1. A method of flexibly configuring a process plant, comprising: receiving, at a computing device, a user input indicative of a modification to a current parent process object from which a current child process object is derived, the current child process object corresponding to a specific element of the process plant, and the specific element operating according to an instantiation of the current child process object to provide a function corresponding to one or more processes being controlled in the process plant; modifying, by the computing device and based on the user input, the current parent process object to generate a modified parent process object, including modifying the current child process object to generate a modified child process object corresponding to the specific element; storing, in a data storage entity coupled to the computing device, the modified parent process object as a draft modified parent process object and the modified child process object as a draft modified child process object corresponding to the draft modified parent process object; preventing, by the computing device, the draft modified child process object from being instantiated; receiving, at the computing device, a user indication to publish the draft modified child process object to generate a published modified child process object; and causing, by the computing device, (i) the published modified process element to be instantiated, and (ii) the instantiation of the published modified process element to be delivered, using a communication link, to the specific element of the process plant so that the specific element operates, during run-time, according to the instantiation of the published modified child process object.