How can clock drift or timing issues affect automation?

Clock drift occurs when different systems have slightly different time references, causing automation timing issues:

Problems caused:

Missed triggers: If system A's clock is ahead and system B's clock is behind, events may fall outside evaluation windows. Premature sends: Delays calculated from out-of-sync timestamps may be shorter than intended. Order issues: Events appear to happen in wrong sequence when timestamps come from different systems. Race conditions: Two systems checking conditions at "the same time" may reach different conclusions.

Mitigation strategies:

Use centralized time sources (NTP synchronization). Include buffer time in critical timing windows. Design automation to tolerate small timing variations. Log timestamps from a single authoritative source.

Computers measure time precisely, but different computers disagree. Automation spanning systems must account for this reality.