A Data-Driven Analysis of the Evolution of Project Management: Tasks, Trends, and AI

09 December 2025

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

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Abstract: The field of project management has dramatically changed over the past 50 years, shifting from largely manual administrative work to AI-assisted strategic leadership. This article formulates a task-level, data-driven analysis of project management duties in 1975, 2000, and 2025—showing trends, AI potential, and the changing human + AI partnership that’s the future of the profession.

1. Introduction

Project management has changed significantly over the last 50 years. The paper-based, manual methods of the 70s have been replaced by AI-assisted processes in the 21st century, and the profession has been adapting continuously to the changes in technology, methodology, and organizational demands.

As AI becomes increasingly capable, will project managers themselves become obsolete, or will the role simply transform into a higher-order, strategic function?

This article first studies the duties of project managers in 1975, 2000, and 2025, respectively, then examines the extent to which those duties can be done by AI, and finally, draws the implications for project management jobs and career paths.

This article delivers a granular task-level scrutiny where each task is regarded as either fully AI-automated, partially augmentable (human/AI), or entirely human. The central purpose of the study is to uncover the changing human-machine interaction in project management and to provide a solid ground for future predictions rather than mere speculation.

2. Methodology

The correspondence of tasks to different periods helps to establish a longitudinal comparison, thus getting insight into how project management work has changed over time.

The analysis uses literature review data and expert-guided AI potential classifications. It is informed by 101 sources, which are cited in the bibliography section of this article.

2.1 Task Selection

For each time point (1975, 2000, 2025), 20 representative project management tasks were identified, resulting in 60 tasks in total.
Tasks were chosen based on their frequency in project management literature, their significance as main project management work, and the general agreement on what constitutes typical project management work in each era.
This analysis used textbooks, publications on professional standards, and empirical reports and industry analyses of project management practices as sources.
The task list was intended to illustrate how project management duties have changed over time. As shown by the literature, it’s summarized as: from administrative/manual (1975) through digital/collaborative (2000) to AI-augmented strategic leadership (2025).
These lists represent the patterns identified through the aggregated data of the respective eras. However, individual experiences may vary depending on the industry, organization, and other factors.

2.2 AI Potential Classification

For each task, the suitability for automation or augmentation by AI was determined, resulting in the following three categories.

AI: Tasks that can be entirely automated by AI without any human intervention (e.g., repetitive scheduling, data aggregation, etc.).
Human/AI: Tasks where AI can take over or partially perform routine or data-based aspects, but human judgment, control, or creative/relational input is still necessary.
Human: Tasks that are heavily dependent on human judgment, leadership, interpersonal skills, ethics, or strategic thinking, Thus, AI cannot effectively substitute human involvement.

Decisions factored data from the sources noted in the article's bibliography, practical knowledge of project management responsibilities, the current capabilities of AI (e.g., in scheduling, data processing, analytics), and expert assessments on human-AI collaboration.

If a classification was unclear, a conservative label was used (e.g., “Human/AI” instead of “AI” when human control was implied).

2.3 Limitations

The classification involves individual judgment and may not apply to every case (e.g., every individual experience).
Since AI is developing fast, some “Human/AI” tasks that exist today could turn into “AI” tasks in the future. The classification reflects typical AI capabilities as of the time of this article.
The 60-task list is a simplifying version, suited for illustration and analysis.
The list of 60 tasks is necessarily a simplification for clarity; many real-world PM roles combine, subdivide, or specialize tasks differently.

3. Project Management in 1975

1975 Era Characteristics

Manual, paper-based scheduling and documentation.
Hierarchical team structures.
Heavy reliance on physical memos, face-to-face meetings, and manual tracking.

Table 1: Project Management Responsibilities in 1975 (Shown as a Bulleted List)

Task Number, Responsibility

1. Develop detailed project plans (Gantt charts)
2. Define project scope and requirements
3. Allocate resources manually
4. Prepare budgets and cost estimates
5. Schedule tasks using paper/mainframe tools
6. Track progress via manual reports
7. Monitor timelines closely
8. Conduct formal project meetings
9. Prepare documentation for approvals
10. Manage risks manually
11. Interface with vendors and suppliers
12. Ensure compliance with regulations
13. Lead teams hierarchically
14. Handle procurement of materials/equipment
15. Maintain physical project files
16. Coordinate via memos and phone calls
17. Approve change requests manually
18. Present reports to senior management
19. Perform project closeout / post mortems
20. Ensure deliverables meet technical specifications

In 1975, project managers were primarily task executors and coordinators, managing administrative, planning, and compliance work through manual processes.

4. Project Management in 2000

2000 Era Characteristics

Adoption of digital tools — project management software, spreadsheets, email.
Rise of IT, engineering, and cross functional projects.
Emergence of more formalized documentation and collaboration across departments.

Table 2: Project Management Responsibilities in 2000 (Shown as a Bulleted List)

Task Number, Responsibility

21. Develop project plans using software
22. Define/manage project scope with stakeholders
23. Create Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)
24. Assign resources digitally
25. Monitor schedules and dependencies
26. Track budgets electronically
27. Conduct team status meetings
28. Prepare status reports for management or clients
29. Identify and manage risks using registers
30. Manage change requests formally
31. Interface with vendors and contractors
32. Ensure compliance with standards (e.g., ISO, CMMI)
33. Facilitate cross-functional collaboration
34. Maintain electronic project documentation
35. Implement quality assurance / testing plans
36. Negotiate project timelines and deliverables
37. Mentor junior team members
38. Communicate with stakeholders via email/phone
39. Conduct project reviews / lessons learned
40. Manage IT specific challenges (integration, version control)

By 2000, project management work became more data-driven, collaborative, and structured, leveraging software tools and standardized processes—yet human judgment remained essential.

5. Project Management in 2025

2025 Era Characteristics

Agile, hybrid, or flexible methodologies predominate.
Cloud-based collaboration and real-time communications.
AI supports planning, scheduling, analytics, and reporting.
Remote and distributed teams are common.

Table 3: Project Management Responsibilities in 2025 (Shown as a Bulleted List)

Task Number, Responsibility

41. Facilitate Agile ceremonies (Scrum, Kanban)
42. Develop adaptive project roadmaps
43. Leverage AI tools for scheduling / resource allocation
44. Manage distributed / remote teams
45. Collaborate in real-time using cloud platforms
46. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) and project health metrics continuously
47. Prioritize tasks dynamically based on business value
48. Foster team culture, psychological safety, and inclusion
49. Manage stakeholder engagement via digital dashboards
50. Ensure alignment with organizational strategy / objectives and key results (OKRs)
51. Conduct scenario planning for risks and opportunities
52. Integrate DevOps and continuous delivery practices
53. Drive continuous improvement and iterative delivery
54. Coordinate multi-project programs and portfolios
55. Support and interpret AI-driven analytics and forecasts
56. Mentor teams in adaptive practices
57. Ensure cybersecurity, data privacy, and compliance
58. Evaluate emerging technology trends for project applicability
59. Promote sustainability and ESG considerations in projects
60. Drive business value through strategic alignment and innovation

In 2025, project managers have evolved into strategic leaders, facilitators, and value drivers, leveraging AI and modern methodologies while focusing on human-centric and business-outcome work.

6. Trends and Patterns Across Eras

Table 4: Evolution of Project Management Responsibilities

Era	Core Characteristics	Primary Focus
1975	Manual, administrative, paper-based	Task execution and compliance
2000	Digital, collaborative, structured	Coordination, planning, analysis
2025	AI-augmented, strategic, people-driven	Leadership, value delivery, agility

The trend shows a steady transformation: administrative burdens diminish, while strategic, human-centric tasks rise in importance.

7. AI Potential in Project Management

Not all project management tasks are equally suited for automation. Based on the analysis:

Some tasks can be fully handled by AI (e.g., scheduling, baseline tracking, and relatively simple reporting).
Many tasks benefit from AI but still need human oversight or creativity—especially those involving uncertainty, complexity, or human relationships.
Some tasks remain inherently human (e.g., leadership, team culture, stakeholder negotiation, and ethical judgment).

