This disclosure relates to a method and device for the operation of a combine harvester with multiple work elements for harvesting a crop via a driver assistance system. In one example implementation, a method for operating such a combine harvester includes determining separately a harvest setting for the crop and a machine configuration of the combine harvester, preselecting a process control strategy among a plurality of process control strategies based on the harvest setting and machine configuration wherein each of the plurality of process control strategies is aimed at fulfillment of at least one harvesting quality criterion stored in the memory of the combine harvester, and automatically determining at least one machine parameter for the work elements of the combine harvester according to the preselected process control strategy and controlling the work elements corresponding to the at least one machine parameter.