A method for monitoring an industrial automation system comprising: operating the automation system by executing a plurality of control processes with an electronic controller, each of the plurality of control processes being configured to control one or more physical elements of the automation system; determining, with the electronic controller: a sequence (A-B-C-D) of alarm events for each of a plurality of time intervals during execution of the plurality of control processes using an alarm event database, one of the sequences of alarm events including a first alarm event of a plurality of alarm events and a second alarm event of the plurality of alarm events, a first count of the first alarm event, a second count of the second alarm event, whether the first count and the second count each exceed a support threshold value corresponding to a minimum number of alarm event occurrences, a third count of a sub-sequence of the sequences of alarm events including the first alarm event followed by the second alarm event in response to determining the first count and the second count exceeds the support threshold value, a ratio of the third count to the sum of the first count, the second count, and the third count, and whether the ratio exceeds a display threshold value; and displaying, when the ratio exceeds the display threshold value, the sub-sequence on an operator-perceptual display using a plurality of visual alarm components to represent the first alarm event and the second alarm event. operating the automation system by executing a plurality of control processes with an electronic controller, each of the plurality of control processes being configured to control one or more physical elements of the automation system; determining, with the electronic controller: a sequence (A-B-C-D) of alarm events for each of a plurality of time intervals during execution of the plurality of control processes using an alarm event database, one of the sequences of alarm events including a first alarm event of a plurality of alarm events and a second alarm event of the plurality of alarm events, a first count of the first alarm event, a second count of the second alarm event, whether the first count and the second count each exceed a support threshold value corresponding to a minimum number of alarm event occurrences, a third count of a sub-sequence of the sequences of alarm events including the first alarm event followed by the second alarm event in response to determining the first count and the second count exceeds the support threshold value, a ratio of the third count to the sum of the first count, the second count, and the third count, and whether the ratio exceeds a display threshold value; and a sequence (A-B-C-D) of alarm events for each of a plurality of time intervals during execution of the plurality of control processes using an alarm event database, one of the sequences of alarm events including a first alarm event of a plurality of alarm events and a second alarm event of the plurality of alarm events, a first count of the first alarm event, a second count of the second alarm event, whether the first count and the second count each exceed a support threshold value corresponding to a minimum number of alarm event occurrences, a third count of a sub-sequence of the sequences of alarm events including the first alarm event followed by the second alarm event in response to determining the first count and the second count exceeds the support threshold value, a ratio of the third count to the sum of the first count, the second count, and the third count, and whether the ratio exceeds a display threshold value; and displaying, when the ratio exceeds the display threshold value, the sub-sequence on an operator-perceptual display using a plurality of visual alarm components to represent the first alarm event and the second alarm event.