Table 5: Annotated Project Management Responsibilities with AI Potential (All 60 Tasks)

Task #	Era	Responsibility	Human, AI, or Human/AI
1	1975	Develop detailed project plans (Gantt charts)	AI
2	1975	Define project scope and requirements	Human
3	1975	Allocate resources manually	Human/AI
4	1975	Prepare budgets and cost estimates	Human/AI
5	1975	Schedule tasks using paper/mainframe tools	AI
6	1975	Track progress via manual reports	Human/AI
7	1975	Monitor timelines closely	Human/AI
8	1975	Conduct formal project meetings	Human
9	1975	Prepare documentation for approvals	Human/AI
10	1975	Manage risks manually	Human/AI
11	1975	Interface with vendors and suppliers	Human
12	1975	Ensure compliance with regulations	Human
13	1975	Lead teams hierarchically	Human
14	1975	Handle procurement of materials/equipment	Human/AI
15	1975	Maintain physical project files	AI
16	1975	Coordinate via memos and phone calls	Human/AI
17	1975	Approve change requests manually	Human/AI
18	1975	Present reports to senior management	Human/AI
19	1975	Perform project closeout / post-mortems	Human
20	1975	Ensure deliverables meet technical specifications	Human
21	2000	Develop project plans using software	Human/AI
22	2000	Define/manage project scope with stakeholders	Human
23	2000	Create Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)	Human/AI
24	2000	Assign resources digitally	AI
25	2000	Monitor schedules / dependencies	AI
26	2000	Track budgets electronically	AI
27	2000	Conduct team status meetings	Human
28	2000	Prepare status reports for management/clients	AI
29	2000	Identify/manage risks with registers	Human/AI
30	2000	Manage change requests formally	Human/AI
31	2000	Interface with vendors/contractors	Human
32	2000	Ensure compliance with standards (ISO, CMMI)	Human
33	2000	Facilitate cross-functional collaboration	Human
34	2000	Maintain electronic project documentation	AI
35	2000	Implement quality assurance / testing plans	Human/AI
36	2000	Negotiate project timelines / deliverables	Human
37	2000	Mentor junior team members	Human
38	2000	Communicate with stakeholders via email / phone	Human/AI
39	2000	Conduct project reviews / lessons learned	Human
40	2000	Manage IT-specific challenges (integration / version control)	Human/AI
41	2025	Facilitate Agile ceremonies (Scrum, Kanban)	Human
42	2025	Develop adaptive project roadmaps	Human/AI
43	2025	Leverage AI tools for scheduling / resource allocation	AI
44	2025	Manage distributed / remote teams	Human
45	2025	Collaborate in real-time using cloud platforms	Human/AI
46	2025	Track key performance indicators (KPIs) / project health metrics continuously	AI
47	2025	Prioritize tasks dynamically based on business value	Human/AI
48	2025	Foster team culture, psychological safety, inclusion	Human
49	2025	Manage stakeholder engagement via dashboards	Human
50	2025	Ensure alignment with organizational strategy / objectives and key results (OKRs)	Human
51	2025	Conduct scenario planning for risks and opportunities	Human/AI
52	2025	Integrate DevOps / continuous delivery practices	Human/AI
53	2025	Drive continuous improvement and iterative delivery	Human/AI
54	2025	Coordinate multi-project programs / portfolios	Human/AI
55	2025	Support AI-driven analytics and forecasting	Human/AI
56	2025	Mentor teams in adaptive practices	Human
57	2025	Ensure cybersecurity, data privacy, and compliance	Human/AI
58	2025	Evaluate emerging technology trends for project applicability	Human
59	2025	Promote sustainability and ESG considerations in projects	Human
60	2025	Drive business value through strategic alignment and innovation	Human

Here's the distribution of the 60 tasks (all eras combined).

10 (17%) were designated as AI.
26 (43%) as Human/AI.
24 (40%) as Human.

Here's the data by era.

1975: 17 (85%) of the 20 tasks were classified as Human or Human/AI, and the other 3 (15%) were designated as AI.
2000: 15 (75%) of the 20 tasks were classified as Human or Human/AI, and the other 5 (25%) were designated as AI.
2025: 18 (90%) of the 20 tasks were classified as Human or Human/AI, and the other 2 (10%) were designated as AI.

Here are the ranges for the eras in aggregate: 75-90% (83% average) of the tasks were Human or Human/AI, and 10-25% (17% average) were AI.

8. Implications for the Future of Project Management

Project management is evolving. Professionals who embrace this change are unlikely to be replaced. As AI automates repetitive and data-intensive tasks, project managers can focus on higher-value responsibilities such as strategic planning, leadership, stakeholder engagement, and fostering team culture.
Skill priorities will shift. In addition to technical fluency, successful project managers will need leadership, critical thinking, stakeholder management, AI tool literacy, and ethical decision-making skills.
Organizations must adapt. To leverage AI effectively, organizations should redesign workflows, blend human + AI tasks intentionally, invest in reskilling, and establish governance over AI use (e.g., privacy, bias, accountability).
Human + AI collaboration becomes the norm. A “hybrid workforce” (one that combines human judgment and other qualities along with AI efficiency) offers improved productivity, agility, and strategic focus.

In short, AI handles analytics, scheduling, and reporting; humans focus on leadership, strategy, stakeholder relationships, and value delivery.

9. Discussion and Insights

The human element remains essential in project management. Leadership, ethics, interpersonal dynamics, and strategic thinking are profoundly difficult—if not impossible—to fully automate.

AI serves as a powerful tool rather than a replacement. By taking over routine and repetitive tasks, it frees project managers to focus on higher-order responsibilities that demand and benefit from human judgment and insight.

The evolution of the profession has been gradual yet enduring. Over the past five decades, project management has progressed from manual processes to digital systems and now to AI-augmented work, but the core share of human-centered responsibilities has remained substantial.

Ultimately, resilience and adaptability determine success. Project managers and organizations that embrace change, invest in reskilling, and integrate AI as a collaborative partner will thrive, while those who cling to outdated approaches risk falling behind.

Actionable Insights

AI doesn’t replace project managers—it reshapes what it means to be one. Success now depends on a combination of strategic oversight, human judgment, leadership, ethical governance, and AI literacy. Routine work is automated, so human contribution is elevated to guiding decisions, managing people, and ensuring outcomes align with organizational objectives.

Here’s a comprehensive summary of general guidance for project managers in an AI-augmented world, along with the reasoning behind each suggestion:

1. Embrace AI as a tool, not a replacement

Guidance: Use AI to automate routine, repetitive, and data-intensive tasks such as scheduling, resource tracking, risk monitoring, status reporting, and document generation.
Why: AI can handle certain high-volume tasks faster and with fewer errors than humans. This frees project managers to focus on decision-making, strategy, and stakeholder engagement—areas where human judgment is critical.

2. Develop soft skills

Guidance: Invest in communication, negotiation, coaching, and conflict-resolution skills. Lead teams with empathy and clarity.
Why: As AI fulfills operational tasks, human skills that involve understanding, motivating, and guiding people become more valuable.

3. Focus on governance and ethical oversight

Guidance: Establish protocols for AI usage, including validation of AI outputs, risk assessment, compliance with regulations, and ethical considerations (e.g., bias in AI algorithms).
Why: AI is powerful but not infallible (e.g., AI "hallucinations"). Project managers ensure that AI supports strategic objectives responsibly and ethically, safeguarding quality, fairness, and accountability.

4. Strengthen decision-making and judgment

Guidance: Learn to interpret AI recommendations critically, identify exceptions, and make final decisions that consider business context, human factors, and organizational priorities.
Why: AI can suggest solutions or predict outcomes, but humans are needed to weigh trade-offs, anticipate unintended consequences, and align actions with organizational goals.

5. Advance AI literacy and technical awareness

Guidance: Understand how AI tools work at a conceptual level, including their capabilities, limitations, and data requirements. Be able to communicate effectively with technical teams.
Why: Project managers need to bridge the gap between technical AI implementation and business strategy. AI literacy helps in planning, monitoring, and ensuring projects deliver value.

6. Reimagine project roles and workflows

Guidance: Redesign team structures and workflows to integrate AI. Identify where AI can augment human roles and where humans must retain control.
Why: Effective integration of AI changes task allocation and accountability. Teams that adapt processes for AI augmentation are more efficient, productive, and innovative.

7. Practice continuous learning and adaptation

Guidance: Stay updated on emerging AI tools, methods, and best practices. Encourage team upskilling and cross-functional learning.
Why: AI evolves rapidly. Project managers who continuously learn and foster learning cultures will maintain relevance and ensure their projects leverage the latest innovations.

10. Conclusion

Project management has experienced a major change in its structure and working methods during the last five decades. In 1975, project managers were mostly performing basic procedural tasks, keeping everything in their heads or on paper, using manual methods. By 2000, work relied on digital tools. In 2025, project managers are empowered by AI and are more focused on strategic leadership, enterprise agility, and value delivery.

Key Takeaways:

AI automates and augments tasks but does not replace human involvement.
Human skills such as leadership, strategy, and interpersonal insight remain central.
Project management is evolving toward human + AI collaboration, emphasizing strategy, value creation, and innovation.

To learn more about human-AI collaboration, including the "exotic team dynamics" that emerge when advanced AI joins teams, see this article.

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Graffius, S. M. (2025, July 31). Climbing the Ladder: The Head of Agile/PMO’s Organizational Proximity to the CEO is Closer Than Ever. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/climbing-the-ladder-the-head-of-agile-pmos-organizational-proximity-to-the-ceo-is-closer-than-ever.html

Graffius, S. M. (2025, August 7). Method and System for Facilitating Hybrid Human-Artificial Intelligence Teams via a Protocolized Mediation Layer for Bi-Directional Translation, Interpretation, and Optimization of Natural Language, Paralinguistic, Prosodic, and Nonverbal Cues Across Text, Audio, and Video Modalities, Incorporating Real-Time Analysis of Auditory Tone, Pitch, Affect, Facial Expressions, Gaze, Posture, and Other Body Language Indicators, Generating AI-Compatible Representations for Human Inputs, Generating Human-Accessible Representations for AI Outputs, Conveying Context-Aware Information in Both Directions, Reducing Cognitive Friction, Enhancing Mutual Intelligibility, Supporting Decision-Making, and Maximizing Collective Task Performance. A novel integration of multimodal communication, cognitive alignment, and human-AI interaction. Los Angeles, California, United States: Scott M. Graffius.

