Abstract: A method identifies a candidate schedule from a universe of schedules, wherein each of the universe of schedules allocates a first set of tasks to a first workforce for a first set of time periods. Based on first data representing the first set of time periods and second data representing a set of hard constraints, a set of P schedules selected from the universe of schedules is generated which includes an infeasible schedule. A set of P replicas is generated from each of the set of P schedules wherein one is generated from the infeasible schedule and each of the set of P replicas comprises schedule encoding data. A quantum annealing optimization process is applied to recursively optimize the set of P replicas that uses a cost function configured to output a cost for any replica generated from the universe of schedules and a candidate replica is identified.

Abstract: A method for applying a quantum annealing optimization process to identify a candidate schedule generates a set of P schedules, applies a quantum annealing optimization process by recursively updating the set of P schedules, and identifies a candidate schedule from the recursively updated set of P schedules. For each of the recursively updated set of P schedules, an alternative schedule is generated and compared to the each of the recursively updated set of P schedules based on a comparison of a quantum term for the each of the recursively updated set of P schedules and of a corresponding quantum term for the alternative schedule. A quantum term is calculated using an interaction function configured to output an interaction value Q for two schedules S1 and S2 of the recursively updated set of P schedules.

Abstract: A method determines a schedule indicator value for each of a plurality of schedule data entries based on whether each of a set of recorded tasks has been allocated to one or more identifier data names in one or more of a set of time periods in accordance with the first schedule data to generate schedule portion data. A hard constraint indicator value is determined for each of a plurality of hard constraint data entries based on whether at least one hard constraint has been violated by the allocation of the set of recorded tasks to one or more of the identifier data names in one or more of the time periods in accordance with the schedule data to generate hard constraint portion data. The data structure is generated based on the determined schedule portion and hard constraint portion data encoding the schedule data into a data structure.