1-1

Queuining Theory
1-2
Outline
+CHARACTERISTICS OF A WAITING-LINE
SYSTEM
+ Arrival Characteristics
+ Waiting-Line Characteristics
+ Service Facility Characteristics
+ Measuring the Queues Performance
+ Queuing Costs

1-3
Outline
+THE VARIETY OF QUEUING MODELS
+ Model A: Single-Channel Queuing Model with Poisson
Arrivals and Exponential Service Times
+ Model B: Multiple-Channel Queuing Model
+ Model C: Constant Service Time Model
+ Model D: Limited Population Model
+OTHER QUEUING APPROACHES

1-4
Bank Customers Teller Deposit etc.

Doctors Patient Doctor Treatment
office

Traffic Cars Light Controlled
intersection passage

Assembly line Parts Workers Assembly

Tool crib Workers Clerks Check out/in
tools
Situation Arrivals Servers Service Process
Waiting Line Examples
1-5
Level of service
Cost
Waiting time cost
Optimal
Waiting Line Costs
1-6
+Queue: Waiting line
+Arrival: 1 person, machine, part, etc. that
arrives and demands service
+Queue discipline: Rules for determining the
order that arrivals receive service
+Channel: Number of waiting lines
+Phase: Number of steps in service
Waiting Line Terminology
1-7
Three Parts of a Queuing System
at Daves Car-Wash
1-8
Service system
Waiting
line
Service
facility
Input
source
1995 Corel Corp.
Waiting Line System
1-9
Input Characteristics
Input Source
(Population)
Size
1995 Corel Corp.
Fixed number of
aircraft to service
Infinite Finite
1-10
Input Source
(Population)
Size
Arrival
Pattern
Finite Infinite Random
Non-
Random
Input Characteristics
1-11
Input Source
(Population)
Size
Arrival
Pattern
Finite Infinite Random
Non-
Random
Poisson Other
Input Characteristics
1-12
+ Number of events that
occur in an interval of
time
+Example: Number of
customers that arrive
in 15 min.
+ Mean = (e.g., 5/hr.)
+ Probability:
.0
.3
.6
0 1 2 3 4 5
X
P(X)
.0
.3
.6
0 2 4 6 8 10
X
P(X)
= 0.5
= 6.0
Poisson Distribution
x
e
) x ( P
x

=

1-13
Poisson Distributions for
Arrival Times
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
x
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
x
P
r
o
b
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

P
r
o
b
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

=2 =4
1-14
Input Source
(Population)
Size Behavior
Arrival
Pattern
Finite Infinite Random
Non-
Random
Patient Impatient
Poisson Other
Input Characteristics
1-15
Input Source
(Population)
Size Behavior
Arrival
Pattern
Finite Infinite Random
Non-
Random
Patient Impatient
Balk Poisson Other
Input Characteristics
1-16
Input
source
Service
facility
Waiting
line
Service system
1995 Corel Corp.
Line was
too long!
Balking
1-17
Input Source
(Population)
Size Behavior
Arrival
Pattern
Finite Infinite Random
Non-
Random
Patient Impatient
Balk Renege Poisson Other
Input Characteristics
1-18
Reneging
Input
source
Service
facility
Waiting
line
Service system
1995 Corel Corp.
I give up!
1-19
Waiting Line
Length
Unlimited
1995 Corel Corp.
Waiting Line Characteristics
1-20
Waiting Line
Length
Limited Unlimited
1995 Corel Corp.
1995 Corel Corp.
Waiting Line Characteristics
1-21
Waiting Line
Length
Queue
Discipline
Limited Unlimited
FIFO
(FCFS)
Random Priority
Waiting Line Characteristics
1-22
Service
Facility
Configuration
Multi-
Channel
Single
Channel
Single
Phase
Service Characteristics
1-23
0.
.1
.2
.3
.4
0 2 4 6 8 10
x
P
r
o
b
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

t
>
x

=1
=2
=3
=4
+ Service time, &
time between arrivals
+Example: Service time
is 20 min.
+ Mean service rate =
+e.g., customers/hr.
+ Mean service time = 1/
+ Equation:
Negative Exponential Distribution
x
e ) x t ( f

= >
1-24
0
0.01
0.02
0.03
0.04
0.05
0.06
P
r
o
b
a
b
i
l
i
t
y
0 30 60 90 120 150 180
Servi ce time (minutes)
Negative Exponential Distribution
Average service
time = 1 hour
Average service time = 20
minutes
1-25
Arrivals
Served
units
Service
facility
Queue
Service system
Dock
Waiting ship line
Ships at
sea
Ship unloading system
Empty
ships
Single-Channel, Single-Phase
System
1-26
Cars
& food
Single-Channel, Multi-Phase
System
Arrivals
Served
units
Service
facility
Queue
Service system
Pick-up
Waiting cars
Cars
in area
McDonalds drive-through
Pay
Service
facility
1-27
Arrivals
Served
units
Service
facility
Queue
Service system
Service
facility
Example: Bank customers wait in single line for one
of several tellers.
Multi-Channel, Single Phase
System
1-28
Service
facility
Arrivals
Served
units
Service
facility
Queue
Service system
Service
facility
Example: At a laundromat, customers use one of several
washers, then one of several dryers.
Service
facility
Multi-Channel, Multi-Phase
System
1-29
Two Examples of the Negative
Exponential Distribution
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.25 2.50 2.75 3.00
Average Service Rate () = 3 customers per hour
Average Service Time = 20 minutes per customer
Average Service Rate ()
= 1 customer per hour
Probability that Service Time is greater than t=e
-t
, for t > 0
Time (t) in Hours
P
r
o
b
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

t
h
a
t

S
e
r
v
i
c
e

T
i
m
e

>

t

1-30
Deciding on the
Optimum Level of Service
Total expected cost
Cost of waiting time
Cost
Low level
of service
Optimal
service level
High level
of service
Minimum
total cost
Cost of providing
service
1-31
+Average Waiting time in queue, W
q