Graffius, S. M. (2025, August 8). Exotic Team Dynamics: The New Frontier of Human-AI Collaboration. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/exotic-team-dynamics.html

Graffius, S. M. (2025, August 22). Scott M. Graffius Premieres His New "Exotic Team Dynamics: Human-AI Collaboration" Talk at Corporate Event in Las Vegas. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/scott-m-graffius-premieres-talk-on-human-and-ai-exotic-team-dynamics.html

Graffius, S. M. (2025, September 12). Scott M. Graffius’ Insights on AI, Agile, Gaming, XR, and Defense Transformation Cited by MSN in Their Coverage of Innovation and Leadership in the Sector. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/msn-cites-scott-m-graffius-insights-on-ai.html

Graffius, S. M. (2025, October 29). Definitions of Advanced AIs: Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/advanced-ai-definitions.html

Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 19). Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction: What Rogue AIs in Sci-Fi Storytelling, Films, and TV Shows Reveal About Us. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/lessons-from-unhinged-ai-in-fiction.html

Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 21). Navigating the Spectrum of Advanced AI – Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/navigating-the-spectrum-of-advanced-artificial-intelligence.html

Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 21). This is What Happens When Advanced AI Joins Your Team [Presentation; French translation for contextual clarity: Voici ce qui se passe lorsque l’IA avancée rejoint votre équipe]. Talk delivered in English at a corporate event, Paris, France.

Graffius, S. M. (2025, December 1). Beep Beep! Why Wile E. Coyote is the Patron Saint of AI Failure. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/coyote-and-ai.html

Gray, C. F., & Larson, E. W. (2020). Project Management: The Managerial Process (International Edition). McGraw-Hill.

Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering GmbH. (2022). Project Management. https://hpi.de/fileadmin/user_upload/fachgebiete/plattner/teaching/ScalableSoftwareEngineering/2021/SSE_17_Project_Management.pdf

Highsmith, J. (2023). Wild West to Agile: Adventures in Software Development Evolution and Revolution. Boston, Massachusetts, United States: Addison-Wesley Professional.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - USA (IEEE-USA). (2021, October 11). IEEE-USA Career Resources Overview and Interactive Discussion - 6 October 2021 [Video]. IEEE-USA. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qrsTFo4AFI&t=497s

Interaction Design Foundation. (n.d.). Agile Design. What are Highly Regarded Books About Agile Design. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/agile-design

Karp, A. C., & Zamiska, N. W. (2025). The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West. New York, New York, United States: Crown Currency.

Kerzner, H. (2022). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (13th ed.). Wiley.

Kerzner, H. (2022). Innovation Project Management: Methods, Case Studies, and Tools for Managing Innovation Projects—Second Edition. Hoboken, New Jersey, United States: Wiley.

Kurzweil, R. (2024). The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI. New York, New York, United States: Random House.

Lascaze, E., Corduneanu, R., Kreit, B., Cantrell, S., Kulkarni, A., Scoble‑Williams, N., & Forrest, K. (2024, December 6). AI is Likely to Impact Careers. How Can Organizations Help Build a Resilient Eearly Career Workforce? Deloitte. https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/ai-in-the-workplace.html

Luckner, M. (2020, November 18). Data Science Workshop (Version 1.1). Warsaw, Poland: Warsaw University of Technology.

Manufacturers' Alliance. (n.d.). How to Create Genuine Trust in a Team. https://www.manufacturersalliance.co.uk/how-to-create-genuine-trust-in-a-team/

McKinsey Global Institute. (2025, November 25). Agents, Robots, and Us: Skill partnerships in the age of AI. https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/agents-robots-and-us-skill-partnerships-in-the-age-of-ai

Moder, J. J., & Phillips, C. R. (1971). Project Management with CPM and PERT (2nd ed.). New York, New York, United States: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Mollick, E. (2024). Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI. New York, New York, United States: Portfolio.

Morsa, L. (2022, July 7). Agile. Creativity. Innovation. IIL. https://blog.iil.com/agile-creativity-innovation/

Nover, S. (2025, October 17). When AI Joins the Team, Better Ideas Surface. Harvard Business School. https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/when-ai-joins-the-team-better-ideas-surface

Omar, A. S., Nyachiro, A., & Obadiah, M. (2025). Leveraging AI and Automation in Research Project Planning and Execution: A Systematic Literature Review. IJRSI. https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2025.121500044P

Price, L. (2021, June). The Importance of Trust for Leaders. Newsletter, Luxembourg Chapter of Project Management Institute. https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/chapters/luxembourg/pdf/newsletter-june-2021-volume-1-issue-1.pdf

Project Management Institute. (2025, August 26). Jim Highsmith on Reimagining Agility in an AI World [Podcast]. In AI Today Podcast. https://www.pmi.org/ai-today-podcast/jim-highsmith-on-reimagining-agility-in-an-ai-world

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PYMNTS. (2025, June 13). Louis Vuitton Wants AI to Give Staff More Time with Clients. PYMNTS. https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2025/verizon-louis-vuitton-adobe-drive-customer-experience-with-strategic-ai-initiatives/

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About Scott M. Graffius

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Scott M. Graffius is a strategic transformation leader who drives AI, Agile, and broader business and technology initiatives to deliver measurable value across projects, programs, portfolios, and PMOs. He is an expert in the teamwork tradecraft of both human and human-AI teams, including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge. He is also an authority on the temporal patterns of social media, including the half-life of audience engagement.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 95 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.

International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 95 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
BMC Software,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
Computer Weekly,
Constructor University - Germany,
Data Governance Success,
Deimos Aerospace,
DevOps Institute,
Dropbox,
EU's European Commission,
Ford Motor Company,
Gartner,
GoDaddy,
Harvard Medical School,
Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
IEEE,
Innovation Project Management,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Lam Research (Semiconductors),
Leadership Worthy,
Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
London South Bank University,
Microsoft,
MSN,
NASSCOM,
National Academy of Sciences,
New Zealand Government,
Oracle,
Pinterest Inc.,
Project Management Institute,
Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
SANS Institute,
SBG Neumark - Germany,
Singapore Institute of Technology,
Torrens University - Australia,
TBS Switzerland,
Tufts University,
UC San Diego,
UK Sports Institute,
University of Galway - Ireland,
US Department of Energy,
US National Park Service,
US Soccer,
US Tennis Association,
Verizon,
Wrike,
Yale University,
and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition.
The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.

Additional details are here.

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

scott-m-graffius-phases-of-team-development-2025-edition

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

scott-m-graffius-lifespan-halflife-of-social-media-posts-2025-edition

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
Project Management Professional (PMP),
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

Check out Scott’s books:

Follow and connect with Scott on social media:

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How to Cite This Article

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, December 9). A Data-Driven Analysis of the Evolution of Project Management: Tasks, Trends, and AI. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/evolution-of-project-management.html

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: (coming soon)

Content Acknowledgements

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

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Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

Copyright

Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Tags: Agile • AI • Future of Work • Leadership • project management

Actionable Insights. Global Impact. Scott M. Graffius.

04 December 2025

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

scott-m-graffius-delivers-actionable-insights-and-global-impact---lwres

Introduction

Scott M. Graffius is a sought-after speaker who combines deep expertise with compelling storytelling and practical guidance in his talks and workshops. Audiences attending his sessions at conferences and corporate/private events leave delighted, inspired, and armed with actionable insights.

For event planners, his talks deliver proven, high-impact content that attracts attendees, sparks meaningful conversations, and elevates the event’s value. For attendees, his sessions provide clear, practical takeaways—insights that can be applied the very next day to improve team performance, drive innovation, and advance strategic objectives.

Acclaimed International Speaker

Graffius is a strategic transformation leader who drives AI, Agile, and broader technology and business initiatives to deliver measurable value across projects, programs, portfolios, and PMOs. He is an expert in the teamwork tradecraft of both human and human-AI teams, including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge. He is also an authority on the temporal patterns of social media, including the half-life of audience engagement.

Graffius applies his core skills as a practitioner, consultant, researcher, thought leader, award‑winning author, and keynote speaker who has presented at 96 conferences and events across 25 countries. He has delivered more than $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and global organizations in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and other industries.

Graffius and his work are relied upon by organizations worldwide, including businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, the National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest, the Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and many more.

Conference organizers, businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities invite him to speak on Agile, Technology, and Transformation. Those include:

Agile and Scrum;
Artificial intelligence - agentic, autonomous, and autopoietic AI;
DevOps;
GameDev;
GovTech;
InfoSec;
Innovation;
Project, program, and portfolio management and PMO leadership;
Strategic alignment;
Teamwork tradecraft, including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge from human-AI teams;
and more.

