Application of queueing theory at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology Mess

Abstract

Queueing Theory has been used in this research work to examine congestion in the mess of Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNG UNITECH) in Lae, Morobe province. This study aims to perform analysis of the current queuing system and find the number of servers needed in order to optimize service operations. Multiple server Queuing model (M/M/C) was applied using data obtained through observation in the mess hall. The traffic intensity, average queue length, waiting time, system utilization, and the probability of zero customer in the system were among other parameters analysed. The research findings reveal that the current queuing system which has two servers is not stable owing to the fact that the system experiences high traffic intensity and lengthy waiting times. In analysing the other scenarios, it can be concluded that the queuing system would become stable when there are at least six servers. With this number of servers, the average queue length and waiting time are minimized.