For planners
Better plans. More time for what matters
4colors handles the constraints planners know: late jobs, absent people, failed machines, clashing deadlines. Its algorithms weigh them all together.
Made for planners: an AI assistant sets it up, and you explore scenarios before you commit.
Discuss a planning challengeExplore all planning applications
How it works
From planning data to a decision you can use
Good optimization should help you compare workable alternatives without losing control of the decisions.
Start with work to be scheduled, then add the calendars, skills, dependencies and commitments that make a plan possible or impossible. Optimization proposes a schedule against those rules.
When a machine fails, a specialist is absent or two projects need the same team, compare the changed assignments and the commitments at risk. The planner decides which tradeoff is acceptable before the plan is used.
A week for six people: early (teal) and late (blue) shifts.
Uncovered shifts0
Shifts changed0
Illustrative example, not customer data.
Start with the schedule you manage
Use the application that matches your planning work, then explore scenarios and adjust the assumptions behind the schedule.
| Production schedulingTaktWhen changeovers, machine eligibility and rush orders collide, the sequence matters.Takt brings optimization and scenario planning to manufacturing operations.Explore Takt 
| Workforce planningRosterA roster needs correct coverage, qualifications and availability, not just enough names in each shift.Roster helps plan shifts and assignments around the people, skills and rules required to operate effectively.Explore Roster 
| Project schedulingStrideShared people and equipment can make individually reasonable project timelines impossible together.Stride connects project activities, milestones and deadlines with the people, skills and equipment needed to deliver them.Explore Stride
Better planning, explained
Explore more use cases- Insight
The Schedule Broke. Now What?
The fastest way to recover may begin with the schedule you already have.
Read the insight - Guide
Hard and Soft Constraints: Where a Schedule Can Bend
The distinction between a rule and a preference tells an optimizer what kind of compromise is possible.
Read the guide - Insight
The Value of Asking What If
One useful schedule is an answer. Several carefully chosen alternatives can be a way to understand the business.
Read the insight - Insight
Why the Best Schedule May Not Be the Most Useful
A schedule can improve on paper and still disrupt the operation it was meant to help.
Read the insight
Choose the planning workflow
Takt, Roster and Stride address different commitments, but each starts with the rules your team must respect and returns alternatives you can assess. Browse the applications above, or discuss a planning challenge if your work crosses more than one area.
Discuss a planning challengeExplore all planning applications