4.

QUEUING MODEL (THEORY)

4.1. Fundamental Concepts of Queuing Theory

4.1.1. Introduction

The first problem of queuing theory was raised by calls and Erlang was the first
who treated congestion problems in the beginning of 20 th century. His works
inspired engineers,

Mathematicians to deal with queuing problems using probabilistic methods.

Queuing theory became a field of applied probability and many of its results have
been used in operations research, computer science, telecommunication, traffic
engineering, reliability theory, and others. It analyze the shared facility needs to be
accessed for service by a large number of jobs or customers. Examples: Waiting
lines in cafeterias, hospitals, banks, theaters, airports etc.

4.1.2. Definition of a queuing Model

A queuing model is a suitable model to represent a service oriented problem

where customers arrive randomly to receive some service, the service time being
also a random variable.

4.1.3. Objective of a queuing model

The objective of a queuing model is to find out the optimum service rate and the
number of servers so that the average cost of being in queuing system and the cost
of service are minimized.

4.1.4. Application of a queuing model

The queuing models are basically relevant to service oriented organizations and
suggest ways and means to improve the efficiency of the service. This model can
be applied in the field of business such as banks and booking counters, industries
such as servicing of machines, government such as railway or post-office
counters, transportation such as airport and habour and in everyday life such as in
elevators, restaurants, hospitals among others

4.1.5. Relationship between service and cost

An improvement of service level is always possible by increasing the number of

employees. Apart from increasing the cost an immediate consequence of such a
step is unutilized or idle time of the servers. In addition, it is unrealistic to assume
that a large-scale increase in staff is possible in an organization. Queuing
methodology indicates the optimal usage of existing manpower and other
resources to improve the service. It can also indicate the cost implication if the
existing service facility has to be improved by adding more servers.

4.1.6. Arrival

The arrival rate is the rate at which customers arrive at the service facility during
a specified period of time. For example, if 100 customers arrive at a store
checkout counter during a 10-hour day, we could say the arrival rate averages 10
customers per hour.
The statistical pattern to the arrival can be indicated through

a) The probability distribution of the number of arrivals in a specific period

of time
b) The probability distribution of the time between two successive
arrival (inter-arrival time)

The number of arrivals is a discrete variable whereas the inter-arrival times are
continuous random and variable. A remarkable result in this context is that if the
number of arrivals follows a Poisson Distribution, the corresponding inter-arrival
time follows An Exponential Distribution. This property is frequently used to
derive elegant results on queueing problems

4.1.7. Service

The time taken by a server to complete service is known as a service time. The
service time is a statistical variable and can be studied either as the number of
services completed in a given period of time or the time taken to complete the
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service. The data on actual service time should be analyzed to find out the
probability distribution of service time. The number of services completed is a
discrete random variable while the service time is a continuous random variable.

4.1.8. Server

A server is a person or a mechanism through which service of offered. The service

may be offered through a single server such as a ticket counter or through several
channels such as a train arriving in a station with several platforms. Sometimes
the service is to be carried out sequentially through several phrases known as
multiphase service. In government, the papers move through a number of phase in
terms of official hierarchy till they arrive at the appropriate level where a decision
can be taken.

4.1.9. Time spent in the queuing system

The time spent by a customer in a queuing system is the sum of waiting before
service and service time. The waiting time of a customer is the time spent by a
customer in a queuing system before the service starts. The probability distribution
of waiting time depends upon the probability distribution of inter-arrival time and
service time.

4.1.10. Queue disciple

The queue discipline indicates the order in which members of the queue are
selected for service. It is most frequently assumed that the customers are served on
the first come first serve basis. T This is commonly referred to as FIFO (First In,
First Out) system. Occasionally, a certain group of customers receive priority in
service over the others even if they arrive late. This is commonly referred to a
Priority Queue. The queue discipline does not always take into account the order
of arrival. The server chooses on of the customers to offer service at random. Such
a system is known as service in random order (SIRO). While allotting an item
with high demand and limited supply such as a test match ticket or share of a
public limited company. SIRO system is the only possible way of offering service
when it sin not possible to identify the order of arrival.

