An apparatus for developing an intensity-modulated radiation therapy treatment plan includes a memory that stores machine instructions and a processor that executes the machine instructions to receive a clinical goal associated with the treatment plan as a user input. The processor further executes the machine instructions to determine a plan objective based on the clinical goal, generate a cost function comprising a term based on the plan objective, and assign an initial value to a parameter associated with the term. The processor also executes the machine instructions to identify a microstate that results in a reduced value associated with the cost function, evaluate a fulfillment level associated with the clinical goal, and adjust the value of the parameter to improve the fulfillment level.
