18

Management of
Waiting Lines

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Learning Objectives
 Explain why waiting lines form in systems
that are underloaded.
 Identify the goal of queuing (waiting-line)
management.
 List the measures of system performance
that are used in queuing.
 Discuss the assumptions of the basic
queuing models presented.
 Solve typical problems.
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 Disney World
 Waiting in lines does not add enjoyment
 Waiting in lines does not generate
revenue
Waiting lines are non-value added occurrences

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 Waiting Lines

 Queuing theory: Mathematical approach to

the analysis of waiting lines.
 Goal of queuing analysis is to minimize the
sum of two costs
 Customer waiting costs
 Service capacity costs

 Waiting lines are non-value added

occurrences

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 Implications of Waiting Lines

 Cost to provide waiting space

 Loss of business
 Customers leaving
 Customers refusing to wait
 Loss of goodwill
 Reduction in customer satisfaction
 Congestion may disrupt other business
operations

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 Queuing Analysis
Figure 18.1

Total Customer Capacity

cost = waiting cost + cost
Cost

Total cost
Cost of
service
capacity

Cost of
customers
waiting

Service capacity Optimum

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 System Characteristics
 Population Source
 Infinite source: customer arrivals are
unrestricted
 Finite source: number of potential
customers is limited
 Number of observers (channels)
 Arrival and service patterns
 Queue discipline (order of service)

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 Elements of Queuing System
Figure 18.2

Processing
order

Arrivals Waiting Service Exit

line
System

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 Queuing Systems
Figure 18.3

Multiple channel

Multiple phase
Channel: A server in
a service system

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 Poisson Distribution
Figure 18.4

0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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 Waiting line Models
 Patient
 Customers enter the waiting line and remain until
served
 Reneging
 Waiting customers grow impatient and leave the
line
 Jockeying
 Customers may switch to another line
 Balking
 Upon arriving, decide the line is too long and
decide not to enter the line

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 Waiting Time vs. Utilization
Figure 18.7
Average number on
time waiting in line

0 100%
System Utilization

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 System Performance
Measured by:

1. Average number of customers waiting

2. Average time customers wait
3. System utilization
4. Implied cost
5. Probability that an arrival will have to
wait
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 Queuing Models: Infinite-Source

1.Single channel, exponential service time

2.Single channel, constant service time
3.Multiple channel, exponential service
time
4.Multiple priority service, exponential
service time

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 Priority Model
Processing
order

1 3 2 1 1

Arrivals Waiting Service Exit

line
Arrivals are assigned
a priority as they arrive System

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 Finite-Source Formulas
Table 18.6
T
Service factor X
T U
Average number waiting L  N (1  F)
L(T  U ) T(1  F)
Average waiting time W 
NL XF
Average number running J  NF(1  X )
Average number being served H  FNX
Number in population N  J  L H

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Finite-Source Queuing

Not waiting or Being

Waiting
being served served

J L H

U W T

JH
F
J  LH

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 Other Approaches
 Reduce perceived waiting time
 Magazines in waiting rooms
 Radio/television
 In-flight movies
 Filling out forms
 Derive benefits from waiting
 Place impulse items near checkout
 Advertise other goods/services

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