Employee Scheduling FAQ

About 2 minutes for a complete monthly schedule. Manual rostering typically takes 3 to 5 days per month. The CP-SAT solver loads staff, qualifications, shifts, daily requirements and constraints, then explores thousands of valid combinations in a single pass across all functional groups.

A mathematical method that finds the best assignment satisfying all rules simultaneously. Unlike spreadsheets (no constraint checking) or heuristics (fast but suboptimal), constraint programming explores all valid combinations and can prove the result is optimal. Planopti uses Google OR-Tools CP-SAT, open-source under Apache 2.0, gold medal winner at the MiniZinc Challenge every year since 2018.

No. CP-SAT is deterministic: the same input data always produces the same result. No training data, no statistical model, no black box, no bias. Every solver decision is traceable and reproducible. It is mathematics, not generative AI.

Hard constraints must be satisfied. They represent legal obligations, safety rules and operational requirements that cannot be violated under any circumstance. If any hard constraint cannot be met, the solver returns INFEASIBLE. Soft constraints are desirable but not mandatory. They represent preferences and quality objectives. Each violation incurs a configurable penalty. The solver minimises the total penalty score, finding the best possible balance.

The solver calculates equity within each functional group, not globally. It minimises the gap in working days and shift types between agents of the same group. Agents on holiday or vacation are excluded from the equity calculation so they do not skew the result. The planner can adjust fairness penalty weights to reflect operational priorities.

The solver returns a clear status after each run: OPTIMAL (best proven solution), FEASIBLE (valid but not yet proven optimal), or INFEASIBLE (hard constraints are contradictory). An INFEASIBLE result typically means too many absences, not enough qualified agents, or unrealistic requirements. The optimisation score breaks down each penalty so the planner can identify exactly what to adjust.

Planopti handles multi-activity scheduling natively across regulated industries: airports, healthcare, security, transport, logistics and more. Each activity is modelled as a functional group with its own shifts, qualifications and daily requirements. The solver optimises all groups in a single pass, regardless of the size of the company.

No. The solver is a calculator, not a replacement. It handles the combinatorial complexity (thousands of possible assignments), but the planner reviews the result, modifies assignments on the dashboard grid, adjusts constraint weights, and can re-run the solver at any time. Every change is logged. Final control always remains with the planner.

Yes. Planopti works alongside your current process. Import your data from Excel, run the solver, export the result in standard format. Same data, same procedures, mathematically better results. No system to replace, no process to redesign. The solver runs on a separate machine and produces an Excel file your planner can compare side by side with the manual schedule.

Yes. The planner edits assignments directly on the dashboard grid. Each change is recorded in the audit log. They can also relaunch the solver incorporating their manual modifications as additional constraints. The result is never locked.

All operational rules are built into the code as hard constraints: minimum rest between shifts, qualification compliance, holidays, vacations, fixed days, contracted hour limits. These rules are not checked after the fact -- they are enforced from the start. It is mathematically impossible for the solver to produce a schedule that violates them. See our scheduling approach for details.

Yes. Permanent, temporary, part-time, seasonal: each contract type has its own rules (contracted hours, shift exclusions, weekend constraints). The solver adapts assignments automatically based on each agent's contract type and proportional hour limits.

Yes. Constraints can be defined per agent, per functional group, or globally: holidays, fixed days, weekend exclusion, preferences, qualification caps, minimum shifts per function. Fairness is calculated within each group with its own thresholds, not across the entire workforce.

Our team handles the full deployment in less than a day. The software runs without internet access. Your data never leaves your network.

Linux, Windows Server or VMware. 4 GB RAM, 2 vCPU and 20 GB disk. No external dependencies, no internet required. The CP-SAT solver, dashboard and SQLite database all run locally in full network isolation.

On your server. The SQLite database, solver engine and dashboard all run on your infrastructure. No data transits external servers. No telemetry, no callbacks, no cloud dependency. The system operates in complete network isolation.

Yes. On-premise deployment means data never leaves your perimeter. We provide a DPA covering both European GDPR and Swiss nFADP. The dashboard includes password authentication, a complete audit log of all operations, and the ability to delete an agent's data at any time.

100%. Standard SQLite database, readable by any tool. Native Excel export from the dashboard. Full database snapshots in one click. If you end the contract, everything remains on your server. No lock-in, no dependency on Planopti to access your data.

No. The Google OR-Tools CP-SAT solver is embedded in the software. It runs natively on your server with no external dependencies, no API calls, no internet connection. The engine is open-source (Apache 2.0 licence).

A flat annual licence covering everything: software, on-premise deployment, constraint modelling, training, unlimited solver, dashboard with Excel import/export, updates, support and seasonal recalibration. One price, renewed annually. No per-agent or per-generation billing. Custom options (connectors, multi-site) are quoted separately.

Complete software (dashboard, CP-SAT solver, database), on-premise deployment on your server, constraint modelling by our team, on-site training, unlimited schedule generation, Excel import and export, software updates, dedicated technical support, and seasonal recalibration. Everything you need to run, no extras to buy.

The licence is annual, renewable. No mandatory multi-year commitment.

We deliver a new software version. Your IT team applies the update in minutes following the documented procedure. No need to open a port or connect the server to the internet. Updates include solver improvements, bug fixes, dashboard enhancements and seasonal recalibration (summer/winter schedules).

The software continues to run on your server. Local database, embedded solver, no cloud dependency or kill switch. You lose updates, support and seasonal recalibration, but the system remains fully operational. A source code escrow clause is available on request.