Synchronous and Diachronic Timing: Insights into Managing Projects from Disaster Management and Fast-Response Organizations

Timing, that is selecting the right time or speed, is critical in urgent projects, yet there are few studies addressing timing in project management. This article emphasizes event time to better understand that timing is not simply a given externality and points to the importance of enacting events and urgency. Furthermore, the article distinguishes between synchronic and diachronic time perspectives. By transferring insights from disaster management and fast-response organizations, the article shows that (synchronous) coordination is best done by organizational improvisation and fragmentation, whereas (diachronic) pace and rhythm are marked by seizing opportunities, deliberately induced interruptions, and periods of patience.