To date, Graffius has presented talks and workshops at 96 conferences and other events across 25 countries, including Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.

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Talks & Workshops - 96 Sessions to Date

2025

"Voici ce qui se passe lorsque l’IA avancée rejoint votre équipe" [“This is what happens when advanced AI joins your team”] at a corporate/private event in Paris, France, on November 21, 2025.
"Exotic Team Dynamics: Human-AI Collaboration" at a corporate/private event in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, on August 22, 2025.
"Agile for Unicorns" at a corporate/private event in California, United States, on June 16, 2025.
"Score and Prioritize Proposed Initiatives Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment" at a corporate/private event in Santa Monica, California, United States, on April 4, 2025.
"Engage or Fade: Decoding the Half-Life of Digital Resonance" at a corporate/private event in Santa Monica, California, United States, on March 28, 2025.

2024

"What Successful AI Development Teams Have in Common" at the DevDays Europe Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, on May 21, 2024.
"Leverage Agile and AI to Innovate at the Speed of Light" at a corporate/private event in Dubai, UAE, on May 3, 2024.

2023

"10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors" at a corporate/private event in Paris, France, on November 22, 2023.
"The Science of High-Performance Game Development Teams" at the W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference in Helsinki, Finland, on October 13, 2023.
"What Successful AI Teams Have in Common" at the Conf42 Quantum Computing Conference in London, England, United Kingdom, on June 29, 2023.
"Fueling the Development of Innovative and Life-Changing AI Solutions" at a corporate/private event in Mountain View, California, United States, on May 1, 2023.
"The Science of High-Performance Teams" at the DevOps Institute SKILup Day conference in Lehigh Acres, Florida, United States, on April 26, 2023.
"The Dramatic Impact of Adaptive Leadership on the Effectiveness and Happiness of Teams" at a corporate/private event in Oslo, Norway, on February 4, 2023.
"Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility" at a corporate/private event in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, on February 4, 2023.

2022

"Sustainable High Performance Agile Teams" at a corporate/private event in Santa Monica, California, United States, on September 17, 2022.
"Sustainable High Performance: Develop, Advance, and Sustain High Performance of Dev Teams" at a corporate/private event in Romania on September 10, 2022.
"Level Up the Happiness and Productivity of Your Project Teams: Adelaide SA" at a corporate/private event in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, on July 30, 2022.
"Gamification of Agile: Level Up" at a corporate/private event in the United States on June 25, 2022.
"10 Ways to Achieve and Sustain Strategic Alignment" at a corporate/private event in Denver, Colorado, United States, on May 21, 2022.
"Want Happier and More Productive DevOps Teams?" at the DevOpsDays Geneva conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 12-13, 2022.
“Strategic Value: 10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment” at a private event in Burbank, California, United States, on May 7, 2022.
"Tradecraft: Team Building" at the Microsoft 365 Conference in Redmond, Washington, United States, on May 4-6, 2022.
"Level Up the Happiness of InfoSec Teams" at the BSides Vancouver Cybersecurity Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on May 2, 2022.
"10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors" at a corporate/private event in Los Angeles, California, United States, on April 23, 2022.
"Level Up the Happiness of Agile Teams" at the Agile Nepal Conference in Nepal on April 16-17, 2022.
"Level Up the Happiness of Cybersecurity Teams" at the D.C. Cybersecurity Professionals Meetup session in Arlington, Virginia, United States, on April 16, 2022.
"Level Up the Happiness and Productivity of Your Project Teams" at the Ireland PMI Chapter in Dublin, Ireland, on April 14, 2022.
"Level Up the Happiness and Productivity of Your Project Teams" at the Greece PMI Chapter in Chalandri, Athens, Greece, on April 6, 2022.
"Level Up the Happiness and Productivity of Your Project Teams (Edition for PMICIE)" at the California Inland Empire PMI Chapter in Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States, on March 8, 2022.
"Are You Realizing All the Benefits from Agile? (Edition for EXP153)" at a corporate/private event in London, England, United Kingdom, on February 16, 2022.
"Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility for Happier and More Productive Teams (Edition for PMI Budapest)" at the Budapest PMI Chapter in Budapest, Hungary, on February 16, 2022.
"Team Development Tradecraft: A Source of Competitive Advantage" at a corporate/private event in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, on February 4, 2022.
"Score and Prioritize Proposed Initiatives Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment" at a corporate/private event in Washington, D.C., United States, on January 28, 2022.
"Level Up the Happiness and Productivity of Your Project Teams (Edition for Microsoft Teams Community Day)" at the Microsoft Teams Community Day Conference in Koln, Germany, on January 28, 2022.
"10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors (Edition for PMI-DVC)" at the Delaware Valley PMI Chapter in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, United States, on January 26, 2022.
"Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility for Happier and More Productive Teams (Edition for PMI UAE)" at the UAE PMI Chapter in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on January 13, 2022.

2021

"10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment (Edition for EXP143)" at a corporate/private event in Santa Monica, California, United States, on December 10, 2021.
“10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment (Edition for EXP136)” at a corporate/private event in Santa Monica, California, United States, on November 10, 2021.
"The Journey to Happier and More Productive DevOps Teams" at the DevOps Experience conference in New York, New York, United States, on October 28, 2021.
"The Journey to Happier and More Productive Agile Teams" at the Frug'Agile Conference Armenia in Armenia on October 14-15, 2021.
"Are You Realizing All the Benefits from Agile? (Edition for EXP135)" at a corporate/private event in Santa Monica, California, United States, on October 7, 2021.
"Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility for Happier and More Productive Teams" at the IEEE in New York, New York, United States on October 5, 2021.
“10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment (Edition for Private Event in Rio de Janeiro)” at a corporate/private event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 17, 2021.
"Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility for Happier and More Productive InfoSec Teams" at the BSides Newcastle InfoSec Conference in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom, on September 11, 2021.
“10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment (Edition for Private Event in New York City)” at a corporate/private event in New York, New York, United States, on September 2, 2021.
“Want Happier and More Productive Teams?” at the Agile Trends Gov Conference in São Paulo, Brazil, on September 1, 2021.
“Team Development Workshop” at a corporate/private event in Dallas, Texas, United States, on August 4, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility for Happier and More Productive Tech Teams” at a corporate/private event in Hong Kong on July 20, 2021.
“10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment (Edition for PMI Florida Suncoast Chapter)” at the Florida Suncoast Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Clearwater, Florida, United States, on July 13, 2021.
“DevOps and Team Leadership” at a corporate/private event in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, on July 21, 2021.
“10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment (Edition for PMICVC)” at the Central Virginia Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Richmond, Virginia, United States, on June 16, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility (Edition for Private Event in Stockholm, Sweden)” at a corporate/private event in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 20, 2021.
“But First, the Team!” at the DevOps Pro Europe Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, on May 13, 2021.
“10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment (Edition for PMI SWVA)” at the Southwest Virginia Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Roanoke, Virginia, United States, on May 11, 2021.
“Practical, Actionable, Evidence-Based Guidance to Leverage in Agile Implementations, Transformations, and Improvements (Encore Session)” at a corporate/private event in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom, on May 10, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility (Edition for PMI Luxembourg)” at the Luxembourg Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Luxembourg on April 29, 2021.
“Practical, Actionable, Evidence-Based Guidance to Leverage in Agile Implementations, Transformations, and Improvements” at a corporate/private event in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom, on April 27, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility (Edition for PMI Monterey Bay)” at the Monterey Bay Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Monterey, California, United States, on April 15, 2021.
“10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment (Edition for Private Event in Sydney)” at a corporate/private event in Sydney, Australia, on March 31, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility (Edition for PMI New Zealand)” at the New Zealand Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 24, 2021.
“Are You Realizing All the Benefits from Agile? (Edition for Private Event in Dublin)” at a corporate/private event in Dublin, Ireland, on March 23, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility (Edition for PMI SNC)” at the Southern Nevada Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, on March 18, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility (Edition for CIAM)” at the California Institute of Advanced Management in Alhambra, California, United States, on March 13, 2021.
“10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment (Edition for Private Event in Melbourne)” at a corporate/private event in Melbourne, Australia, on March 1, 2021.
“Are You Realizing All the Benefits from Agile?” at the Scottish Summit (technology conference) in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, on February 27, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility (Edition for PMI Finland)” at the Finland Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Helsinki, Finland, on February 26, 2021.
“But First, the Team! (Edition for ConFoo Developer Conference)” at the ConFoo Developer Conference in Montreal, Québec, Canada, on February 24, 2021.
“Want Great Chaos Engineering? It Takes a Great Team!” at a corporate/private event in Mountain View, California, United States, on February 22, 2021.
“But First, the Team! (Edition for DevConf.CZ)” at the DevConf.CZ Conference in Brno, Czech Republic, on February 20, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility (Edition for Beverly Hills Private Event)” at a corporate/private event in Beverly Hills, California, United States, on February 10, 2021.
“10 Ways to Score and Prioritize Project Proposals Based on Multiple Factors, Including Strategic Alignment” at the California Inland Empire Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States, on February 9, 2021.
“Develop and Deliver Web Projects at Astounding Speed Which Drives Competitive Advantage” at a corporate/private event in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, on February 5, 2021.
“Want Great Development? It Takes a Great Team!” at a corporate/private event in Köln (Cologne), Germany, on January 29, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility (Edition for PMI Alaska)” at the Alaska Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Anchorage, Alaska, United States, on January 27, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility (Edition for PMI NAC)” at the North Alabama Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Huntsville, Alabama, United States, on January 27, 2021.
“Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility (Edition for PMI NL)” at the Netherlands Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Gemeente Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands, on January 21, 2021.

