Lab 03

Title
Introduction to Queuing Theory/ Analysis using Excel QM.

Objectives
The objective of this lab is to solve Queuing Theory problems using Excel QM and get the
results. We perform single server problem (M/M/1).

Apparatus
MS Excel QM

Background:
Queuing theory is an area of mathematics that analyses and models the act of queueing. It is
essentially the study of how people act when they have to wait in line to make a purchase or
receive a service, as well as what sorts of queue structure move people through lines the most
efficiently, and how many people can a specific queuing arrangement process through the line
in a particular time frame.

The queuing models have two aspects at its core.

• The customer, job, or request are all terms used to describe someone or something who
demands a service.

• The server refers to the person or thing that completes or provides the services.

How Queuing Theory Works?

Queuing theory in operations research contributes to designing an efficient queuing system for
a business. The theory guides the professionals to systematically explore the finest method and
arrange the setup. It gives primary importance to balancing efficient service and the system’s
economic viability. An efficient queuing system in place enhances customer service
and competitive advantage.
The queuing system requires incessant improvisations to keep pace with technological
advancement and innovative business practices. Over the years, while designing a queuing
system, the following basic factors are integral.

Arrival: The process starts with the arrival of a single individual or a group of individuals.
They may come in different intervals, and it may influence the operations. Check on the
formation of the queue and note down any variation in the arrival. Track every aspect of the
process at this stage.

Movement: This part mainly focuses on the movement of the queue and the individual’s
behavior. It’s like monitoring their activities and looking at whether the customer is impatient
or is habituated with the situation. Take feedback and see how they react to it. Please note down
where they want any changes. Many times, it is observed huge gatherings in a small place tend
to develop negative attributes towards a business. In such a case, the customer might choose a
different option. Adapt necessary arrangements or alternative procedures to keep the customer
and increase efficiency.

Service: It is one of the vital parts of the process. If more time is taken to solve the query, it
will increase the line. In addition, it may cause boredom and frustration in customers. A better
understanding and application of the theory is important in reducing the negative impacts of
the long waiting line and long response time.

Expression: It is the final step of the process. It is important to note that the person leaving
the queue makes an impression on the people standing next to him. An individual’s negative
feedback is bound to affect the business. Therefore, preference should be given to every person
and worked with full diligence. An ideal expression speaks a lot of the services offered to him.

Benefits of Queuing Theory

Queuing theory is powerful because the ubiquity of queue situations means there are countless
and diverse applications of queuing theory.

Queuing theory has been applied, just to name a few, to:

• Telecommunications
• Transportation
 • Logistics
• Finance
• Emergency services
• Computing
• Industrial Engineering
• Project Management

Question 1
Consider a self-service store with one cashier; assume Poisson arrivals and exponential service
times. Suppose that nine customers arrive on the average every 5 minutes and the cashier can
serve 10 in 5 minutes. Find:

(a) The average number of customers queuing for service.

(b) The probability of having more than 10 customers in the system.

(c) The probability that a customer has to queue for more than 2 minutes.

If the service can be speeded up to 12 in 5 minutes, by using a different cash register, what will
be the effect on the quantities of (a), (b) and (c) above?

Results and Discussion

(a) The average number of customers queuing for service are 8.1.

(b) The probability of having more than 10 customers in the system is 0.31%.

(c) The probability that a customer has to queue for more than 2 minutes is 1.34%.

If the service can be speeded up to 12 in 5 minutes, by using a different cash register, what
will be the effect on the quantities of (a), (b) and (c) above?

(a) The average number of customers queuing for service are 2.25

(b) The probability of having more than 10 customers in the system is 0.04%.

(c) The probability that a customer has to queue for more than 2 minutes is 0.72%.
Question 2
At a public telephone booth in a post office arrival are considered to be Poisson with an average
inter-arrival time of 12 minutes. The length of phone call may be assumed to be distributed
exponentially with an average of 4 minutes. Calculate the following:

1. What is the probability that a fresh arrival will not have to wait for phone?

2. What is the probability that an arrival will have to wait more than 10 minutes before the

phone is free?

3. What is the average length of queues that form from time to time?

4. What is the fraction of time is the phone busy?

5. What is the probability that an arrival that goes to the post office to make a phone call

will take less than 15 minutes to complete his job?

6. The telephone company will install a second booth when convinced that an arrival would

expect to have to wait at least 5 minutes for the phone?

Results and Discussion

1. The probability that a fresh arrival will not have to wait for phone is 0.67%

2. The probability that an arrival will have to wait more than 10 minutes before the phone is
free is 0.047%

3. The average length of queues that form from time to time is 0.167

4. The fraction of time is the phone busy is 0.33

5. The probability that an arrival that goes to the post office to make a phone call will take
less than 15 minutes to complete his job is 1

6. The telephone company will install a second booth when convinced that an arrival would

expect to have to wait at least 5 minutes for the phone?