7.2.1-1 Representing Relationships Between Control System Components

The display capabilities of soft controls should allow users to quickly assess the status of individual components of a control system and their relationships with other components.

Additional Information:
Due to the limited size of the display devices used with soft controls, not all components of a control system may be visible to the operator at once. However, they should allow the operator to rapidly view relationships between functionally related components. For example, if a controller is part of a hierarchical control system, the operator should be able to see higher-level controllers that provide control inputs and lower-level ones that receive inputs. Rapid assessment of the control system's status should be supported by such features as displays that depict these relationships, and retrieval mechanisms that give rapid access to detailed information on individual control system components.