A system and method for determining a configuration of a process control system for a process plant, the process control system implemented as a set of function blocks, includes, for each of the set of function blocks, determining a configuration of the function block based on: (i) a set of outputs of the function block, (ii) logic of the function block, and (iii) a set of inputs of the function block. The system and method further includes generating, based on the set of configurations of the set of function blocks, a test cause and effect matrix (CEM) having a set of test causes and a set of test effects. The system and method further includes accessing a requirement-defining CEM having a set of causes and a set of effects. The system and method may also include comparing the test CEM to the requirement-defining CEM to determine whether a set of discrepancies exists.
