Editing Pipeline (computing) (section)

=== Nonlinear pipelines ===
If some stage takes (or may take) much longer than the others, and cannot be sped up, the designer can provide two or more processing elements to carry out that task in parallel, with a single input buffer and a single output buffer. As each element finishes processing its current data item, it delivers it to the common output buffer, and takes the next data item from the common input buffer. This concept of "non-linear" or "dynamic" pipeline is exemplified by shops or banks that have two or more cashiers serving clients from a single waiting queue.