18-1

Waiting Lines

Operations Management

William J. Stevenson

8th edition

18-2

Waiting Lines

Disney World

Waiting in lines does not add enjoyment

Waiting in lines does not generate revenue

Waiting lines are non-value added occurrences

18-3

Waiting Lines

Waiting Lines

Queuing theory: Mathematical approach to the

analysis of waiting lines.

Goal of queuing analysis is to minimize the sum of

two costs

Customer waiting costs

Service capacity costs

Waiting lines are non-value added occurrences

18-4

Waiting Lines

Implications of Waiting Lines

Cost to provide waiting space

Loss of business

Customers leaving
Customers refusing to wait

Loss of goodwill
Reduction in customer satisfaction
Congestion may disrupt other business
operations

18-5

Waiting Lines

Queuing Analysis

Figure 18.1

Cost

Total
cost

Customer
waiting cost

Total cost

Capacity
cost

Cost of
service
capacity
Cost of
customers
waiting

Service capacity

Optimum

18-6

Waiting Lines

System Characteristics

Population Source

Infinite source: customer arrivals are

unrestricted

Finite source: number of potential customers

is limited

Number of observers (channels)

Arrival and service patterns

Queue discipline (order of service)

18-7

Waiting Lines

Elements of Queuing System

Figure 18.2
Processing
order

Arrivals

Waiting
line

Service
System

Exit

18-8

Waiting Lines

Queuing Systems
Figure 18.3

Multiple channel

Channel: A server in
a service system

Multiple phase

18-9

Waiting Lines

Poisson Distribution

Figure 18.4

0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
0

10 11 12

18-10 Waiting Lines

Waiting line Models

Patient

Reneging

Waiting customers grow impatient and leave the line

Jockeying

Customers enter the waiting line and remain until

served

Customers may switch to another line

Balking

Upon arriving, decide the line is too long and decide

not to enter the line

18-11 Waiting Lines

Waiting Time vs. Utilization

Average number on
time waiting in line

Figure 18.6

System Utilization

100%

18-12 Waiting Lines

System Performance
Measured by:
1.

Average number of customers waiting

2.

Average time customers wait

3.

System utilization

4.

Implied cost

5.

Probability that an arrival will have to wait

18-13 Waiting Lines

Queuing Models: Infinite-Source

1.
2.
3.
4.

Single channel, exponential service time

Single channel, constant service time
Multiple channel, exponential service time
Multiple priority service, exponential service
time

18-14 Waiting Lines

Priority Model
Processing
order

3
Arrivals

Arrivals are assigned

a priority as they arrive

Waiting
line

Service
System

Exit

18-15 Waiting Lines

Finite-Source Formulas
Table 18.6
Service factor
Average number waiting
Average waiting time
Average number running
Average number being served
Number in population

T
X
T U
L N (1 F )
L( T U ) T (1 F )
W

NL
XF
J NF (1 X )
H FNX
N J LH

18-16 Waiting Lines

Finite-Source Queuing

Not waiting or
being served

Waiting

Being
served

JH
F
J LH

18-17 Waiting Lines

Other Approaches

Reduce perceived waiting time

Magazines in waiting rooms

Radio/television

In-flight movies

Filling out forms

Derive benefits from waiting

Place impulse items near checkout

Advertise other goods/services