1. A hardware task manager in a corresponding hardware node of a processing system for managing created tasks run on the hardware node, each created task being configured to use one or more input ports to obtain data from one or more producing tasks run on one or more producing hardware nodes of the processing system, each created task being further configured to use one or more output ports to provide data to one or more consuming tasks run on one or more consuming hardware nodes of the processing system, each input port of each created task being associated with a corresponding buffer, the hardware task manager comprising a state machine component configured to: identify each created task; provide a ports count for each created task that indicates how many of the one or more input ports and the one or more output ports that are needed for the created task to be ready to run are available to the created task, each input port being available to the created task when a predetermined amount of data produced by one of the one or more producing tasks and needed by the created task to begin consuming data is available in the corresponding buffer, each output port being available to the created task when a predetermined amount of capacity needed by the created task to begin producing data for consumption by one of the one or more consuming tasks is available in the corresponding buffer; and provide a task state for each created task that indicates when the created task is ready to run based on the ports count for the created task.