Process Analysis and Design

Operations Strategy Process Analysis Manufacturing Services Service Classifications Service System Design Matrix Service Blueprinting Waiting Line Analysis

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Queues (Waiting Lines)

People waiting to be served/machines waiting to be overhauled

Cant have inventory in services! The issue is the trade-off between cost of service and the cost of waiting

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Suggestions for Managing Queues

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Determine an acceptable waiting time Divert customers attention while waiting Inform your customers of what to expect Keep other employees out of sight Segment customers Train employees to be friendly

7.
8.

Encourage customers during slack periods

Adopt a long-term perspective
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Suggestions for Managing Queues

For example, can control arrivals by:

Restricting the line (short line) - e.g., Wendys drive-thru Post business hours

Establishing specific hours for specific customers or price - e.g., run specials; increase price for adult haircuts

Can also provide faster (or slower) servers, machines, layouts, set-up times, etc.
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Components of the Queuing Phenomenon

Population Source? Infinite or Finite

Servicing System Server(s)

Service Rate? Constant or Variable

Customer Arrivals

Waiting Line
Exit

Infinite Queue Length FCFS Balking or Reneging?

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Queuing Components

Arrivals from a finite population - Limited size customer pool (important distinction, as probabilities change after each customer) FCFS (First come, first served) - most common priority rule, but not only one - can have emergencies first, best customers first, triage, etc. Balking (look and then leave) vs. Reneging (wait for awhile and then decide to leave)
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Queuing Components (contd)

Poisson Distribution:

- The Poisson is the most common distribution used in queuing theory for arrivals
- The Poisson distribution is discrete, as the number of arrivals must be an integer - The probability of n arrivals within a T minute period = PT(n)=(T)n(e-T)/n!
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Queuing Components (contd)

Service Rates:

- The capacity of the server (in units per time pd) (e.g., a service rate of 12 completions per hour)
- Use the Exponential distribution when service times are random (as opposed to constant), where = avg # of customers served per time pd, and the probability the service time will be less than or equal to a time of length t: P = 1 e-t.

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Line Structures
Single Phase
Single Channel One-person barber shop Bank tellers windows Multiphase Car wash Hospital admissions

Multichannel

(Also, Mixed; See text pages 251-52)

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Properties of Waiting Line Models

Source Model Layout Population 1 Single channel Infinite 2
3

Service Pattern Exponential Constant

Exponential

Single channel Infinite

Multichannel Infinite

Single or Multi

Finite

Exponential

(See formulas for each model in text on page 253)

These four models share the following characteristics: Single phase Poisson arrival FCFS Unlimited queue length
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Waiting Line Models

Characteristics of a waiting line model:
Lq = Average number in line
Ls = Average number in system

Wq = Average time in line

Ws = Average time in system

= Utilization of Server
Pn = Probability of exactly n in system
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Characteristics of Waiting Lines

Definition

Model 1 (single channel, exp. service rate) 2/[(-)] /(-) /[(-)] or Lq/ 1/(-) or Wq +(1/) / [1-(/)](/)n 1 - (/)

Model 2 (single channel, constant service rate) 2/[2(-)] Lq + (/) /[2(-)] Wq +(1/) -

Lq Ls Wq Ws (rho)

Average number in line

Avg. number in system

Average time in line

Average time in system

Utilization of server Prob.of exactly n in system Prob. of exactly zero in system

Pn Po

Where = Arrival rate (e.g., = 2 would represent a mean arrival rate of 2 per minute), and = Service rate or avg number of customers served per time period (e.g., 1 per 3 mins =20 per hour). and must be in the same units. (corrected 5/3/05)

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Example: Model 1 (worked problem)

Drive-up window at a fast food restaurant. Customers arrive at the rate of 25 per hour. The employee can serve one customer every two minutes. Assume Poisson arrival and Exponential service rates.
A) B) C) D) E) F) What is the average utilization of the employee? What is the average number of customers in line? What is the average number of customers in the system? What is the average waiting time in line? What is the average waiting time in the system? What is the probability that exactly two cars will be in the system?
WP1

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Example: Model 1 (worked problem)

A) What is the average utilization of the employee? = 25 cust/hr
1 customer = = 30 cust/hr 2 mins (1hr/60 mins) 25 cust/hr = = = .8333 30 cust/hr

B) What is the average number of customers in line?

2 (25) 2 Lq = = 4.167 ( - ) 30(30 - 25)

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WP2

Example: Model 1 (worked problem)

C) What is the average number of customers in the system?

25 Ls = = = 5 - (30 - 25)
D) What is the average waiting time in line?

25 Wq = = = .1667 hrs = 10 mins ( - ) 30( 30 - 25)

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WP3

Example: Model 1 (worked problem)

E) What is the average waiting time in the system? 1 1 Ws = = = .2 hrs = 12 mins - 30 - 25 F) What is the probability that exactly two cars will be in the system (one being served and the other waiting in line)?

pn

= (1 - )( )

p2

25 25 2 = (1 - )( ) = .1157 30 30
WP4

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Example: Model 2 (worked problem)

An automated pizza vending machine heats and dispenses a slice of pizza in 4 minutes. Customers arrive at a rate of one every 6 minutes with the arrival rate exhibiting a Poisson distribution. Determine:

A) The average number of customers in line. B) The average waiting time in the system.
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WP5

Example: Model 2 (worked problem)

A) The average number of customers in line.
2 (10) 2 = = = .6667 2( - ) (2)(15)(15 - 10)

Lq

B) The average waiting time in the system.

10 Wq = 2 ( - ) = 2(15 )(15 - 10) = .06667 hrs
1
= 4 mins

1 = .1333 hrs = 8 mins Ws= Wq + = .06667 hrs + 15 / hr

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WP6

Approximating Customer Waiting Time

A quick and dirty method has been developed to compute average waiting time for multiple servers (see text, pp. 261-2). No assumptions about the underlying distributions are required! All that is needed are 4 numbers the average and standard deviation of the inter-arrival time and service time.
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Utilization and Time in System

150 120 90 60 30 0 50%

Time in System

60%

70% 80% Utilization

90%

100%

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