A manager is trying to improve a single-server queueing system through automation. The average service time is 20 minutes per customer, exponentially distributed, and the arrival rate is 16 customers per 8-hour day (Poisson arrivals). The automated system will have a constant service time of 16 minutes. The effect of this change will
A) decrease utilization.
B) increase waiting time.
C) decrease waiting time.
D) have no effect since the service time is unchanged.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

By decreasing the service time from 20 minutes to a constant 16 minutes, the queueing system will become more efficient. This will lead to a decrease in the waiting time for customers as they will spend less time waiting in the queue. The utilization may also decrease, as customers will be served more quickly and the server may have more downtime. Therefore, choice C is the correct answer.

A Manager Is Trying to Improve a Single-Server Queueing System