planningsengine

A planningsengine, or planning engine, is a software component that automates the creation of action sequences to achieve specified goals within a given domain. It relies on a formal model of the domain that describes available actions, their preconditions and effects, resource constraints, timing constraints, and the current state of the system. The engine produces a plan or schedule that moves the system from the initial state to a state in which the goals hold.

The input to a planningsengine typically includes a domain model, an initial state, and one or more goals. Optional inputs can include preferences such as minimizing time or cost, resource usage limits, or constraints on sequencing. The output is an executable plan or schedule, possibly with metadata like estimated duration, cost, and confidence. Modern engines may also deliver multiple plan options or a partially ordered plan that allows parallel execution.

Planningsengines use a range of techniques drawn from artificial intelligence and operations research. These include heuristic search (as in AI planning), constraint satisfaction, optimization (linear or integer programming), and hybrid methods. Some engines support planning with uncertainty, re-planning in response to execution feedback, and dynamic rescheduling when conditions change.

Common application areas include manufacturing and logistics planning, workforce and project scheduling, IT service orchestration, and autonomous systems. Planningsengines are often integrated with execution or workflow engines and data sources for real-time monitoring, enabling continuous planning and re-planning as conditions evolve. Standardization varies, with formats like planning domain languages used in AI planning to describe actions and goals.