This is a linkpost for https://less.works/less/principles/queueing_theory

Related to Slack. Related to Lean Manufacturing, aka JIT Manufacturing.

TL;DR A successful task-based system should occasionally be idle, like 40% of worker ants.

Doing tasks quickly is essential for producing value in many systems. For software teams, delivering a feature gives valuable insight into user needs, which can improve future feature quality. For supply chains, faster delivery releases capital for reinvestment. However, the relationship between capacity utilized and service time is exponential, as shown by the diagram below.

Stochastic arrivals mean it's better to sometimes have idle capacity, so that the system is quickly ready for when tasks arrive in droves.

A heuristic we can derive from queuing theory is that the optimal balance between efficiency and capacity typically occurs when the system is around 30-40% idle. For a single producer system, being X% idle is that producer being idle X% of the time. [...]

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First published:
December 1st, 2023

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/YEHHHttT7EqZqPZb5/queuing-theory-benefits-of-operating-at-70-capacity

Linkpost URL:
https://less.works/less/principles/queueing_theory

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

[Linkpost] “Queuing Theory: Benefits of operating at 70% capacity” by ampdot

LessWrong (30+ Karma)