Trajectory planning is of importance for controlling chemical processes under transient conditions Many of the available techniques for trajectory optimization yield solutions that cannot be implemented. Furthermore, many transient processes are operated manually, which further reduces the classes of trajectories that may be used In this article, input trajectories are restricted to step/ramp functions, which are easily implemented by manual control or simple control schemes Direct transcription of the dynamic optimization problem was used to allow the solution to be found using algebraic optimization techniques The proposed method serves as a useful control policy evaluation tool, where comparison of unrestricted and restricted trajectories gives insights into the gains associated with adopting a more sophisticated control scheme The restricted inputs approach is applied to several benchmark problems, including gravity separation in an oilsands process