Method for the computer-aided processing of state notifications in an automation system, wherein the state notifications are generated by a multiplicity of components (M-1, M, M+1) during execution of an automated process in the automation system and are acquired with their generation times (t0, t1), wherein a state notification is generated by a respective component (M-1, M, M+1) upon a change from a previous to a new state (O, S, T, IE) and displays the new state (O, S, T, IE), wherein a pattern description is provided for a respective component of at least some of the components (M-1, M, M+1) of the automation system, which pattern description indicates in each case one or more causative states (O, S, T, IE) for one or more states (O, S, T, IE) in the respective component, which causative states are assigned to the corresponding state (O, S, T, IE) in the respective component, wherein each causative state (O, S, T, IE) belongs to a component (M-1, M+1) other than the respective component and may be a cause for the state (O, S, T, IE) in the respective component to which the causative state (O, S, T, IE) is assigned, wherein the following steps are performed for the respective component: a) for a multiplicity of state notifications generated by the respective component, in each case based on the pattern description for the current state (O, S, T, IE) in the generated state notification, those causative states (O, S, T, IE) that are assigned to the current state (O, S, T, IE) and that are present in other components (M-1, M+1) at the generation time of the state notification are ascertained, along with those causative states (O, S, T, IE) that are assigned to the current state (O, S, T, IE) and from which there was a change in the last state change that occurred in a respective other component (M-1, M+1) before the generation time of the state notification, wherein, for each causative state (O, S, T, IE), the propagation time (Δt) between the occurrence of the respective causative state (O, S, T, IE) and the generation time of the state notification is calculated; b) groups (PO1, PO2) are formed from the causative states (O, S, T, IE) that were ascertained in step a) for the respective component, wherein all causative states (O, S, T, IE) in a respective group have at least the common feature whereby they were ascertained for the same current state (O, S, T, IE) in the respective component; c) one or more statistical parameters (P1, P2,..., P5) are ascertained from the propagation times (Δt) that belong to the causative states (O, S, T, IE) of the same group (PO1, PO2) and stored. a) for a multiplicity of state notifications generated by the respective component, in each case based on the pattern description for the current state (O, S, T, IE) in the generated state notification, those causative states (O, S, T, IE) that are assigned to the current state (O, S, T, IE) and that are present in other components (M-1, M+1) at the generation time of the state notification are ascertained, along with those causative states (O, S, T, IE) that are assigned to the current state (O, S, T, IE) and from which there was a change in the last state change that occurred in a respective other component (M-1, M+1) before the generation time of the state notification, wherein, for each causative state (O, S, T, IE), the propagation time (Δt) between the occurrence of the respective causative state (O, S, T, IE) and the generation time of the state notification is calculated; b) groups (PO1, PO2) are formed from the causative states (O, S, T, IE) that were ascertained in step a) for the respective component, wherein all causative states (O, S, T, IE) in a respective group have at least the common feature whereby they were ascertained for the same current state (O, S, T, IE) in the respective component; c) one or more statistical parameters (P1, P2,..., P5) are ascertained from the propagation times (Δt) that belong to the causative states (O, S, T, IE) of the same group (PO1, PO2) and stored.