You can't improve bud after harvest, but you can absolutely ruin it. A rushed dry destroys terpenes; a bad cure grows mold. The difference between harsh grass-smelling bud and smooth, loud, jar-worthy medicine is entirely in these two-plus weeks.
Drying: the 60/60 rule
Hang branches in darkness at 60 °F / 60 % RH (15–16 °C / 55–62 %) with gentle indirect airflow. The target is a slow, even 7–14 day dry. Fast-dried bud (3–4 days) smells like hay because the chlorophyll never broke down and the volatile terpenes boiled off.