Why are you waiting?
It might be due to variability.
Assume your physician's walk-in clinic can see 10 patients each hour.
The clinic in this case is the server. It's service rate is 10 patients/hour. You, the patient, are the customer.
What affect does the arrival rate of other patients have on whether you are seen in a timely manner?
During the hour you arrive, 11 other patients also arrive to be seen. Will there be waiting at the end of that hour?
Yes. There will be waiting.
The clinic can only see 10 patients in an hour, not 12.
How about a different scenario? What happens if 7 other patients arrive during the hour you get to the clinic?
That's a total of 8 patients in one hour. Again, the clinic service rate is 10 patients per hour. Will there be waiting?
It depends.
Are the patients arriving at exactly 7.5 minutes apart (60 minutes / 8 patients)?
If so, then there will be no waiting. But how often does that occur? Isn't it more likely that patients arrive at a variable rate?
If patients arrive at a variable rate will any of the patients wait?
Yes.
Think about it.
Can the receptionist process 4 people at once?
Can the nurse care for a batch of people at once?
Can the phlebotomist draw the blood on a batch of many patients at once?
Will rooms be occupied as other patients wait to move to the next step in the process?
Will you wait to get a room?
The most efficient processes can crumble as you increase the number of customers and the variability of arrival rate. Plan for variability.
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