Queue Capacity Utilization

Notes

• Queue capacity utilization is the amount of time the service process is working (not idle).

• Knowing capacity utilization allows you to predict many characteristics of a queue.

• Percent capacity utilization and percent queue time are identical for a random queue.

  • If you operate an $M/M/1/\infty$ queue at $X$ percent utilization, you're choosing to use $X$ percent queue time.

• Queues grow when you approach 100 percent utilization, they become exponentially large.

• It's hard to measure capacity utilization directly.

References

• The Principles of Product Development Flow
• Tero Parviainen. A Dash of Queueing Theory

Backlinks

• The Principles of Product Development Flow
• Capacity Utilization Increases Queues Exponentially
• Demand-Focused Approaches to Control WIP
• Effects of Set a Limit on WIP (Work in Process)
• Enhance the Effectiveness of WIP Constraints by Cross-Training Workers
• High-States/Congested Queues
• Kanban Pull Principle
• Most of the Damage Done by a Queue Is Caused by High-Queues States
• Queue Capacity Utilization Allows You to Predict Many Queues Characteristics
• Slack and Queue Capacity Utilization Are Correlated
• Theory of Constraints (TOC) - Elevating the Constraint
• When Response Time Is Important, Measure Response Time
• Work in Process (WIP)