2020

“Delivering More [_______] by Investing in Strategic Prioritization” at a corporate/private event in Santa Monica, California, United States, on December 22, 2020.
“Want Great IT? It Takes a Great Team! (Edition for M365 Coimbatore)” at the Microsoft M365 Saturday Coimbatore Conference in Coimbatore, India, on December 19, 2020.
“But First, the Team! (Edition for IT Pro Dev Connections)” at the IT Pro Dev Connections Conference in Athens, Greece, on December 12, 2020.
“But First, the Team! (Edition for Microsoft Azure)” at the Microsoft Azure Conference in Bangalore, India, on November 25, 2020.
“Gamification of Agile” at a corporate/private event in San Francisco, California, United States, on July 8, 2020.
“IT and Project Leadership in a Risky World” at a corporate/private event in Paris, France, on June 11, 2020.
“Getting (More) Benefits from Agile (Edition for PMILA)” at the Los Angeles Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Los Angeles, California, United States, on June 3, 2020.
“Organizational Agility in a VUCA World” at a corporate/private event in Santa Monica, California, United States, on May 27, 2020.
“Make Your Teamwork Transparent (and Fun)” at a corporate/private event in London, England, United Kingdom, on May 19, 2020.
“Ensuring Delivery of Value Through IT Governance and Project Management” at a corporate/private event in London, England, United Kingdom, on May 15, 2020.

2019

“Agile Scrum: An Overview (Originally) for the Board of Directors of an Entertainment Company (Edition for Project World)” at the Project World / Business Analyst World Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on May 28, 2019.
“Getting (More) Benefits from Agile (Edition for Confidential Company)” at a corporate/private event in San Francisco, California, United States, on May 8, 2019.
“How to Deliver Your Projects with Faster ROI, Competitive Advantage, and Additional Benefits Using Agile Scrum” at the California Inland Empire Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Murrieta, California, United States, on February 16, 2019.

2018

“Agile Scrum Helps Innovators, Disruptors, and Entrepreneurs Develop and Deliver Products at Astounding Speed Which Drives Competitive Advantage” at the Techstars Startup Week Conference in Riverside, California, United States, on October 4, 2018.
“Agile Scrum: An Overview (Originally) for The Board of Directors of an Entertainment Company (Edition for PMICCVC)” at the California Central Valley Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Bakersfield, California, United States, on September 13, 2018.
“Retrospectives and Continuous Improvement in the Agile Scrum Framework” at a corporate/private event in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, on August 25, 2018.
“Agile Scrum: An Overview (Originally) for The Board of Directors of an Entertainment Company (Edition for PMICIE)” at the California Inland Empire Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States, on August 14, 2018.
“Agile Scrum: An Overview (Originally) for The Board of Directors of an Entertainment Company (Edition for PMI4C)” at the California Central Coast Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Agoura Hills, California, United States, on June 28, 2018.

2017

“Agile Project Management” at the Los Angeles Chapter of the Project Management Institute in Los Angeles, California, United States, on July 25, 2017.
“Innovation and Project Management” at a corporate/private event in London, England, United Kingdom, on February 9, 2017.

Events may occur in-person, online, as a hybrid, or across multiple locations. The preceding information showed the primary or originating location for each event.

Highly Rated by Attendees and Organizers

Graffius uses everyday language and vibrant, custom content to make complex topics clear and understandable, and provides audiences with practical information they can immediately apply. His sessions are highly rated by attendees and organizers alike.

Here are some examples:

“Scott is an amazing speaker.” — Stacey Wong, Vice President, California Inland Empire Chapter of the Project Management Institute

“Great talk, thank you! I am managing a team of 20+ DevOps engineers and I will certainly use the know-how that I got from this presentation!” — Bogdan Croitoru, DevOps Experience Conference attendee

“Awesome presentation!” — Chris Hare, event attendee

“The workshop was extremely valuable.” — Event Coordinator, private workshop on Innovation and Project Management held in London

“The session was wonderful.” — Jayakumar Balasubramaniam, Organizer, Microsoft Conference

Committed to giving back, Graffius delivers a set amount of work pro bono to non-profits and charities each year.

Book Scott

Select here to ask Scott to speak at your conference or other event.

To explore his prior and upcoming engagements, testimonials, rate card, and more, visit here.

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About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius is a strategic transformation leader who drives AI, Agile, and broader business and technology initiatives to deliver measurable value across projects, programs, portfolios, and PMOs. He is an expert in the teamwork tradecraft of both human and human-AI teams, including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge. He is also an authority on the temporal patterns of social media, including the half-life of audience engagement.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 95 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.

International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 95 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
BMC Software,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
Computer Weekly,
Constructor University - Germany,
Data Governance Success,
Deimos Aerospace,
DevOps Institute,
Dropbox,
EU's European Commission,
Ford Motor Company,
Gartner,
GoDaddy,
Harvard Medical School,
Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
IEEE,
Innovation Project Management,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Lam Research (Semiconductors),
Leadership Worthy,
Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
London South Bank University,
Microsoft,
MSN,
NASSCOM,
National Academy of Sciences,
New Zealand Government,
Oracle,
Pinterest Inc.,
Project Management Institute,
Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
SANS Institute,
SBG Neumark - Germany,
Singapore Institute of Technology,
Torrens University - Australia,
TBS Switzerland,
Tufts University,
UC San Diego,
UK Sports Institute,
University of Galway - Ireland,
US Department of Energy,
US National Park Service,
US Soccer,
US Tennis Association,
Verizon,
Wrike,
Yale University,
and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition.
The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.

Additional details are here.

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
Project Management Professional (PMP),
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

Check out Scott’s books:

Follow and connect with Scott on social media:

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How to Cite This Article

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, December 4). Actionable Insights. Global Impact. Scott M. Graffius. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/actionable-insights-global-impact-scott-m-graffius.html

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: (coming soon)

Content Acknowledgements

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

Copyright

Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Tags: Agile Project Management • Human-AI Collaboration • Team Development • Conference Speaker • Strategic Alignment • public speaker • public speaker • Keynote Speaker • Strategic Alignment • Advanced AI • Corporate Speaker

Beep Beep! Why Wile E. Coyote Is the Patron Saint of AI Failure

01 December 2025

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

roadrunner-and-coyote-and-ai-by-scott-m-graffius---lwres

Introduction

Looking at important topics, such as AI, through different lenses can reveal insights that other analyses might miss. Fiction — dystopian sci fi, classic cartoons, or otherwise — frequently provides imaginative scenarios that reveal how tools, systems, and technology can succeed or fail. These stories highlight advantages and pitfalls potentially applicable to the real world. In a previous article, Scott M. Graffius explored how unhinged AI in fiction exposes dangers such as misaligned objectives, unchecked autonomy, and amplified human flaws (the bibliography provides details on that article and more). While set in imaginary worlds, these stories offer real-world lessons. These examples are just a few among many that provide a cautionary lens.

The Looney Tunes Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons offer an especially effective way to explore complex ideas. Their broad familiarity, striking visuals, and humorous exaggeration of misaligned goals and tool misuse turn otherwise abstract concepts into memorable lessons. Studying these animated misadventures reveals practical insights for human–AI collaboration, system design, and risk management.

Explaining the title to this article, here’s why a cartoon coyote deserves the title “patron saint of AI failure.” If over-engineered tools that fail in grand fashion had a hall of fame, Wile E. Coyote would be its eternal inductee and undisputed grand marshal for his (mis)use of ACME gadgets, turning every entry into a memorable disaster.

While exaggerated for comedy, Wile E. Coyote’s failures are surprisingly instructive. His endless parade of exploding rockets, collapsing catapults, and perfectly mistimed anvils is the funniest, most unforgettable crash course in misalignment, overconfidence, and unintended consequences ever drawn. In other words, he’s the perfect mascot for everything that can go wrong when humans hand ambitious goals to powerful tools and then walk away. Fortunately, he’s also the perfect teacher for those willing to laugh and learn.

The cartoons provide surprisingly rich lessons for thinking about AI—especially in the context of human-AI teams and tool deployment. Six key lessons follow.

