1. A method for graphically defining an alert condition for a signal waveform in a policy-based automation system, wherein the signal waveform corresponds to a metric for an object monitored by the policy-based automation system, the method comprising: pictorially displaying on a display device a portion of the signal waveform including one or more impulses for which the alert condition is to be defined, wherein the portion of the signal waveform is displayed on a graph in an alert definition graphical user interface (GUI) on the display device; displaying a plurality of alert parameter user interface elements with the portion of the signal waveform displayed on the graph in the alert definition GUI, wherein each alert parameter user interface element represents a different one of a plurality of alert parameters for the signal waveform, wherein a position of each alert parameter user interface element relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI corresponds to a particular value for the respective alert parameter, and wherein the position of at least one of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI specifies a state change of the signal waveform at which the alert condition is raised to alert the policy-based automation system that the metric for the object monitored by the policy-based automation system indicates a condition of the object to which the policy-based automation system is to respond; displaying a plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements in the alert definition GUI, wherein each of the plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements corresponds to a different one of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements, wherein each of the plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements is configured to receive user input to manipulate the position of a corresponding one of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI; receiving user input to at least one of the plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements to manipulate the positions of corresponding ones of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI, wherein manipulating the position of an alert parameter user interface element causes a corresponding change in the value of the associated alert parameter; and generating an alert definition for the policy-based automation system that specifies the alert condition from the values of the plurality of alert parameters associated with the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements; wherein the policy-based automation system is a computing environment management system.