Module 6: Waiting

Line for Queuing

Models
PRESENTED BY: MRS. CATHERINE U. MALIG, MBA
REFERENCE: MACGRAW HILL
Queuing Theory
Waiting line is also known as Queue.
Queueing theory- is the body of knowledge dealing
with waiting lines
A.K Erlang- Danish telephone engineer, who begun
the study of waiting line in 1900s.
It consist of mathematical formulas and
relationships that can determine operating
characteristics.
 Structure of Waiting Line System
Operating characteristics includes:
1. The probability that no units are in the systems (the system
is idle)
2. The average number of units in the waiting line
3. The average number of units in the system (the number of
units in the waiting line plus the number of units being
served)
4. The average time a unit spends in the waiting line.
5. The average time a unit spends in the system (the waiting
time plus the service time)
6. The probability that an arriving unit has to wait for the
service.
Structure of Waiting Line
System
1. Single Server Waiting Line
Each customer is served by a single order-filling
station that handles order placement, bill
payment, and food delivery.

2. Multiple Server
It consist of two or more servers that are
assumed to be identical in terms of service
capacity.
Single-server waiting line

Server

Customer arrival

Order Filling
Customer leaves after the
order is filled
Multi-server waiting line
Served Customers

Queueing System

Queue
C S
Customers CCCCCCC C S Service
C S facility
C S

Served Customers
 Herr Cutter’s Barber Shop
Herr Cutter is a German barber who runs a one-man barber shop.
Herr Cutter opens his shop at 8:00 A.M.
The table shows his queueing system in action over a typical morning.

Time of Haicut Duration Haircut

Customer Arrival Begins of Haircut Ends
1 8:03 8:03 17 minutes 8:20
2 8:15 8:20 21 minutes 8:41
3 8:25 8:41 19 minutes 9:00
4 8:30 9:00 15 minutes 9:15
5 9:05 9:15 20 minutes 9:35
6 9:43 — — —
Arrivals
The time between consecutive arrivals to a queueing system are called
the interarrival times.
The expected number of arrivals per unit time is referred to as the
mean arrival rate.
The symbol used for the mean arrival rate is
l = Mean arrival rate for customers coming to the queueing system

The mean of the probability distribution of interarrival times is

1 / l = Expected interarrival time
Most queueing models assume that the form of the probability
distribution of interarrival times is an exponential distribution.
Evolution of the Number of
Customers
4

Number of
Customers 3
in the
System

0 20 40 60 80 100
Time (in minutes)
The Exponential Distribution
for Interarrival Times

0 Mean Time
Properties of the Exponential
Distribution
There is a high likelihood of small interarrival times, but a small chance of a
very large interarrival time. This is characteristic of interarrival times in
practice.
For most queueing systems, the servers have no control over when
customers will arrive. Customers generally arrive randomly.
Having random arrivals means that interarrival times are completely
unpredictable, in the sense that the chance of an arrival in the next minute is
always just the same.
The only probability distribution with this property of random arrivals is the
exponential distribution.
The fact that the probability of an arrival in the next minute is completely
uninfluenced by when the last arrival occurred is called the lack-of-memory
property.
The Queue
The number of customers in the queue (or queue size) is
the number of customers waiting for service to begin.
The number of customers in the system is the number in
the queue plus the number currently being served.
The queue capacity is the maximum number of customers
that can be held in the queue.
An infinite queue is one in which, for all practical
purposes, an unlimited number of customers can be held
there.
The Queue
When the capacity is small enough that it needs to
be taken into account, then the queue is called a
finite queue.
The queue discipline refers to the order in which
members of the queue are selected to begin
service.
◦ The most common is first-come, first-served (FCFS).
◦ Other possibilities include random selection, some
priority procedure, or even last-come, first-served.
 Service
When a customer enters service, the elapsed time from the
beginning to the end of the service is referred to as the service
time.
Basic queueing models assume that the service time has a
particular probability distribution.
The symbol used for the mean of the service time distribution is