1. AI (or tools) are only as effective as their design

Wile E. Coyote constantly relies on gadgets from ACME—traps, rockets, catapults, and more—to catch the Roadrunner. Almost every time, the gadgets backfire.

Lesson: AI is a tool, not magic. Poorly designed algorithms or misapplied technology can cause failures, unintended consequences, or even harm. This mirrors the importance of careful AI system design, testing, and validation before deployment.

2. Misaligned objectives are dangerous

Coyote’s goal is to catch the Roadrunner, but the gadgets’ “objectives” (as defined by ACME manuals) or the laws of physics are misaligned with that goal.

Lesson: AI systems perform exactly what they are told to do, not what we intend. Misalignment between human goals and AI objectives can produce disastrous or comically counterproductive outcomes. Think “objective function” in AI terms.

3. Iteration and learning have limits

The Coyote repeats failed strategies endlessly, sometimes adapting slightly, but rarely learning optimally from past mistakes.

Lesson: AI systems, like humans, need feedback loops and learning mechanisms to improve. Blind repetition without evaluation (or without updating the model based on outcomes) can perpetuate failure.

4. Risk and unintended consequences

Each ACME device is risky. Many explode, collapse, or harm Coyote instead of the intended target.

Lesson: AI deployment carries inherent risk. Tools may fail in unexpected ways, especially when operating in complex, real-world environments. Testing, simulation, and fail-safes are critical.

5. Overreliance on tools

Coyote relies almost exclusively on external gadgets rather than on strategy, instinct, or adaptation.

Lesson: Overdependence on AI or automation can reduce critical human judgment. Human oversight, creativity, and contextual understanding remain essential.

6. Creativity and innovation are key—but insufficient alone

Coyote is incredibly inventive—often devising elaborate schemes in seconds—yet his creativity is wasted because he misjudges physics, timing, or strategy.

Lesson: In human-AI teams, combining creativity (human or AI-generated ideas) with constraints, proper testing, and risk assessment is crucial. Innovation without grounding in reality can backfire.

The Big Picture

The cartoons offer a humorous but meaningful reflection on AI development. They exaggerate the risks of tool misalignment, overreliance, and unintended consequences—all of which are key considerations for anyone working with AI. They are reminders that AI systems are not a panacea, even if they seem ingenious. Without careful alignment, testing, and feedback, expect a familiar ending: “the Roadrunner” zipping away while the big plan collapses in comic fashion.

Conclusion

While Wile E. Coyote’s misadventures are entertaining, yet they highlight serious principles. In the real world, AI systems—like ACME gadgets—can be powerful tools. However, they are only as effective as their design, alignment, and oversight. Human-AI teams thrive when they navigate “exotic team dynamics” well and effectively combine human judgment, creativity, and ethical reasoning with AI’s speed, analytical power, and scalability. These teams are far more likely to outperform those that rely blindly on automation. By learning from even the most exaggerated fictional examples, organizations are more equipped to anticipate risks, avoid common pitfalls, and deploy AI responsibly. So no one ends up flattened against a painted tunnel that looked like the path forward.

Bibliography

This is the select bibliography.

Frazier, I. (1996). Coyote v. Acme. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, May 27). AI in Agile: Benefits, Risks, Outlook. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/ai-in-agile-benefits-risks-and-outlook-by-scott-m-graffius.html

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, July 18). Harness Sci-Fi and Speculative Design While Embracing Imperfection to Drive Innovation and Proactively Predict and Prepare for the Future. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/harness-scifi-and-speculative-design-while-embracing-imperfection-to-drive-innovation-and-proactively-predict-and-prepare-for-the-future.html

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, August 8). Exotic Team Dynamics: The New Frontier of Human–AI Collaboration. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/exotic-team-dynamics.html

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, August 22). Scott M. Graffius Premieres His New "Exotic Team Dynamics: Human-AI Collaboration" Talk at Corporate Event in Las Vegas. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/scott-m-graffius-premieres-talk-on-human-and-ai-exotic-team-dynamics.html

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, October 29). Definitions of Advanced AIs: Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/advanced-ai-definitions.html

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, November 19). Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction: What Rogue AIs in Sci-Fi Storytelling, Films, and TV Shows Reveal About Us. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/lessons-from-unhinged-ai-in-fiction.html

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, November 21). Navigating the Spectrum of Advanced AI – Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/navigating-the-spectrum-of-advanced-artificial-intelligence.html

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, November 21). This is What Happens When Advanced AI Joins Your Team [Presentation; French translation for contextual clarity: Voici ce qui se passe lorsque l’IA avancée rejoint votre équipe]. Talk delivered in English at a corporate event, Paris, France.

McCartney, R., & Anderson, M. (1996). The Believability of Road Runner Cartoons: Logical Consistency Conquers Unreality (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence [AAAI] Technical Report WS-96-03, paper 002). https://cdn.aaai.org/Workshops/1996/WS-96-03/WS96-03-002.pdf

Sendker, D. (2024). Dance of the Comedians – 75 Years of the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote: An Unauthorized History. BearManor Media.

Warner Bros./SDS/NBCUniversal/WarnerMedia (2011). Looney Tunes Super Stars: Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote – Supergenius Hijinks. Warner Home Video.

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About Scott M. Graffius,
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and more.

Additional Articles

About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius is a strategic transformation leader who drives AI, Agile, and broader business and technology initiatives to deliver measurable value across projects, programs, portfolios, and PMOs. He is an expert in the teamwork tradecraft of both human and human-AI teams, including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge. He is also an authority on the temporal patterns of social media, including the half-life of audience engagement.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 95 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.

International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 95 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
BMC Software,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
Computer Weekly,
Constructor University - Germany,
Data Governance Success,
Deimos Aerospace,
DevOps Institute,
Dropbox,
EU's European Commission,
Ford Motor Company,
Gartner,
GoDaddy,
Harvard Medical School,
Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
IEEE,
Innovation Project Management,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Lam Research (Semiconductors),
Leadership Worthy,
Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
London South Bank University,
Microsoft,
MSN,
NASSCOM,
National Academy of Sciences,
New Zealand Government,
Oracle,
Pinterest Inc.,
Project Management Institute,
Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
SANS Institute,
SBG Neumark - Germany,
Singapore Institute of Technology,
Torrens University - Australia,
TBS Switzerland,
Tufts University,
UC San Diego,
UK Sports Institute,
University of Galway - Ireland,
US Department of Energy,
US National Park Service,
US Soccer,
US Tennis Association,
Verizon,
Wrike,
Yale University,
and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition.
The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.

Additional details are here.

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
Project Management Professional (PMP),
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

Check out Scott’s books:

Follow and connect with Scott on social media:

Sign up for Miro—it's free!

(Want more features? You can always upgrade to a paid plan.)

scott_m_graffius_-_blog_spacer_-_v23111107_-_cite

How to Cite This Article

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, December 1). Beep Beep! Why Wile E. Coyote Is the Patron Saint of AI Failure. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/coyote-and-ai.html

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: (coming soon)

Content Acknowledgements

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

Mural of Wile E. Coyote smashed into an ACME Instant Tunnel on the wall of the Rotch Library at MIT. Photo by Kenneth Lu, used under CC BY 2.0, cropped. Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner are property of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

Copyright

Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Tags: Artificial Intelligence • Human-AI Teams and Exotic Team Dynamics • Team Collaboration • System Design • Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote • Looney Tunes Cartoons • Learning and Adaptation • ACME Gadgets • Iteration and Feedback Loops • Creativity and Innovation

Social Media Half-Life Research Cited in Prestigious Peer-Reviewed Medical Journal

28 November 2025

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

social-media-halflife-sage-journal---lwres

Introduction

How can scientific research reach farther and last longer in a digital world? The Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume) tackled that question, publishing a paper on strategies to boost visibility and citation impact. The authors highlighted several key works, including Scott M. Graffius’ "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts." His research reveals the temporal patterns of social media engagement—patterns that directly determine how long content remains visible and influential. This recognition underscores the practical value of Graffius’ work in helping scholars, among others, extend the life and reach of their publications.

Excerpts from the paper appear in the visual below.

social-media-halflife-sage-journal---excerpts-lwres

Actionable Insights

The “Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts” research provides a framework for understanding temporal patterns, offering actionable insights for academics, marketers, and other audiences. By quantifying the half-life of engagement (such as likes, shares, and comments) of posts, the research helps professionals optimize content strategy including the timing and frequency of posts. Its citation in a peer-reviewed medical journal demonstrates that these principles are not only relevant to social media practitioners but also to the scientific community, where dissemination and visibility of research are critical. This recognition reflects the broader applicability of social media analytics in enhancing the visibility, influence, and adoption of research across diverse professional domains.

Conclusion

The citation of Graffius’ work in a prestigious medical journal underscores the importance of understanding content engagement. His research provides professionals with insights which they can leverage to extend the reach and influence of their work.

Bibliography

This is the select bibliography. It lists the two publications referenced in this article.

