Queuing and Simulation Models

QUEUING AND SIMULATION MODELS

Queuing and simulation deal with the study of waiting lines. They are not optimization techniques; rather, they determine measures of performance of the waiting lines, such as average waiting time in queue, average waiting time for service, and utilization of service facilities.

Queuing models utilize probability and stochastic models to analyze waiting lines, and simulation estimates the measures of performance by imitating the behavior of the real system. In a way, simulation may be regarded as the next best thing to observing a real system. The main difference between queuing and simulation is that queuing models are purely mathematical, and hence are subject to specific assumptions that limit their scope of application. Simulation, on the other hand, is flexible and can be used to analyze practically any queuing situation.

The use of simulation is not without drawbacks. TIle process of developing simu-lation models is costly in both time and resources. Moreover, the execution of simula-tion models, even on the fastest computer, is usually slow.