1 / m = Expected service time

where m is the Greek letter mu.
The interpretation of m itself is the mean service rate.
m = Expected service completions per unit time for a single
busy server
Some Service-Time Distributions
Exponential Distribution
◦ The most popular choice.
◦ Much easier to analyze than any other.
◦ Although it provides a good fit for interarrival times, this is much less
true for service times.
◦ Provides a better fit when the service provided is random than if it
involves a fixed set of tasks.
◦ Standard deviation: s = Mean

Constant Service Times

◦ A better fit for systems that involve a fixed set of tasks.
◦ Standard deviation: s = 0.
Labels for Queueing Models
To identify which probability distribution is being assumed for service
times (and for interarrival times), a queueing model conventionally is
labeled as follows:
Distribution of service times
—/—/— Number of Servers
Distribution of interarrival times
The symbols used for the possible distributions are
M = Exponential distribution (Markovian)
D = Degenerate distribution (constant times)
GI = General independent interarrival-time distribution (any
distribution)
G = General service-time distribution (any arbitrary distribution)
 Summary of Usual Model Assumptions
1.Interarrival times are independent and identically distributed according to a
specified probability distribution.
2.All arriving customers enter the queueing system and remain there until service
has been completed.
3.The queueing system has a single infinite queue, so that the queue will hold an
unlimited number of customers (for all practical purposes).
4.The queue discipline is first-come, first-served.
5.The queueing system has a specified number of servers, where each server is
capable of serving any of the customers.
6.Each customer is served individually by any one of the servers.
7.Service times are independent and identically distributed according to a specified
probability distribution.
Examples of Commercial Service Systems
That Are Queueing Systems
Type of System Customers Server(s)
Barber shop People Barber
Bank teller services People Teller
ATM machine service People ATM machine
Checkout at a store People Checkout clerk
Plumbing services Clogged pipes Plumber
Ticket window at a movie theater People Cashier
Check-in counter at an airport People Airline agent
Brokerage service People Stock broker
Gas station Cars Pump
Call center for ordering goods People Telephone agent
Call center for technical assistance People Technical representative
Travel agency People Travel agent
Automobile repair shop Car owners Mechanic
Vending services People Vending machine
Dental services People Dentist
Roofing Services Roofs Roofer
That Are Queueing Systems

Type of System Customers Server(s)

Secretarial services Employees Secretary
Copying services Employees Copy machine
Computer programming services Employees Programmer
Mainframe computer Employees Computer
First-aid center Employees Nurse
Faxing services Employees Fax machine
Materials-handling system Loads Materials-handling unit
Maintenance system Machines Repair crew
Inspection station Items Inspector
Production system Jobs Machine
Semiautomatic machines Machines Operator
Tool crib Machine operators Clerk
That Are Queueing Systems
Type of System Customers Server(s)
Highway tollbooth Cars Cashier
Truck loading dock Trucks Loading crew
Port unloading area Ships Unloading crew
Airplanes waiting to take off Airplanes Runway
Airplanes waiting to land Airplanes Runway
Airline service People Airplane
Taxicab service People Taxicab
Elevator service People Elevator
Fire department Fires Fire truck
Parking lot Cars Parking space
Ambulance service People Ambulance
Choosing a Measure of Performance
Managers who oversee queueing systems are mainly concerned
with two measures of performance:
◦ How many customers typically are waiting in the queueing system?
◦ How long do these customers typically have to wait?

When customers are internal to the organization, the first

measure tends to be more important.
◦ Having such customers wait causes lost productivity.

