Window of opportunity
A window of opportunity, also called a margin of opportunity or critical window, is a period of time during which some action can be taken that will achieve a desired outcome. Once this period is over, or the "window is closed", the specified outcome is no longer possible.[ 2]
The timing and length of a critical window may be well known and predictable (as in planetary transits) or more poorly understood (as in medical emergencies or climate change). In some cases, there may be multiple windows during which a goal can be achieved, as in the case of space launch windows.
In situations with very brief or unpredictable windows of opportunity, automation may be employed to take advantage of these windows, as in algorithmic trading[ 14] and time-domain astronomy.[ 15] Real-time computing systems can guarantee responses on the order of milliseconds or less.[ 16]
