A Practical Optimisation Technique for a Queueing System

A scheduling problem in an outpatient clinic is considered. First the system is represented by means of a simple queueing model. The problem of minimising the patients' total queueing time is then formulated as a non-linear program and solved by applying the Kuhn-Tucker conditions. The results obtained enable the person who manages the appointment system to allocate appointment dates to patients who have different priorities.