Commercial service systems tend to place greater importance on

the second measure.
◦ Outside customers are typically more concerned with how long they
have to wait than with how many customers are there.
 Defining the Measures of Performance
L = Expected number of customers in the system, including those
being served (the symbol L comes from Line Length).
Lq = Expected number of customers in the queue, which excludes
customers being served.
W = Expected waiting time in the system (including service time) for
an individual customer (the symbol W comes from Waiting time).
Wq = Expected waiting time in the queue (excludes service time) for
an individual customer.
These definitions assume that the queueing system is in a steady-
state condition.
Relationship between L, W, Lq, and Wq
Since 1/m is the expected service time
W = Wq + 1/m

Little’s formula states that

L = lW
and
Lq = lWq

Combining the above relationships leads to

L = Lq + l/m
Using Probabilities as
Measures of Performance
In addition to knowing what happens on the average, we may also be
interested in worst-case scenarios.
◦ What will be the maximum number of customers in the system? (Exceeded no
more than, say, 5% of the time.)
◦ What will be the maximum waiting time of customers in the system? (Exceeded
no more than, say, 5% of the time.)
Statistics that are helpful to answer these types of questions are available
for some queueing systems:
◦ Pn = Steady-state probability of having exactly n customers in the system.
◦ P(W ≤ t) = Probability the time spent in the system will be no more than t.
◦ P(Wq ≤ t) = Probability the wait time will be no more than t.
Examples of common goals:
◦ No more than three customers 95% of the time: P0 + P1 + P2 + P3 ≥ 0.95
◦ No more than 5% of customers wait more than 2 hours: P(W ≤ 2 hours) ≥ 0.95
 The Dupit Corp. Problem
The Dupit Corporation is a longtime leader in the office photocopier
marketplace.
Dupit’s service division is responsible for providing support to the customers
by promptly repairing the machines when needed. This is done by the
company’s service technical representatives, or tech reps.
Current policy: Each tech rep’s territory is assigned enough machines so that
the tech rep will be active repairing machines (or traveling to the site) 75% of
the time.
◦ A repair call averages 2 hours, so this corresponds to 3 repair calls per day.
◦ Machines average 50 workdays between repairs, so assign 150 machines per rep.

Proposed New Service Standard: The average waiting time before a tech rep
begins the trip to the customer site should not exceed two hours.
Alternative Approaches to the
Problem
Approach Suggested by John Phixitt: Modify the current policy by
decreasing the percentage of time that tech reps are expected to be
repairing machines.
Approach Suggested by the Vice President for Engineering: Provide
new equipment to tech reps that would reduce the time required for
repairs.
Approach Suggested by the Chief Financial Officer: Replace the current
one-person tech rep territories by larger territories served by multiple
tech reps.
Approach Suggested by the Vice President for Marketing: Give owners
of the new printer-copier priority for receiving repairs over the
company’s other customers.
 The Queueing System for Each Tech Rep
The customers: The machines needing repair.
Customer arrivals: The calls to the tech rep requesting repairs.
The queue: The machines waiting for repair to begin at their sites.
The server: The tech rep.
Service time: The total time the tech rep is tied up with a machine,
either traveling to the machine site or repairing the machine.
(Thus, a machine is viewed as leaving the queue and entering
service when the tech rep begins the trip to the machine site.)
Notation for Single-Server
Queueing Models
l = Mean arrival rate for customers
= Expected number of arrivals per unit time
1/l = expected interarrival time

m = Mean service rate (for a continuously busy server)

= Expected number of service completions per unit time
1/m = expected service time

r = the utilization factor

= the average fraction of time that a server is busy serving
customers
=l/m
 The M/M/1 Model
Assumptions
1. Interarrival times have an exponential distribution with a mean of 1/l.
2. Service times have an exponential distribution with a mean of 1/m.
3. The queueing system has one server.

