A system and process is provided for dynamically positioning or repositioning a robot in a surgical context based on workspace and task requirements, manipulator requirements, or user preferences to execute a surgical plan. The system and method accurately determines and indicates an optimal position for a robot with respect to a patient's anatomy before or during a surgical procedure. Optimal positions for a robot are intuitively indicated to a user, surgical procedures can illustratively include surgery to the knee joint, hip joint, spine, shoulder joint, elbow joint, ankle joint, jaw, a tumor site, joints of the hand or foot, and other appropriate surgical sites.