@nprofile1q... If you think 30 seconds is too long, you can reduce it in Preferences. The project structure itself is saved every 60 seconds by default.
If you add a new document just before a crash or shutdown, the document will be added back into the project automatically, so project auto-save is less critical.
As for Word crash, I once saved someone's master's thesis from a crash (with no recent backup) because I knew Word kept hidden files around. She was able to restore it. ๐