When you think about it, a large percentage of currently installed PCSs provide only
limited information regarding normal operation. It is up to the operator to search out
those trends and critical variables and use intuition, experience, and insight to determine
how normal things really are. As simple as it is to say, this is a difficult task to do. Not many
of us can do it; even fewer can do it well enough to consistently manage even everyday
problems. To make matters more difficult, plants are becoming more complicated, production
requirements more demanding, and qualified personnel harder to justify and retain.