+Average length of queue, L
q

+Average Waiting time in system, W
s

+Average number in system, L
s

+Probability of idle service facility, P
0

+System utilization,
+Probability of k units in system, P
n > k
Waiting-Line Performance
Measures
1-32
Assumptions of the Basic Simple
Queuing Model
+Arrivals are served on a first come, first
served basis
+Arrivals are independent of preceding
arrivals
+Arrival rates are described by the Poisson
probability distribution, and customers come
from a very large population
+Service times vary from one customer to
another, and are independent of one and
other; the average service time is known
+Service times are described by the negative
exponential probability distribution
+The service rate is greater than the arrival
rate
1-33
+Simple (M/M/1)
+ Example: Information booth at mall
+Multi-channel (M/M/S)
+ Example: Airline ticket counter
+Constant Service (M/D/1)
+ Example: Automated car wash
+Limited Population
+ Example: Department with only 7 drills
Types of Queuing Models
1-34
+Type: Single-channel, single-phase system
+Input source: Infinite; no balks, no reneging
+Arrival distribution: Poisson
+Queue: Unlimited; single line
+Queue discipline: FIFO (FCFS)
+Service distribution: Negative exponential
+Relationship: Independent service & arrival
+Service rate > arrival rate
Simple (M/M/1) Model
Characteristics
1-35
Simple (M/M/1) Model Equations
Average number of units
in queue

Average time in
system

Average number of units in
queue

Average time in queue
System utilization
L
W
L
W
s
s
q
q
=
=
=
=

-

1
2

-
( - )
( - )

=


1-36
Simple (M/M/1) Probability
Equations
Probability of 0 units in system, i.e., system idle:
Probability of more than k units in system:
Where n is the number of units in the system
P
k+1
0
1 1
= - = -
=
P
n>k





( )
1-37
+Type: Multichannel system
+Input source: Infinite; no balks, no reneging
+Arrival distribution: Poisson
+Queue: Unlimited; multiple lines
+Queue discipline: FIFO (FCFS)
+Service distribution: Negative exponential
+Relationship: Independent service & arrival
+ E Service rates > arrival rate
Multichannel (M/M/S) Model
Characteristics
1-38
Model B (M/M/S) Equations
M
M

M!
1

n!
1
1
P
M
1 M
0 n
n
0

|
|
.
|

\
|
+
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
=

=
Probability of zero
people or units in the
system:
( ) ( )

1
|
.
|

\
|

=
0
P
M ! M
L
M
s
Average number of
people or units in the
system:
( ) ( )

1
! 1
0
2
+

|
.
|

\
|
= P
M M
W
M
s
Average time a unit
spends in the system:
1-39
Model B (M/M/S) Equations

1
=
=
s q
s q
W W
L L
Average number of
people or units
waiting for service:
Average time a
person or unit spends
in the queue
1-40
+Type: Single-channel, single-phase system
+Input source: Infinite; no balks, no reneging
+Arrival distribution: Poisson
+Queue: Unlimited; single line
+Queue discipline: FIFO (FCFS)
+Service distribution: Negative exponential
+Relationship: Independent service & arrival
+ E Service rates > arrival rate
Constant Service Rate (M/D/1)
Model Characteristics
1-41
Model C (M/D/1) Equations
Average number of people or
units in the system:
Average time a unit spends in
the system:
( )
( ) 2

=
2

=
2
q
q
W
L
Average number of people
or units waiting for service:
Average time a person or
unit spends in the queue

1
+ =

+ =
q s
q s
W W
L L
1-42
+Type: Single-channel, single-phase system
+Input source: Limited; no balks, no reneging
+Arrival distribution: Poisson
+Queue: Limited; single line
+Queue discipline: FIFO (FCFS)
+Service distribution: Negative exponential
+Relationship: Independent service & arrival
+Service rate > arrival rate
Limited Population Model (D)
Characteristics
1-43
Model D (Limited Population)
Equations
XF
) F ( T
) L N (
) U T ( L
W
) F ( N L
U T
T
X
1
=

+
=
1 =
+
=
Service Factor:
Average number of people
or units waiting for service:
Average time a person or
unit spends in the queue
1-44
Model D (Limited Population)
Equations - Continued
H L J N
FNX H
) X ( NF J
+ + =
=
1 =
Average number
running
Average number
being served:
Number in the
population:
1-45
Model D (Limited Population)
Equations - Continued
Where:
D = probability that a unit will have to wait in
the queue
F = efficiency factor
+H = average number of units being serviced
+J = average number of units not in the queue
or service bay
+ L = average number of units waiting for
service

1-46
Model D (Limited Population)
Equations - Continued
+M = number of service channels
+N = number of potential customers
+T = average service time
+U = average time between unit service
requirements
+W = average time a unit waits in line
X = service factor

to be obtained from finite queuing tables
1-47
+ = Mean number of
arrivals per time period
+ e.g., 3 units/hour
+ = Mean number of
people or items served
per time period
+ e.g., 4 units/hour
+ 1/ = 15 minutes/unit
Remember: & Are Rates
1984-1994 T/Maker Co.
If average service time is 15
minutes, then is 4
customers/hour