Quantum materials offer a tantalizing glimpse of the unusual and technologically-revolutionary properties that can be found in condensed matter systems. However, understanding these materials is extremely challenging and the heart of the problem lies in understanding how electrons, phonons, orbitals and spins interact. In this talk, I will discuss how time resolved dynamics can be used to disentangle this coupling in a range of quantum materials, including vanadium dioxide and manganites. The focus will be experimental and demonstrate how the combination of time-resolved optical and electron/X-ray diffraction can be used to build a complete picture of the physics of quantum materials.