serial processing
nounUK /ˈsɪə.ri.əl ˈprəʊ.ses.ɪŋ/
US /ˈsɪr.i.əl ˈprɑː.ses.ɪŋ/
Doing one thing at a time, then the next thing, then the next.
The computer finished the jobs by serial processing, one after another.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. In computing, a way of handling tasks where each instruction finishes before the next one starts.
Older computers relied on serial processing to run programs.
3. In psychology, handling information one piece at a time instead of many at once.
Reading a long word letter by letter is a kind of serial processing.
4. Any workflow where steps must happen in a fixed order.
The factory uses serial processing, so each car moves to the next station in turn.