1. At a computer system, the computer system including an executive service and a repository that stores models, a method for processing a model-based command for a distributed application, the method comprising: an act of receiving a command request for a distributed application, wherein the command request includes a command reference to a command definition model that defines a corresponding command and that identifies a workflow model, wherein the command request also includes a reference to an application model for the distributed application that is a declarative model that describes the structure and behavior of the distributed application by defining general operations of one or more modules in the distributed application, and wherein the command request indicates that the corresponding command is to be implemented for the application model; an act of creating a command record for the received command request in the repository, wherein the command record stores information related to implementing the command request; an act of identifying the workflow model from the command definition model, wherein the workflow model describes how to implement the received command request for the application model by defining a set of pre-defined activities configured to interoperate to implement the command request for the application model; an act of accessing the workflow model from the repository; an act of creating an instance of the workflow from the workflow model, wherein the workflow instance has a command ID and includes the set of pre-defined activities configured to interoperate to implement the command request for the application model; an act of storing the command ID in the command record; an act of submitting the application model reference to the workflow instance to initiate the workflow instance for the distributed application; and an act of recording information related to the behavior of the workflow instance within the command record as the workflow instance implements the command request for the application model and for the distributed application.