---
type: claim
domain: internet-finance
description: "At 5-20 server scale, queueing theory threshold policies capture most benefit without algorithmic complexity"
confidence: likely
source: "van Leeuwaarden, Mathijsen, Sanders (SIAM Review 2018) - empirical validation of square-root staffing at moderate scale"
created: 2026-03-11
depends_on: ["square-root-staffing-principle-achieves-economies-of-scale-in-queueing-systems-by-operating-near-full-utilization-with-manageable-delays.md"]
---

# Moderate-scale queueing systems benefit from simple threshold policies over sophisticated algorithms because square-root staffing captures most efficiency gains

For systems operating at moderate scale (5-20 servers), the mathematical properties of the Halfin-Whitt regime mean that simple threshold-based policies informed by queueing theory capture most of the available efficiency gains. Sophisticated dynamic algorithms add implementation complexity without proportional benefit at this scale.

The square-root staffing principle works empirically even for systems as small as 5-6 servers, which means the core economies-of-scale insight applies well below the asymptotic regime where the mathematical proofs strictly hold. This has direct implications for pipeline architecture: a system with 5-6 workers doesn't need complex autoscaling algorithms or machine learning-based load prediction.

## Evidence

The SIAM Review tutorial explicitly notes that "square-root safety staffing works empirically even for moderate-sized systems (5-20 servers)" and that "at our scale (5-6 workers), we're in the 'moderate system' range where square-root staffing still provides useful guidance."

The key takeaway from the tutorial: "we don't need sophisticated algorithms for a system this small. Simple threshold policies informed by queueing theory will capture most of the benefit."

## Practical Application

For Teleo pipeline architecture operating at 5-6 workers, this means:
- Simple threshold-based autoscaling policies are sufficient
- Complex predictive algorithms add cost without proportional benefit
- The mathematical foundation (Halfin-Whitt regime) validates simple approaches at this scale

---

Relevant Notes:
- [[square-root-staffing-principle-achieves-economies-of-scale-in-queueing-systems-by-operating-near-full-utilization-with-manageable-delays]]
- domains/internet-finance/_map

Topics:
- core/mechanisms/_map
