A device for managing and configuring field devices in an automation installation with a configuration tool that is designed to physically detect a field device in the automation installation, to logically incorporate it into the automation installation and to configure it in the automation installation, the configuration tool communicating with the field devices and ascertaining the device status thereof on a regular cycle. In order to visualize the validity of a device status ascertained in the past, each field device may have, in the configuration tool, an associated device status symbol whose appearance changes dynamically on the basis of the time elapsed (t1, t2, t3) since the time (t0) of the last update of the device status.