Featured Image

Interested in a free 25+ page eBook on the 7 Wastes?

Topics covered are the 7 Wastes in:

Software Engineering, Human Resources, Affiliate Marketing, Paid Search Marketing, the Office, Customer Service, the Environment, Product Development, and Medical Billing


47,176 other people have already downloaded it!

You are here: Lean Six Sigma Home » Queueing Theory

Queuing Theory Articles

Queueing Theory is is the mathematical study of waiting lines, or queues. Queueing Theory enables mathematical analysis of several related processes, including the following:

  • On average, how many will arrive at the (back of the line) queue?
  • On average, how long will one wait in the queue?
  • On average, how long will one wait until being served at the front of the queue?

Below are several posts on Queueing Theory. I’ll be adding to this page periodically — applications, best practices, and general items:

Queueing Theory Application in Service and Manufacturing

by Pete Abilla on September 29, 2011

business applications for queueing theory

Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Queueing Theory, if used appropriately, can describe the a system and its dynamics accurately in order to pave the way for eventually improving the system. Let me illustrate. Let’s assume the following scenario. Widgets are made to order in an assembly line that [...]

Social Security Office: A Lesson on Queueing

by Pete Abilla on September 8, 2011

social security disability

Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Due to an overly-busy life, I forgot to apply for a social security card for my youngest daughter, the baby. She’s 1.5 years and so I thought I probably should just grin and bear it and head over to our local social security [...]

Cycle Time Reduction: Use Little’s Law

by Pete Abilla on August 10, 2011

little's law equation, reduce cycle time

Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn We know that Little’s Law is the average number of customers in a system (over some interval) is equal to their average arrival rate, multiplied by their average time in the system. TH = throughput (arrival rate). This is the velocity or speed of production and [...]

Restaurant Wait Time and Customer Satisfaction

by Pete Abilla on July 19, 2011

restaurant wait time, operations

Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn I find Customer Satisfaction Surveys interesting. It gives us a sense of what is important to the firm and the type of information they are attempting on gathering gives us a clue as to what is important to the company. I was recently [...]

Queueing Psychology and Unexplained Delays

by Pete Abilla on May 19, 2011

annoying, flight delays, joe palca, queueing, psychology

Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Joe Palca, a National Public Radio (NPR) correspondent recently published a book entitled “Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us”. In the book, Joe Palca and his co-author share a number of common things that are annoying and also some research on why [...]

3 of 1212345Last »