# A short path through the stops you still owe

Traveling salesman problem in sales routing is the math of a short path through stops. Knockdesk is field sales software that plans the day on turf: unfinished pins in driving order, finished pins left finished. The name is the math problem. It is not a product feature name.

## A short path that reopens finished doors is not a plan

You feel it when the morning list sends Maya back to a pin she already logged. Traveling salesman problem in sales routing is the short path. Sales route planning is the day on turf. Finished stops stay finished. The open doors are the ones that move. Knockdesk does not name an algorithm for that order.

**The open stops.** The path is the unfinished pins on held turf. A shared list with no pack is not a day.

**Done stays done.** A completed stop stays completed and stays at the front. The path does not revive it.

**On route.** Start the route on that pack. The shift can move to On Route. The math problem is not the shift.

## Three already done, a day you can recompute

Jordan holds one turf with 15 pins. 3 are already done. 12 are unfinished. Optimize order runs when 3 to 25 routable stops are selected, so those 12 can be ordered. The 3 completed stops stay at the front. The product orders the unfinished 12 by driving duration, from the origin you send or from the first unfinished stop. Round trip is off. The path ends at one stop. If Jordan had selected 30 unfinished pins, the control would say Optimize supports up to 25 stops.

| Beat | Count | What the day does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pins on the turf | 15 | The pack Jordan already holds |
| Already done | 3 | Stay at the front. Stay completed. |
| Unfinished | 12 | Inside the 3 to 25 optimize window |
| If 30 were selected | Above 25 | Optimize supports up to 25 stops |

## The math problem is not the route planner

Sales route planning is how the day gets lined up on turf. Turf is the pack those stops sit on. Traveling salesman problem in sales routing is the math of a short path through those stops. Do not treat the problem name as a button.

- [Sales route planning](/glossary/sales-route-planning): The day on turf. Unfinished stops in driving order.

- [Turf](/glossary/turf): The pack the path has to stay inside.

## How Knockdesk tracks it

Knockdesk plans the day on held turf. The stop list opens on unvisited pins. Optimize order runs when 3 to 25 routable stops are selected. Unfinished stops are ordered by driving duration. Completed stops stay completed at the front. Round trip is off. The product does not publish an algorithm name. Full desk is on the pricing page.

## Keep going from the path

- [Field sales glossary](/glossary): The hub this term opens from.

- [Sales route planning](/glossary/sales-route-planning): The day on turf, after the math problem has a pack.

- [Sales route planning software](/features/sales-route-planning): Order unfinished stops. Leave finished stops finished.

- [Turf](/glossary/turf): The pack those stops have to sit on.

## FAQ

### What is the traveling salesman problem in sales routing?

It is the math of a short path through stops. In field sales that is the day on turf: visit the open pins without wasting the drive.

### Does Knockdesk name the algorithm it uses?

No. The product orders unfinished stops by driving duration. It does not publish an algorithm name.

### How many stops can be optimized?

Optimize order runs when 3 to 25 routable stops are selected. Above 25, the control says Optimize supports up to 25 stops.

### Do finished stops get reordered?

No. Completed stops stay at the front and stay completed. Only unfinished stops move.

### Is this the same as sales route planning?

The traveling salesman problem is the math. Sales route planning is the day Knockdesk plans on held turf.

### Does the path return to the start?

Round trip is off. Driving duration runs from the origin and ends at one stop.

### How much does Knockdesk cost?

Full desk is on the pricing page. A free trial is not open.