# Give the computer a batch of work

Build a persistent work queue for a processing routine the person wants to run across several items. Build it extremely well so they can submit work, do something else, and return to usable results. Follow the [shared launch](../shared/launch.md).

Choose a real workload: recordings to transcribe, videos to convert, artwork to export, or documents to prepare. Use an existing application or processor where the person already has a working routine. Make that routine complete before judging the queue around it.

## Let the person submit a clear workload

Give them a convenient way to select the material, choose the processing settings, and see what will be queued. Keep each job associated with its intended source, settings, and output destination.

Make the queue fit the task. The person may use one preparation setup for the whole batch and change it for a particular item. They should be able to recognize the items and correct a choice before it runs.

Preserve original material and any useful existing output. Make a deliberate rerun or new output version understandable in the person's workflow.

## Show the work as it happens

Distinguish waiting jobs, active processing, completed output, and items needing attention. Show useful progress from the actual processor and make finished results available as soon as they are ready.

Let the person inspect an output while the remaining batch continues. A failed item should retain its source and explanation while other independent work can proceed. Make retrying that item straightforward after the cause has been addressed.

Give the person control over the remaining order, with a clear effect when they move, remove, or pause a job. Explain what pausing or cancelling means for the work currently running. Retain completed work and identify any partial output accurately.

## Keep the workload through interruptions

Save the queue and its results so an application restart or interrupted computer session leaves the work recoverable. Recognize completed jobs when resuming and make the remaining work clear.

Run the processor in the appropriate place for the person's setup. Explain what needs to stay available and choose resource use that lets the computer serve their other work as intended. Make any model, service, or processing charges understandable before the batch runs.

Provide a convenient view and controls through the existing application or another suitable local interface. The person should be able to inspect the actual worker, pause the queue, resume it, or stop the workload.

## Return to finished work

Deliver the working queue around the chosen processing routine. Submit representative items, use an early result while later work continues, rearrange something waiting, and recover from an interruption or failed item.

Judge the actual outputs in the applications that use them. The queue should tell the person what finished, where it is, and what still needs attention. Apply the shared launch's ownership and recovery guidance to the setup, job records, and valuable results.

Explain how the computer can hold a workload independently of the person's immediate attention. They can decide what to do next without personally starting every operation.

Later, the [remote-agent phone app](../native-phone/coding-agent-in-your-pocket.md) or another companion can submit work and show completion away from the computer. Keep that connection attached to the same queue and results, so remote control extends the workload already here.