Abstract: A method for providing an operational context-based desktop environment for a physical system. The method includes displaying a desktop comprising a plurality of regions, each of the plurality of regions representing a different operational context of the physical system, and wherein the plurality of regions include visual indicia corresponding to their operational context, visual indicia of one or more active graphical user interfaces corresponding to the operational context and visual indicia of dynamic operational data corresponding to the operational context. The method further includes enlarging the active graphical user interfaces corresponding to the operational context of the region, responsive to user activation of a first region. The plurality of regions can be arranged according to a physical layout of the physical system or as a flow sheet reflecting an order of process steps for a process run by the physical system.