1. A method of fulfilling a request to perform a task, the method comprising: receiving the request from a client computer, wherein the received request is made available to a set of worker computers, each worker computer performing tasks corresponding to particular requests in a first queue within a first wait period; placing the received request in the first queue and placing a copy of the received request in a second queue by a queue manager, the second queue to be scanned by each worker computer at plural intervals, a copy of a given request to be removed from the second queue by a given worker computer if the given worker computer is able to perform the given request, and the copy of the given request to be left in the second queue if the given worker computer is unable to perform the given request; performing a scan of the second queue by a master computer; and wherein in response to not finding the copy of the received request in the second queue after a second wait period which is smaller than the first wait period, the master computer beginning monitoring progress of a performance of the task by reading a state of the task.