QUEUING OR WAITING

LINE THEORY
SINGLE SERVER SYSTEM
MULTI SERVER SYSTEM
“In general, we do not like to wait. But reduction of the
waiting time usually requires investments. To decide
whether or not to invest, it is important to know the
effect of the investment on the waiting time. So, we need
models and techniques to analyze such situations.”
 REAL-WORLD EXPRIENCES
• Cashier
• Bank Tellers
• Fast food chains
• Traffic
• In almost every “Entrance”
• Concert/Cinema
• In giving of government subsidies
• Terminals
• And in all other daily transactions.
 WHAT IS A QUEUE

• A line or sequence of people, vehicles, data, activities

or anything awaiting their turn to be attended to or to
proceed.
 WHAT IS A QUEUING THEORY?
• It is study of waiting lines.
• It plays a big role in solving and preventing operational
bottlenecks and service failures in the organization (Fakokunde
et al., 2018)
 QUEUING ANALYSIS
• A probabilistic form of analysis, not deterministic technique.
• Depends on the queuing system type:
• 1. Single Server System
• 2. Multi-Server System
SINGLE SERVER SYSTEM
MULTI SERVER SYSTEM
 FACTORS TO CONSIDER ANALYZING A
QUEUING SYSTEM
1. The queue discipline (in what order customers are served)
2. The nature of calling population (where customers come from)
3. The arrival rate (how often customers arrive at the queue)
4. The service rate (how fast customer are served)
 ASSUMPTION OF THE BASIC SINGLE
SERVER MODEL
1. An infinite calling population
2. A first-come, first served queue discipline
3. Poisson arrival rate
4. Exponential service times
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Single Server System:
Keep in mind, however, that these formulas are applicable only to
queuing systems having the forgoing conditions.
Given that,
λ = the rate (average number of arrivals per time period)
μ = the service rate (average number served per time period)

And that λ < μ (customer are served at a faster rate that they arrive).
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Single Server System:
The probability that no customers are in the queuing system (either in the queue
or being served) is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Single Server System:
The probability that n customer are in the queuing system is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Single Server System:
The average number of customer in the queuing system (customer being serviced
and in the waiting line) is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Single Server System:
The average number of customer in the waiting line is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Single Server System:
The average time a customer spends waiting in the queue to be served is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Single Server System:
The probability that the server is busy (i.e., the probability that a customer
has to wait), known as the utilization factor, is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Single Server System:
The probability that the server is idle (i.e., the probability that a customer can
be served) is
EXAMPLE:
For example, if:

λ = 24 customer per hour arrive at checkout counter

μ = 30 customers per hour can be checked out
 THEN,
•The
  Probability that no customers are in the queuing system (either in the
queue or being served) is:

P0 = 1 -
P0 = 1 -
P0 = 0.20 probability of no customers in the system
 THEN,
•The
  average number of customer in the queuing system (i.e., the customer
being serviced and in the waiting line) is:
L=
L=
L = 4 customer, on the average, in the queuing system
 THEN,
•The
  average number of customer in the waiting line is

Lq =
Lq =
Lq =
Lq =
 THEN,
•The
  average number a customer spends in the total queuing system
(waiting and being served) is:

W=
W=
W=
 THEN,
•The
  average number a customer spends in the queue to be served is:

Wq =
Wq=
Wq =
THEN,
•The
  probability that the server is busy (The probability that a customer
has to wait), known as the utilization factor, is:

U=
U=
U=
 SEVERAL IMPORTANT ASPECTS
• First, the operating characteristics are average
• They are assumed to be steady-state averages
• Related to this condition is the fact that the utilization factor, U, must be lessthan one. U < 1
and λ < μ
• In other words, the ratio of the arrival rate to the service rate must be less than one.
• The server must be able to serve customers faster than they come into the store in the long
run,
• Or, the waiting line will grow to an infinite size, and the system will never reach a steady
state.
 TRY THIS 
• A single-server queuing system with an infinite calling population and a
first-come, first served queue discipline has the following arrival and
service rates:
λ = 16 customer per hour
μ = 24 customers per hour

Determine: P0, L, Lq, W, Wq and U.

1.) P○= 0.33 probability of no customers in the system
2.) P3= 0.10 probability of 3 customers in the system
3.) 2 probability of customers being served and in the waiting line
4.) 1.33 customers, on average in the waiting line
5.) 0.125 hr. (0.125 x 60 mins= 7.5 mins) average time in the system per customer
6.) 0.083 hr. (0.083 x 60 mins= 4.98 mins) average time in the waiting line per customer
7.) 0.67 probability that server is busy and customer wait
Show less
MULTI SERVER SYSTEM
 MULTI SERVER SYSTEM
• In multiple-server models, two or more independent servers in parallel set
a single waiting line.
• Slightly more complex than the single-server queuing system
• Examples:
• Check-in Counters at the Airport
• Check-out Counters in the Groceries
 ASSUMPTION OF THE MULTI SERVER
MODEL
Like the single-server model formulas, the following assumptions apply in a
multi-server model:
1. An infinite calling population
2. A first-come, first-served queue discipline
3. Poisson arrival rate
4. Exponential service times
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Multi-Server System:
λ = The arrival rate (average number of arrivals per time period)
μ = the service rate (average number served per time period) per server
c = the number of servers
cμ = the mean effective service rate for the system, which must exceed
the arrival rate
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Multi-Server System:
• The probability that no customers are in the queuing system (either in the
queue or being served) is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Multi-Server System:
• The probability that n customers are in the queuing is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Multi-Server System:
• The average number of customer in the queuing system (i.e., the customer
being serviced and in the waiting line) is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Multi-Server System:
• The average number of customers in the waiting line is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Multi-Server System:
• The average number a customers spends in the total queuing system
(waiting and being served) is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Multi-Server System:
• The average number a customers spends in the total queuing system to
be served is
 HELPFUL FORMULAS IN QUEUING
ANALYSIS:
• For Multi-Server System:
• The probability that a customer arriving in the system must wait for the
service (probability that all the servers are busy)
 EXAMPLE
For example, if:

