Speculative-pipeline Strategy

Run pipeline stages with staggered timing instead of sequentially. The leader starts first; followers start after a configurable delay and build from whatever upstream output exists at that point. Combined with convergence loops, followers self-correct as upstream artifacts arrive and stabilize.

Core Principle

Start downstream work early with partial upstream output. Convergence loops correct the errors introduced by working from incomplete input.

The insight is that waiting for perfect upstream output is wasteful. A follower working from 80% of the upstream artifacts will produce output that is ~60-70% correct on the first pass. But with convergence loops running, the follower re-reads the upstream artifacts on each iteration and corrects course. By the time the leader finishes, the follower is already most of the way done.