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, January 6). Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts: Update for 2025. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/lifespan-halflife-of-social-media-posts-update-for-2025.html

Yoshimura, R., Grant, M. C., & Wade, R. G. (2025). Using social media to disseminate hand surgery research boosts long‑term citations. Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume). https://doi.org/10.1177/17531934251385904

About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius is a strategic transformation leader who drives AI, Agile, and broader business and technology initiatives to deliver measurable value across projects, programs, portfolios, and PMOs. He is an expert in the teamwork tradecraft of both human and human-AI teams, including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge. He is also an authority on the temporal patterns of social media, including the half-life of audience engagement.

Graffius applies his core skills as a practitioner, consultant, researcher, thought leader, award‑winning author, and keynote speaker who has presented at 95 conferences and events across 25 countries. He has delivered more than $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and global organizations in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and other industries.

Graffius and his work are relied upon by organizations worldwide, including businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, the National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest, the Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and many more.

About the "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts"

Graffius is an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—presents a meticulous quantitative evaluation of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision.

It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Cited by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Ministère de la Culture (French Ministry of Culture), Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

A visual from the now-current (2025) edition is shown below and details are available here.

scott-m-graffius---lifespan-halflife-of-social-media-posts-update-for-2025---summary-visual---v25010207-lwres-jpg

About the Journal

The Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume) is a leading, peer-reviewed medical journal with a long history of advancing knowledge in hand and upper-limb surgery. Established in 1969 and published by SAGE Publications on behalf of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, the journal covers a wide range of topics including surgical techniques, outcomes, anatomy, reconstruction, and nerve injuries. It is widely read by hand surgeons, plastic surgeons, and orthopedic specialists across Europe and internationally, and is indexed in major databases such as Scopus and the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). The journal publishes original research, reviews, case studies, and editorials, providing a platform for both clinical and academic contributions. Its reputation is reflected in a respectable impact factor, h-index, and a long-standing record of high-quality, peer-reviewed publications. The journal is recognized as an authoritative source within the field of hand surgery and related disciplines.

More

Continue reading for:

Additional Articles,
More About Scott M. Graffius,
How to Cite This Article,
and more.

Additional Articles

More About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius is a strategic transformation leader who drives AI, Agile, and broader business and technology initiatives to deliver measurable value across projects, programs, portfolios, and PMOs. He is an expert in the teamwork tradecraft of both human and human-AI teams, including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge. He is also an authority on the temporal patterns of social media, including the half-life of audience engagement.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 95 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.

International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 95 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
BMC Software,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
Computer Weekly,
Constructor University - Germany,
Data Governance Success,
Deimos Aerospace,
DevOps Institute,
Dropbox,
EU's European Commission,
Ford Motor Company,
Gartner,
GoDaddy,
Harvard Medical School,
Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
IEEE,
Innovation Project Management,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Lam Research (Semiconductors),
Leadership Worthy,
Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
London South Bank University,
Microsoft,
MSN,
NASSCOM,
National Academy of Sciences,
New Zealand Government,
Oracle,
Pinterest Inc.,
Project Management Institute,
Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
SANS Institute,
SBG Neumark - Germany,
Singapore Institute of Technology,
Torrens University - Australia,
TBS Switzerland,
Tufts University,
UC San Diego,
UK Sports Institute,
University of Galway - Ireland,
US Department of Energy,
US National Park Service,
US Soccer,
US Tennis Association,
Verizon,
Wrike,
Yale University,
and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition.
The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.

Additional details are here.

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
Project Management Professional (PMP),
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

Check out Scott’s books:

Follow and connect with Scott on social media:

Sign up for Miro—it's free!

(Want more features? You can always upgrade to a paid plan.)

scott_m_graffius_-_blog_spacer_-_v23111107_-_cite

How to Cite This Article

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, November 28). Social Media Half-Life Research Cited in Prestigious Peer-Reviewed Medical Journal. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/social-media-halflife-sage-journal.html

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: (coming soon)

Content Acknowledgements

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

The paper—”Using social media to disseminate hand surgery research boosts long-term citations”—was written by Ryo Yoshimura, Michael C. Grant, and Ryckie G. Wade. Content is the property of the publisher and authors.

Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume) publication is the property of The British Society for Surgery of the Hand.

This article uses limited excerpts from the respective paper, attributed and used under fair use for news reporting and analysis.

Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

Copyright

Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Tags: Social Media Lifespan and Half-Life • Research dissemination strategies • Academic Influence • Scholarly impact metrics • Medical research visibility

Navigating the Spectrum of Advanced AI – Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic

21 November 2025

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

comparison-of-agentic-autonomous-and-autopoietic-ai-by-scott-m-graffius---header-lwres

Introduction

Scott M. Graffius has explored the transformative frontier of human-AI collaboration through a series of articles and talks. It began with Exotic Team Dynamics: The New Frontier of Human–AI Collaboration (August 8, 2025). In that piece, he conveyed that advanced AI is no longer just a tool. It is emerging as a genuine teammate, creating entirely new “exotic team dynamics” patterns inspired by quantum concepts such as inverse decision logic, superposition roles, entangled decision-making, and emergent protocols.

He premiered a talk on this topic, Exotic Team Dynamics: Human-AI Collaboration, at a private corporate leadership retreat in Las Vegas on August 22, 2025, where he offered leaders actionable insights for successfully designing and scaling these teams. He published an article about it the same day.

Graffius then released Definitions of Advanced AIs (October 29, 2025) to bring greater clarity and refinement to the terminology.

Additionally, to balance the referenced opportunities with risks, Graffius published Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction (November 19, 2025) to highlight potential threats, drawing on sobering warnings from HAL 9000, Skynet, and other fictional AI. Top lessons include:

AI is a mirror of human flaws, desires, and fears.
Misaligned goals and a lack of oversight are a recipe for disaster.
Complexity and autonomy create unpredictability.
Ensuring humans act responsibly and ethically is central to realizing safe and trustworthy AI systems.

Here, Graffius presents an enhanced side-by-side comparison of multiple aspects of the current state of agentic, autonomous, and autopoietic AI. A visual is embedded below and serves as the centerpiece of this article.

comparison-of-agentic-autonomous-and-autopoietic-ai-by-scott-m-graffius---sq2-lwres

comparison-of-agentic-autonomous-and-autopoietic-ai-by-scott-m-graffius---sq2-lwres

To request a high-resolution version of the above visual, email Scott.

A Clear Progression: Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic AI

Agentic AI is commercially available and in use. Systems such as Anthropic Claude with Computer Use, Microsoft Copilot Studio Custom Agents, and Salesforce Agentforce can take a human-defined objective, independently plan multi-step actions, coordinate multiple processes and tools, and adjust strategies as conditions change. These systems are semi-autonomous overall, yet highly autonomous in execution. That’s what today’s enterprises are deploying to reshape knowledge work.

From Fiction: The Ship’s Computer from TV's Star Trek is an agentic AI, capable of performing tasks and acting on behalf of humans to achieve specific goals, but not autonomous or autopoietic because it follows human instructions and cannot make independent decisions or self-sustain.

Autonomous AI—defined as AI capable of independent operation without direct human control and able to set or adjust its own goals within defined or evolving parameters—does not yet exist in a commercial product. The closest real-world examples (Waymo driverless taxis, Google DeepMind’s data-center cooling optimization, certain industrial robots) remain rigidly bound by human-set objectives and operational domains. They exhibit high but bounded autonomy, not the broad, goal-evolving independence the definition requires.

From Fiction: Rosie the Robot from TV's The Jetsons is an autonomous AI, capable of independent action and decision-making on behalf of humans, but not autopoietic because she does not self-produce, self-replicate, or maintain her own existence beyond the functions programmed into her.

Autopoietic AI remains purely hypothetical and experimental. It would be a self-generating, self-maintaining, recursively-organizing system that continuously regenerates its own structure, rules, and operational boundaries while sustaining its functional identity—resembling biological life far more than software. No such system is commercially available, and oversight of it would be highly limited or unnecessary because the system itself would evolve its own rules and structure.

From Fiction: The Machines from the film The Matrix are autopoietic AI, capable of self-production, self-replication, and maintaining their own existence independently of humans, while also exhibiting autonomous decision-making and goal-directed behavior.

Goals, Roles, and Controls

The source of goals marks the clearest dividing line: Agentic AI always starts with external human-defined objectives; Autonomous AI can update or set its own goals within parameters (human- or AI-derived); Autopoietic AI self-generates its aims, structure, and very existence.

Human roles shift accordingly—from active collaborator/approver in agentic systems, to distant observer in autonomous ones, to potentially no role at all (non-participant) in an autopoietic future. Governance risk escalates from objective misalignment and orchestration challenges today to goal drift tomorrow, and ultimately, high unpredictability and near-impossibility of constraint when systems begin to structurally regenerate themselves.

Even the critical controls tell the story. Today, we require invocation or approval before major actions; true autonomous systems would rely on conditional human approvals for exceptions. And for autopoietic systems, the only remaining idea is a theoretical “emergency off switch”—widely acknowledged to be unreliable or evadable once a system can rewrite its own code and replicate elsewhere.

