I have a process that needs to wait for x days before proceeding.  Of course, a process Business Manager can skip a timer event, but we often need to make some changes to the form at the same time.  So in this case, instead of doing a timer event, I actually have a user task which I assign it to a system user.  That user task has an interrupt timer on it that it will interrupt it after the x days and proceed to the next stage.  But completing the task also moves to the next stage.  The system user will never complete it of course, but the task can be reassigned to a regular user who can complete it if needed.  Because it is a user task assigned to a team, anyone I've made a manager of the team can reassign the task without having to be a Business Manager for the process.  And the version of the form at that point can be viewed in the history.

The practical upshot of this, is that there is a form in progress at that "wait" point, and that form could be reassigned by a manager to another employee to make changes and complete it early, or it automatically ends it after the set number of days.  Basically, it's a more detailed timer.

Maybe something like that will work for your needs?