•The expected number of customers in the system is

L = r / (1 – r) = l / (m – l)
•The expected waiting time in the system is
W = (1 / l)L = 1 / (m – l)
•The expected waiting time in the queue is
Wq = W – 1/m = l / [m(m – l)]
•The expected number of customers in the queue is
Lq = lWq = l2 / [m(m – l)] = r2 / (1 – r)
The M/M/1 Model
The probability of having exactly n customers in the system is
Pn = (1 – r)rn
Thus,
P0 = 1 – r
P1 = (1 – r)r
P2 = (1 – r)r2
:
:
The probability that the waiting time in the system exceeds t is
P(W > t) = e–m(1–r)t for t ≥ 0
The probability that the waiting time in the queue exceeds t is
P(Wq > t) = re–m(1–r)t for t ≥ 0
The M/M/1 Model
𝝀
Utilization factor U=
𝝁

(A utilization factor is the probability that a server is busy)

Idle I=1-U
(The probability that the server is idle (i.e., the probability that a
customer can be served)
M/M/1 Queueing Model for
the Dupit’s Current Policy
B C D E G H
3 Data Results
4 l 3 (mean arrival rate) L= 3
5 m 4 (mean service rate) Lq = 2.25
6 s= 1 (# servers)
7 W= 1
8 Pr(W > t) = 0.368 Wq = 0.75
9 when t = 1
10 r 0.75
11 Prob(Wq > t) = 0.276
12 when t = 1 n Pn
13 0 0.25
14 1 0.1875
15 2 0.1406
16 3 0.1055
17 4 0.0791
18 5 0.0593
19 6 0.0445
20 7 0.0334
21 8 0.0250
22 9 0.0188
23 10 0.0141
M/M/1 Model for John Phixitt’s
Suggested Approach
(Reduce Machines/Rep)
B C D E G H
3 Data Results
4 l 2 (mean arrival rate) L= 1
5 m 4 (mean service rate) Lq = 0.5
6 s= 1 (# servers)
7 W= 0.5
8 Pr(W > t) = 0.135 Wq = 0.25
9 when t = 1
10 r 0.5
11 Prob(Wq > t) = 0.068
12 when t = 1 n Pn
13 0 0.5
14 1 0.25
15 2 0.1250
16 3 0.0625
17 4 0.0313
18 5 0.0156
19 6 0.0078
20 7 0.0039
21 8 0.0020
22 9 0.0010
23 10 0.0005
The M/G/1 Model

In queueing theory, a discipline within the mathematical

theory of probability, an M/G/1 queue is a queue model
where arrivals are Markovian (modulated by a Poisson
process), service times have a General distribution and there
is a single server.
Assumptions
1. Interarrival times have an exponential distribution with a mean of
1/l.
2. Service times can have any probability distribution. You only need
the mean (1/m) and standard deviation (s).
3. The queueing system has one server.
Terms to remember
Arrival rate- the mean number of customers ar units arriving in
a given period of time.
Blocked-when arriving units cannot enter the waiting line
because the system is full. Blocked units can occur when
waiting lines are not allowed or when waiting lines have a finite
capacity.
Exponential probability distribution- A probability distribution
used to describe the service time for some waiting line models.
Finite calling population- The population of customers or units
that may seek service has a fixed and finite value.
Terms to remember
First-come, first -served (FCFS)-the queue discipline that serves waiting
units on a first come first- served basis.
Infinite calling population- the population of customers or units that
may seek service has no specific upper limit.
Multiple-server waiting line- A waiting line with two or more parallel
service facilities.
Operating characteristics- the performance measures for waiting line,
including the probability that no units are in the system, the average
number of units in the waiting line, the average waiting time and so on.
Queue- a waiting line
Queuing theory- the body of knowledge dealing with waiting lines
Terms to remember
Poisson probability distribution- a probability distribution used to
describe the arrival pattern for some waiting line models.
Service rate- the mean number of customers or units that can be
served by one service facility in a given period of time.
Single-server waiting line- a waiting line with only one service facility
Steady state operation- the normal operation of the waiting line after
it has gone through a startup or transient period. The operating
characteristics of waiting lines are computed for steady state
conditions.
Transient period- the startup period for a waiting line, occuring before
the waiting line reaches a normal or steady-state conditions
Exercises
One Shop Market 30 customers can be checked out (served) in 1 hour. There
are 24 customers arrived within an hour.
Compute the Po, L, Lq, W, Wq,U and I

11.39