Production Management – PRDH20-2

Session 16 → Waiting Line Management – Part

I (Concepts and Numerical)
Waiting Line Management

◼ More important for service

◼ Considered as non-value added
◼ Problem occurs due to randomness in arrival/service

◼ Objective → Minimize (Cost of waiting + Cost of capacity)

◼ Channel and Phase

◼ Balking/Reneging/Jockeying

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Important Factors for Choosing Model

◼ Population source
◼ Finite/ Infinite
◼ Line or QUEUE/ SYSTEM
◼ Number of servers
◼ Single/Multiple
◼ Parallel/Series
◼ Arrival & Service pattern assumptions
◼ Rate → Poisson; Inter-arrival time → Exponential
◼ When waiting occurs?
◼ Problem if assumptions are not valid
◼ Service policy
◼ FCFS/Priority rules (Not covered)
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Models for Waiting Line

◼ Infinite population
◼ Single Channel
◼ Service Rate – Poisson → M/M/1
◼ Service Rate – Constant → M/D/1
◼ Multiple Channel
◼ Service Rate – Poisson → M/M/S

◼ Finite population

◼ Approximation/General model for infinite population

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Steady State Conditions – Little’s Law

◼ Notations (all are average values)

◼ Arrival rate = ; Service rate in any server = 
◼ Inter-arrival time = 1/ ; Service time = 1/
◼ Waiting time in QUEUE = 𝑊𝑞
◼ Waiting time in SYSTEM = 𝑊𝑠
◼ Number of customers in QUEUE = 𝐿𝑞
◼ Number of customers in SYSTEM = 𝐿s

◼ Little’s Law → For both QUEUE/ SYSTEM

◼ Average number of customers
= Average Arrival rate × Average waiting time

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Steady State Conditions – Continued

◼ More Notations
◼ Number of servers = S (in Textbook M)
◼ Average Service rate considering all servers = S
◼ Average Server utilization =  = /(S)
◼ How to increase average server utilization?
◼ Average number of customers being served (at any
time, considering all servers) = r = /
◼ Relation between QUEUE and SYSTEM
◼ Average number waiting in SYSTEM = Average number
waiting in QUEUE + Average number being served
◼ Average time waiting in system = Average time waiting
in QUEUE + Average time for service
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M/M/1 System

◼ Average number of customers being served (at any time)

= System utilization (as only one server) = /
𝜆2
◼ Average number of customers in QUEUE = 𝐿𝑞 =
𝜇(𝜇−𝜆)

◼ Probability of “Less than ‘n’ units” in the SYSTEM = 𝑇𝑃𝑛−1

= 1 − (/)𝑛 = σ𝑛−1 𝑛=0 𝑃𝑛

◼ Probability of “Zero units” in the SYSTEM = SYSTEM is idle

= 𝑃0 =1 – SYSTEM Utilization

◼ Probability of “n units” in the SYSTEM = 𝑃𝑛 = 𝑃0 (/)𝑛

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M/M/1 – Problem

◼ Customers arrive at an average of one every 15 minutes,

and their requests take on average 10 minutes to be
processed. The service counter is staffed by only one clerk.
Assume Poisson arrivals and exponential service times.
a. What percentage of time is the clerk idle?
b. How much time, on average, does a customer spend
waiting in line?
c. How long is the (waiting) line on average?
d. What is the probability that an arriving customer (just
before entering the SYSTEM) will find at least one other
customer waiting in line?
◼ Textbook – Problem 1.a, 1.b (Page 816)
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M/M/1 – Homework

◼ Customers will arrive at the rate of 15 per hour. The staff

can service customers at the rate of one every three
minutes.
◼ Because of limited space availability and a desire to
provide an acceptable level of service, the organization
would like to ensure, with 95 percent confidence, that no
more than three customers will be in the system at any
time.
◼ What is the present level of service for the three-car limit?
◼ What level of staff use must be attained and what must be
the service rate of the staff to ensure the 95 percent level
of service?
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M/D/1 System

◼ Different from M/M/1 in terms of Service time

assumption
◼ In M/M/1 → Service time is exponential
◼ In M/D/1 → Service time is constant

𝜆2
◼ Average number of customers in QUEUE = 𝐿𝑞 =
𝟐𝜇(𝜇−𝜆)

◼ Textbook – Problem 2 (Page 816)

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