1. A method for process automation, comprising: monitoring one or more workstations including monitoring screen contents and user actions at the workstations by executing a screen scraper module to obtain a dynamically updated current set of character and graphical information from screens of the workstations that includes user-entered data and retrieved screen data; analyzing the current set to identify monitored functional events; defining focal states as sequences of functional events, wherein the current set comprises time intervals associated with the user actions, respectively and the sequences of functional events of at least a portion of the focal states include the time intervals; generating one or more facilitating scripts associated with respective ones of the focal states, wherein the facilitating scripts each provide one or more automatic actions; matching a sequence of the monitored functional events to the sequence of functional events of one of the focal states; and applying the one or more automatic actions of the facilitating script associated with the one focal state; wherein said steps are implemented in either: computer hardware configured to perform said steps, or computer software embodied in a non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage medium.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , including adapting a facilitating script including: evaluating a cost function of a system to which a facilitating script is applied; and adapting a facilitating script to improve the cost function.