I think the way it works is:
let's say they have 10 agents (realistically it is much more, but for the sake of an example) and each has a number of applications that they can process at once - maybe its 20 per agent, idk. Once a week someone loads in a number of applications into the system. Once agents process some applications and free up space and only let's say have 18 in the queue now, they dedicate more applications to them to keep it at 20 processing at a time (thus temporary number becomes permanent). However, since the speed of processing varies per agent, some agents may have a backlog of applications, that way the disorder happens where another agent may be already working on some from ahead.......
Again, I am speculating, but it would make the most sense based on the information. That's why it takes so long for people to have their application in the system and linked. It won't link until agents finish processing some first.