λ = 10 customer per hour arrive at checkout counter

μ = 4 customers per hour can be checked out
c = 3 servicing counter
SOLUTIONS:
•  The probability that no customers are in the queuing system (either in the
queue or being served) is
P0

P0
c

0 1 2 3
•  P 0

1 2 3

•P 0

•P 0 = 0.045 the probability that there is no customer in the queue

SOLUTIONS:
•  The average number of customer in the queuing system (the customer
being serviced and in the waiting line) is

L P0 + c

L
2

2
••  L 3
2

•L

• L = 6 customer in queuing system

SOLUTIONS:
•  The average number of customer in the waiting line is

Lq = L -
Lq = 6 -

Lq = 3.5 customers waiting to be served

SOLUTIONS:
•  The average time of customer in the spends in the total queuing system
(waiting and being served) is

W=
W=
W = 0.60 hours or 36 minutes
SOLUTIONS:
•  The average time a customer spends waiting in the queue to be served is

Wq =
Wq =
Wq = 0.35 hours or 21 minutes
 APPLICATION OF QUEUING THEORY
AND ANALYSIS IN BUSINESS
McDonalds’s Fast food restaurant has a drive-through window
with a single server who takes order from an intercom and also is
the cashier. The window operator is assisted by other employees
who prepare the orders. Customer arrive at the ordering station
prior to the drive through window every 5 minutes (Poisson
distributed), and the service time is 4 minutes (exponentially
distributed). Determine the average length of the queue and the
total queuing time.
 Determine the arrival and service rates
•  Customer arrive at the ordering station prior to the drive through window
every 5 minutes, thus:
Arrival Rate =
Arrival Rate = 12 person
• The service time is 4 minutes, thus:
Service Rate =
Service Rate = 15 persons
 COMPUTE THE WAITING TIME
•The
  average number a customer spends in the total queuing
system (waiting and being served) is
W=
W=
W = 20 minutes in the entire queue
 COMPUTE THE WAITING TIME
The management of McDonald’s is proposing to reduce the total queuing
time through one of the options below:
OPTION 1: Invest in a mobile application, called “McService”, where
customer pre-ordered their meals thru the app, and a notification will be
sent if their meals are ready for pick-up. This application requires an initial
investment of $50,000 for app development and annual maintenance fee of
$5,000. With the app, the total service time will be reduced to 1.5 minutes,
and the number of customer arriving per hour will increased to 15.
The management of McDonald’s is proposing to reduce the total
queuing time through one of the options below:
OPTION 2: Add a new window where the two windows can serve at
a rate twice faster as the existing. This option requires an annual
fixed cost $35,000 and monthly additional rent of $400. With the
additional window, the number of customers arriving will be divided
equally. However, there will be no increase in the arriving customers.
NOTE: The management estimated that it will save $ 12,300 for
every minute of reduction in the customer’s total queuing time.
Which option would most likely gain higher savings?
 EVALUATE: OPTION 1
(INVEST IN A MOBILE APPLICATION)
•Compute
  the new service and arrival rates:
• Customer arrival rate with Option 1 is 15 persons per hour
• Total service time will be reduced to 1.5 minutes.
Service Rate =
Service Rate =40 persons
 EVALUATE: OPTION 1
(INVEST IN A MOBILE APPLICATION)
•Compute
  the new waiting time: Thus, from 20 minutes,
McDonalds save 17.6
W= minutes!
W=
W= 2.4 minutes in the entire queue
FROM 20 MINUTES PREVIOUSLY COMPUTED
 EVALUATE: OPTION 1
(INVEST IN A MOBILE APPLICATION)
Therefore:
Savings ($12,300 x 17.6 minutes saved) $216,480
Less:
Cost of Investment ( $ 50,000)
Annual Maintenance ($ 5,000)
Net Savings under Option 1 $ 161,480
 EVALUATE: OPTION 2
(ADD ADDITIONAL WINDOW)
•Compute
  the new service and arrival rates:
• There will be no increased in the arriving customer, thus
Arrival Rate = 12 persons
• Total service time will be two times faster because of the new window, thus service
time from 4 minutes becomes 2 minutes
Service Rate =
Service Rate =30 persons
 EVALUATE: OPTION 2
(ADD ADDITIONAL WINDOW)
•Compute
  the new waiting time: Thus, from 20 minutes,
W= McDonalds save 16.67
minutes!
W=
W= 3.33 minutes in the entire queue
FROM 20 MINUTES PREVIOUSLY COMPUTED
 EVALUATE: OPTION 2
(ADD ADDITIONAL WINDOW)
Therefore:
Savings ($12,300 x 16.7 minutes saved) $205,080
Less:
Cost of Investment ( $ 30,000)
Annual Maintenance ($ 4,800) This is a better option!
Net Savings under Option 2 $ 165,200 Under option 1, it would
only save $ 161,480