“QUEUING THEORY”

• Queuing theory is the mathematics of

waiting lines.
• It is extremely useful in predicting and
evaluating system performance.
QUEUING • Queuing theory has been used for
THEORY operations research, manufacturing and
systems analysis. Traditional queuing
theory problems refer to customers visiting
a store, analogous to requests arriving at a
device.
 TELECOMMUNICATIONS TRAFFIC CONTROL DETERMINING THE PREDICTING COMPUTER
SEQUENCE OF PERFORMANCE
COMPUTER
APPLICATION OPERATIONS

S OF QUEUING
THEORY
HEALTH SERVICES (E.G.. AIRPORT TRAFFIC, LAYOUT OF
CONTROL OF HOSPITAL AIRLINE TICKET SALES MANUFACTURING
BED ASSIGNMENTS) SYSTEMS.
 Queuing System
• Model processes in which customers arrive.
• Wait their turn for service.
• Are serviced and then leave.

INPUT OUTPUT
SERVER

QUEUE
 Key Elements of Queuing Systems

CUSTOMER: refers to anything SERVER: refers to any resource

that arrives at a facility and that provides the requested
requires service, e.g., people, service, eg. repairpersons, retrieval
machines, trucks, emails. machines, runways at airport.
 SYSTEM CUSTOMERS SERVER
Reception People Receptionist
Desk
Hospital Patients Nurse
Queuing Airport Airplanes Runway
Examples Road Cars Traffic Light
Network
Grocery Shoppers Checkout
Computer Jobs CPU, Disk, CD
Station
 Components of a Queuing System
Service Process

Servers
Queue or Waiting
Line
Arrival
Exit
Process
 Parts of a Waiting Line
Arrivals from Queue Service
Population of
the general (waiting line) facility Exit the system
dirty cars
population Dave’s Car
Wash

enter exit

Arrival Characteristics Waiting Line Characteristics Service Characteristics

• Size of the population • Limited vs. unlimited • Service design
• Behavior of arrivals • Queue discipline • Statistical
• Statistical distribution • distribution of service
of arrivals
 1. Arrival Process
• According to source
• According to numbers
• According to time

2. Queue Structure

• First-come-first-served (FCFS)
• Last-come-first-serve (LCFS)
• Service-in-random-order (SIRO)
• Priority service
 3. Service System

❖ A single service system.

Queue
Service Departure
Arrivals
Facility After Service

e.g. Your family Dentist’s Office, Library

Counter
❖ Multiple, Parallel Server, Single Queue Model

Service
Facility
Channel 1

Queue
Service
Facility Departures
Arrivals
Channel 2
After Service

Service
Facility
Channel 3

e.g. Booking at a Service

Station
❖ Multiple, Parallel Facilities with Multiple Queues Model

Queues Service Stations Customers

Arrivals Leave

e.g. Different Cash Counters in Electricity

Office
❖ Service Facilities in a Series

Service Station 1 Service Station 2

Arrivals
Phase 1 Phase 2
Customers
Queues Queues
Leave

e.g. Cutting, Turning, Knurling, Drilling, Grinding,

Packaging operation of steel
 Queuing Models
• Deterministic Queuing Model
• Probabilistic Queuing Model

Deterministic Queuing Model

λ = Mean number of arrivals per time period

µ = Mean number of units served per time period

 Assumptions:

• If λ > µ, then waiting line shall be formed

and increased indefinitely and service
system would fail ultimately.

• If λ ≤ µ, there shall be no waiting line

Probabilistic Queuing Model
➢ Probability that n customers will arrive in
the system in time interval T is
 Single Channel Model
λ = mean number of arrivals per time period

µ = mean number of people or items served per time period

Ls = average number of units (customers) in the system (waiting and

being served)
= λ
μ−λ
Ws = average time a unit spends in the system (waiting time plus service
time) = 1
μ−λ
Single Channel Model Example

λ = 2 cars arriving/hour
µ = 3 cars serviced/hour
Wq = λ = 2 = 2 Hour = 40 minutes average waiting
µ(µ – λ ) 3(3 – 2) 3 time per car

ρ = λ = 2 = 66.6 % of Time mechanic is busy

µ 3

P0 = 1-λ = 1 - 2 = .33 probability there are 0 cars in the

µ 3 system
 Suggestions for Managing Queues

✓ Determine an acceptable waiting time for your customers

✓ Try to divert your customer’s attention when waiting
✓ Inform your customers of what to expect
✓ Keep employees not serving the customers out of sight
✓ Segment customers
✓ Train your servers to be friendly
✓ Encourage customers to come during the slack periods
✓ Take a long-term perspective toward getting rid of the queues