Load Effect on Service Times

In this paper, we develop a general framework to analyze the influence of system load on service times in queueing systems. Our framework unifies previous results and ties them to possible future studies to help empirical and analytical researchers to investigate and model the ways in which load impacts service times. We identify three load characteristics: changeover, instantaneous load, and extended load. The load characteristics induce behaviors, or mechanisms, in at least one of the system components: the server, the network, and the customer. A mechanism influences the service-time determinants: the work content, service speed, or in-process delay. We identify and define mechanisms that cause service times to change with load and use the framework to categorize them. We argue that an understanding of the relationship between load and service times can come about only by understanding the underlying mechanisms.