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The service discipline determines t he rule according to the next customer is

selected. The most commonly used laws are

i. FIFO - First In First Out: who comes earlier leaves earlier

ii. LIFO – Last Come First Out: who comes later leaves earlier

iii. SIRO – Service In Random Order: the customer is selected randomly

iv. PQ –Priority Queue : A category of customer are given precedence to

be service earlier

4.1.11. Calling population

The calling population is the source of the customers to the queuing system, and it
can be either infinite or finite. An infinite calling population assumes such a large
number of potential customers that it is always possible for one more customer to
arrive to be served. For example, a grocery store, a bank, and a service station are
assumed to have infinite calling populations; that is, the whole town or geographic
area.
A finite calling population has a specific, countable number of potential
customers. It is possible for all the customers to be served or waiting in line at the
same time; that is, it may occur that there is not one more customer to be served.
Examples of a finite calling population are a repair facility in a shop, where there
is a fixed number of machines available to be worked on, a trucking terminal that
services a fleet of a specific number of trucks, or a nurse assigned to attend to a
specific number of patients.

4.1.12. Kendall’s Notation

Kendall’s Notation is a system of notation according to which the various

characteristics of a queuing model are identified. In 1951 Kendell introduced a set
of notations which have become standard in the queuing models. A general
queuing system is donated by: (a/b/c) : (d/e) where:

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a = probability distribution of the inter-

arrival time b = probability distribution of
the service time c = number of servers in
the system

d = maximum number of customers allowed in

the system e = queue discipline

Example 1

(M/M/1) : (∞/FIFO) – indicates a queuing system when the inter-arrival times and
service times are exponentially distributed having one server in the system with
first in first out discipline and number of customers allowed in the system can be
infinite.

Exercise 1

i. Hence M/M/1 denotes a system with Poisson arrivals,

exponentially distributed service times and a single server.

ii .M/G/m denotes an m-server system with Poisson arrivals and generally

distributed service times.

iii. M/M/r/K/n stands for a system where the customers arrive from a finite-
source with n elements where they stay for an exponentially distributed
time, the service times are exponentially distributed, the service is carried
out according to the request’s arrival by r severs, and the system capacity
is K .

iv. M/M/1/ / represents a single server that has unlimited queue capacity
and infinite calling population, both arrivals and service are Poisson (or
random) processes, meaning the statistical distribution of both the inter-
arrival times and the service times follow the exponential distribution.

v. M/G/1/ / represents a single server that has unlimited queue capacity

and infinite calling population, while the arrival is still Poisson process,

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meaning the statistical distribution of the inter-arrival times still follow the
exponential distribution, the distribution of the service time does not.

4.1.13. Queuing Model or Queuing Theory Terminology

Queuing theory is the mathematical study of waiting lines (or queues) that enables
mathematical analysis of several related processes, including arriving at the (back
of the) queue, waiting in the queue, and being served by the Service Channels at
the front of the queue.

Traffic Intensity - The ratio noitazilitu eht ro ytisnetni ciffart eht dellac si µ/‫ג‬
factor and it determines the degree to which the capacity of service station is
utilize

  Mean Rate of Arrival in the Queue

(λ) Mean Service Rate (µ)
Balking - If a customer decides not to enter the queue since it is too long is called
Balking Reneging - If a customer enters the queue but after sometimes loses
patience and leaves it is called Reneging

Jockeying - When there are 2 or more parallel queues and the customers
move from one queue to another is called Jockeying

Waiting Time Cost - The cost of waiting customers include either the indirect cost
of lost business or direct cost of idle equipment and persons.

Idle Time Cost - The cost of idle service facilities is the payment to be made
to the servers for the period for which they remain idle.

Transient State of a system - Queuing analysis involves the system’s behavior

over time. If the Operating characteristics vary with time then it is said to be
transient state of the system.

