The Effect of Waiting Lines Analysis in Improving Services’ Performance

Field Research in the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs – Social Protection Authority

Research Submitted to the Council of the College of Administration and Economics/ University of Karbala, as a Part of the Requirements for the Higher Diploma Degree in Quality Management

By     

Shurooq shaker Mahmood

Supervised By

Prof. Dr. Mahmood Fahd Al Dulaimi

In administration service organisations, decision-makers seek to reduce the customers’ waiting time to ensure the beneficiaries’ satisfaction without leaving before having the acquired service and encourage them to return to use the provided services. Due to their accuracy, objectivity, and ability to model and simplify complex problems, quantitative methods and operational research are scientific methods that help decision-makers make decisions. Perhaps the problem of waiting lines is one of the most prominent issues facing the administration service organisations.

This study sheds light on this problem and applies the theory of Waiting Lines – which are formed in front of service-providing stations – and investigates the causes lead to the continuous formation of these lines, which increases the suffering of the beneficiaries and develop the appropriate solutions to reduce the waiting times for these stations.

This research was conducted in the Social Protection Authority, one of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs bodies in Baghdad Governorate. Two variables were considered in this study, namely, ‘waiting lines analysis’ and ‘improving service performance’. To analyse the collected data and simulate the waiting line of the searched station, Sim Quick statistical program was implemented.

A set of conclusions was identified, most notably was the failure to use waiting line models for decision-making in the Social Protection Authority due to the lack of specialists in the field of quantitative methods at the agency level, and the lack of the administration’s awareness of the importance of these methods and how to implement them. Finally, this research recommends bringing the attention of the Social Protection Authority’s administration to the importance of using quantitative methods, especially technology of ‘waiting lines’ at the institutional level of the agency to lead the service time in accordance with the appropriate time of the beneficiaries.

Keywords: Waiting Lines, Improving Service Performance, Quality of Services.