WAITING LINE PROBLEM 1

Management is redesigning the customer service process in a

large department store. Accomodating four customers is
important. Customers arrive at the desk at the rate of two
customers per hour. What is the probability that four customers
will arrive during any hour?
What do you think should be the decision of the Manager of the
Customer Service Desk regarding the space requirements of desk,
waiting area and the seating capacity in the waiting area?

WAITING LINE PROBLEM 2

The Management of the large Department store in Problem 1
must determine whether more training is needed for the customer
service clerk. The clerk at the customer service desk can serve an
average of three customers per hour. What is the probability that
a customer will require less than 10 minutes of service?
What do you think should be the Managements decision to
impart training for the customer service clerks ?

WAITING LINE PROBLEM 3

The manager of a grocery store in the retirement community of
Sunnyville is interested in providing good service to senior
citizens who shop in her store. Currently, the store has a separate
check-out counter for senior citizens. On average, 30 senior
citizens per hour arrive at the counter, according to a Poissons
distribution, and are served at an average rate of 35 customers
per hour, with exponential service times.
The manager of the Sunnyville grocery wants answers to the
following questions :

a. What service rate would be required so that the customers

averaged only 8 minutes in the system?
b. For that service rate, what is the probability of having more
than four customers in the system?
c. What service rate would be required to have only a 10%
chance of exceeding four customers in the system?

WAITING LINE PROBLEM 4

a. Manager of a Motor Vehicle licensing facility received
complaints about the time people spend in the service
facility. He estimated that 40 customers on average arrive
per hour and the average number of customers being served
at desk or in waiting is 30. Managers target is that not more
than 30 minutes (on average) a customer should spend in
the facility.
Would the Manager be required to add capacity or improve
the work method or stay with the present arrangements?
b. In a manufacturing process, the average time a gear case
(used for an outboard marine motor) spends at a machining
center is 3 hours, and an average of 5 gearcases arrive at
the machining center per hour. Average work in process
(WIP) inventory of gearcases at the center should not exceed
12. Will the center need more capacity to be added ?
Attempt solving the above decision problems using Littles Law.