In a method of configuring a host device in a process control plant to automatically perform an action or a set of actions includes, a workflow template is generated. The workflow template includes a sequence of one or more steps to be performed by the host device. Each of at least some of the one or more steps is selected from a set of predetermined steps. Then, an instance of the workflow template is generated at the host device. A trigger condition is generated for automatically triggering the instance workflow. The sequence of the one or more steps is executed in response to detecting the trigger condition.