odotuskäyrien

Odotuskäyrät, also known as waiting curves or waiting time curves, are a concept used in operations research and queueing theory to visualize and analyze the expected waiting times in a system. They typically plot the average waiting time against a measure of system load or arrival rate. As the system becomes more congested, the waiting times tend to increase, and the odotuskäyry reflects this relationship.

These curves are valuable tools for understanding system performance and identifying potential bottlenecks. For instance, in a customer service scenario, an odotuskäyrä can help determine how many service agents are needed to maintain acceptable waiting times during peak periods. By observing the slope and the point at which the waiting time starts to escalate rapidly, managers can make informed decisions about resource allocation and capacity planning.

The specific shape of an odotuskäyrä depends on the underlying queueing model being used, such as M/M/1, M/G/1, or M/D/1 queues, which differ in their arrival and service time distributions. In simpler systems with low arrival rates, waiting times might be minimal and relatively constant. However, as the arrival rate approaches the service rate, the odotuskäyrä shows a sharp increase, indicating that the system is becoming saturated and delays are becoming unacceptably long. These curves are instrumental in capacity planning and service level agreement (SLA) definition.