using parameterized scripts, it is unnecessary to compute and track trajectories.