Steady state of a system - If the behavior becomes independent of its initial

conditions (no. of customers in the system) and of the elapsed time is called
Steady State condition of the system

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4.1.14. Queuing Model Application
Queuing Model can be applied to various
situations:

i. Where customers are involved such as restaurants, café, super

market, airports etc.

ii. Very useful in manufacturing units

iii. Application for the problem of machine breakdown & repairs

iv. Application for the scheduling of jobs in production control

v. Application for the minimization of traffic congestion at tollbooth

vi. Provide solution of inventory control problems

4.1.15. Major Constituents of Queuing System

i. Customer

ii. Queue

iii. Service Channel

Figure 2: Major constituents of a queuing system

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4.1.16. Assumption in queuing system

i. The customers arrive for service at a single service facility at random

according to Poisson distribution with mean arrival rate ‫ג‬.

The service time has exponential distribution with mean service rate µ.

ii. The service discipline followed is First Come First Served.

iii. Customer Behavior is Normal
iv. Service facility behavior is Normal
v. The calling source has infinite size
vi. The mean arrival rate is less than the mean service rate
vii. The waiting space available for customer in the queue is infinite

4.1.17. Limitations of queuing model

i. The waiting space for the customer is usually limited

ii. The arrival rate may be state dependent
iii. The arrival process may not be stationary
iv. The population of customers may not be infinite and the queuing
discipline may not be First Come First Serve
v. Services may not be rendered continuously
vi. The Queuing system may not have reached the steady state. It may
be, instead, in transient state

4.1.18. Queuing Theory Equations

The following Measures of Performance of Queuing Systems are represented as

follows:

i. Average number of customers in system (L)

ii. Average number of customers in queue (LQ)
iii. Average time spent in system per customer (w)
iv. Average time spent in queue per customer (wQ)
v. Server utilization (ρ)

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4.1.19. Single-Server Queues (Poisson Arrivals & Infinite Capacity)

Table 19: Steady-State Parameters of the M /G /1 Queue

4.1.20. Single-Server Queues (Poisson Arrivals & Infinite

Capacity) Example 1

Assume that time between arrivals and service times at a single-chair unisex hair-
styling shop have been shown to be exponentially distributed. The values of λ and
µ are 2 per hour and 3 per hour, respectively. Computer the following

a ) The server utilization

b) The probabilities of having 0, 1, 2 and 3 or more customers in the shop
c) The number of customers in system, in queue and their waiting times

Solution
The server utilization is

The probabilities of having 0, 1, 2 and 3 or more customers

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The number of customers in system, in queue and their waiting times

4.1.21. Single-Server Queues (Poisson Arrivals & Infinite Capacity)

Example 2
There are two workers competing for a job; Able and Joy. Able claims an
average service time that is faster than Joy’s, but Joy claims to be more
consistent, even if not as fast. The arrivals occur according to a Poisson
process with a rate of λ = 2 per hour. Able’s statistics are an average
service time of 24 minutes with a standard deviation of 20 minutes. Joy’s
statistics are an average service time of 25 minutes with a standard
deviation of 2 minutes. If the average queue length is the criterion for
hiring, which worker should be hired?

Solution

Exercise 1

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Kenya Airways has one reservation clerk on duty in its Moi International Airport
branch at any given time. The clerk handles information regarding passenger
reservation and flight timings. Assume that the number of customers arriving
during any given period is passion distribution with and arrival rate 8 per hour and
that the clerk can service 1 customer in 6 minutes on an average, with an
exponentially distributed service time.

a) What is the probability that the system is busy?

b) What is the average time a customer spends in the system?
c) What is the average length of the queue?
d) What is the average number of the customers in the system?

Solution

Exercise 2

A Jua Kali mechanic finds that the time spent on his job has an exponential
distribution with an average of 20 minutes. If repairs cars in the order in which
they arrive in, and if the arrival is approximately Poisson with an average rate of 8
cars per 8 hours in a day.

a) What is the mechanic’s expected idle time each day?

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b) How many jobs are on an average in the system?

Solution

Exercise 3

Cinema goers arrive at the Nyali Cinemax ticket’s counter at a rate of 12 per hour.
There is one clerk serving the customers at a rate of 30 per hour.

a) What is the probability that there are no customers in the counter?

(The system is idle)
b) What is the probability that there are more than 2 customers in the counter?
c) What is the probability that there are no customers waiting to be served?

d) What is the probability that a customer is being served and nobody waiting?

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