Eliminate Delayed Closings Once and for All

A long time ago I realized that in the suburbs outside of Boston, new leaves reach full size each Spring on May 11.  This year, with the cold April we endured, May 11 came and went and the leaves were delayed.
That said, spring leaves on May 11 are exponentially more predictable than pipeline opportunities.  Why might an opportunity not close when it was forecast to?
Technically, there are seven possibilities:
Closes as forecast and you win.
Closes when forecast and you lose.
A short delay that you will close
A short delay that someone else will close
A long delay that you will close
A long delay that someone else will close
A delay of any duration that results in no decision.