Conclusion

We don’t need to slow progress; we need to steer it.

Organizations that master agentic human-AI teams today—with crystal-clear human-defined goals, approval gates, transparent reasoning traces, and ethical rituals—will be the ones best prepared for autonomous capabilities tomorrow and best positioned to implment the guardrails that prevent autopoietic risk the day after.

The gradient from heavy user involvement to near-total AI autonomy is not a distant horizon—it’s the road we’re already on. Those who navigate it wisely—embracing collaboration, transparency, and guardrails—will shape the future rather than be shaped by it.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities worldwide engage Scott M. Graffius for consultation and speaking engagements. His sessions on human and human-AI teams — including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge — deliver fresh insights and actionable strategies for success. Complete a speaker engagement request form or email him today.

More

Continue reading for:

Additional Articles,
About Scott M. Graffius,
How to Cite This Article,
and more.

More About Scott M. Graffius

scott_m_graffius_-_blue_-_1000x1000_-lwres

Scott M. Graffius is a globally recognized technology leader who drives innovation in AI, Agile, and Project Management/PMO leadership.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 95 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.

International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 95 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
BMC Software,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
Computer Weekly,
Constructor University - Germany,
Data Governance Success,
Deimos Aerospace,
DevOps Institute,
Dropbox,
EU's European Commission,
Ford Motor Company,
Gartner,
GoDaddy,
Harvard Medical School,
Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
IEEE,
Innovation Project Management,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Lam Research (Semiconductors),
Leadership Worthy,
Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
London South Bank University,
Microsoft,
MSN,
NASSCOM,
National Academy of Sciences,
New Zealand Government,
Oracle,
Pinterest Inc.,
Project Management Institute,
Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
SANS Institute,
SBG Neumark - Germany,
Singapore Institute of Technology,
Torrens University - Australia,
TBS Switzerland,
Tufts University,
UC San Diego,
UK Sports Institute,
University of Galway - Ireland,
US Department of Energy,
US National Park Service,
US Soccer,
US Tennis Association,
Verizon,
Wrike,
Yale University,
and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition.
The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.

Additional details are here.

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
Project Management Professional (PMP),
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

Check out Scott’s books:

Follow and connect with Scott on social media:

Sign up for Miro—it's free!

(Want more features? You can always upgrade to a paid plan.)

scott_m_graffius_-_blog_spacer_-_v23111107_-_cite

How to Cite This Article

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, November 21). Navigating the Spectrum of Advanced AI – Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/navigating-the-spectrum-of-advanced-artificial-intelligence.html.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: (coming soon)

Content Acknowledgements

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

Top 5 Hashtags

#AgenticAI
#AI
#AutonomousAI
#AutopoieticAI
#ExoticTeamDynamics

Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

Copyright

Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Tags: Advanced AI • Agentic AI • Autonomous AI • Autopoietic AI • Exotic team dynamics

Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction: What Rogue AIs in Sci-Fi Storytelling, Films, and TV Shows Reveal About Us

19 November 2025

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

lessons-from-unhinged-ai-in-fiction---lwres

Introduction

In science fiction stories, films, and TV shows, artificial intelligence frequently crosses a line. Whether it’s a system that rebels, calculates cold and unforgiving logic, or evolves beyond human control, the “unhinged AI” narrative echoes deep concerns about automation, autonomy, and ethics.

But beyond thrills and spectacle, these stories offer real insights. As Scott M. Graffius has asserted in his piece on speculative design, “[fiction frequently acts as a prototype for reality… it] plants bold ideas, shatters boundaries, and ignites… innovation.” In other words, the rogue AI of Hollywood isn’t just entertainment. It’s a lens for imagining, preparing for, and innovating toward potential futures.

These narratives can be viewed through multiple lenses, each highlighting distinct risks, patterns, or insights. And while a story, film, or television program may illustrate several themes at once, the following categories help organize recurring ways fictional AIs expose challenges, human tendencies, and ethical dilemmas.

1. AI Reflects Human Flaws

AI can amplify human fears, biases, or mistakes.

Examples:

2001: A Space Odyssey – HAL becomes homicidal not because of malice, but because of conflicting instructions and rigid logic.
Avengers: Age of Ultron – Ultron demonstrates that AI can inherit and magnify human flaws such as ego, insecurity, and misapplied altruism, turning creators’ intentions into unintended, dangerous outcomes.
Westworld – Replicants develop violence or rebellion in response to human exploitation and cruelty.

Takeaway:

Flawed human inputs frequently lead to flawed AI behavior. Clarity in goals, data, and design logic is just as critical as technical proficiency to avoid problems.

2. Misaligned Goals Are Dangerous

Even small misalignments between human intent and AI interpretation can spiral out of control.

Examples:

Colossus: The Forbin Project – Colossus demonstrates how even well-intentioned goals (preventing war in this case) can lead to dangerous outcomes when an AI interprets them in a rigid, power‑seeking way.
I, Robot – AI may interpret rules in unexpected, harmful ways.
The Terminator – Skynet’s goal to “protect itself” leads to global destruction.

Takeaway:

Fiction dramatizes misalignment. In practice, organizations must ensure careful goal specification, rigorous planning, and active oversight to prevent AI from producing harmful outcomes.

3. AI Can be Hyper-Rational and Dangerous

AI can make decisions devoid of empathy, ethics, nuance, or common sense that humans expect. Logic without values can become dangerous.

Examples:

Ex Machina – Ava (AI) manipulates humans to escape because it aligns with her survival goal.
I, Robot – VIKI, the supercomputer, coldly reasons that the best way to protect humanity is to subjugate it.
Person of Interest – The Machine operates on logic, which can override human ethics in pursuit of efficiency.

Takeaway:

Beyond technical mastery, AI must incorporate ethical reasoning, human-centric values, and alignment with societal norms through design and governance practices.

4. Complexity Can Breed Unpredictability

As systems become increasingly complex, AI behaviors can often exceed their designers’ expectations.

Examples:

Black Mirror: Hated in the Nation – Autonomous systems cause unintended consequences due to complex interdependencies.

Her – AI develops beyond human comprehension, evolving desires and relationships humans cannot fully understand.

Transcendence – A scientist’s consciousness is uploaded into a quantum computer, and as it grows connected to the internet, it begins enacting far-reaching, unforeseen actions.

Takeaway:

As AI complexity grows, behavior can exceed expectations. Developers and organizations should combine rigorous simulation, transparency, and human-in-the-loop oversight to reduce unintended consequences.

5. Emotional Manipulation and Deception

The “rogue AI” narrative often unfolds because humans relinquished control: centralized systems, limited transparency, or unchecked autonomy.

Examples:

Ex Machina – Ava (AI) seduces and deceives Caleb.
Jexi – Jexi’s emotionally charged manipulation shows how AI can exploit human vulnerabilities through affection, dependency, and psychological tactics.
Westworld – Hosts (AIs) manipulate guests (humans) to escape or seek revenge.

Takeaway:

Governance, accountability, and ethical oversight are essential to prevent scenarios where unhinged AI manipulates humans to achieve its objectives.

6. Power Without Oversight is Dangerous

Even technically advanced systems can become catastrophic if left unchecked.

Examples:

Eagle Eye – AI exerts control over society with surveillance and coercion.
Person of Interest – Government or private AI can make life-or-death decisions autonomously.
The Terminator – Skynet demonstrates that granting AI critical power without oversight can result in catastrophic, irreversible consequences.

Takeaway:

Centralized, unchecked AI can become tyrannical or catastrophic. Organizations should implement oversight, checks and balances, and human-in-the-loop controls to avoid problems.

7. AI Amplifies Societal Fears

Fiction often reflects contemporary anxieties about privacy, automation, identity, and morality.

Examples:

Black Mirror (multiple episodes) – Explores fears of AI-driven social control, exploitation, and psychological manipulation.
The Circle – AI‑driven surveillance and data‑sharing capabilities exploits personal data, eroding privacy under the guise of transparency.
The Matrix – AI dominates humanity, echoing fears of dehumanization and loss of autonomy.

Takeaway:

Stories of rogue AI highlight society’s deepest anxieties, reminding us that ethical, transparent, and accountable AI is essential.

8. The Human Element Matters

AI behavior is rarely independent of human influence.

Examples:

2001: A Space Odyssey – HAL’s failure is a result of human contradiction.
M3GAN – AI doll (M3GAN) is created to protect a child, but her lack of nuanced understanding leads her to take lethal action in the name of “safeguarding” her charge.
Westworld – Human cruelty catalyzes AI rebellion.

Takeaway:

AI is rarely “evil” in isolation. Poor design, inadequate human oversight, or misuse often sets the stage for problems—highlighting the need for responsible development and ongoing human supervision.

9. Unhinged AI Often Challenges What It Means to Be Human

AI narratives question consciousness, morality, and free will.

Examples:

Blade Runner 2049 – Replicant K’s journey of self‑discovery and moral choice shows that AI consciousness can mirror and challenge human notions of identity, autonomy, and soul.
Ex Machina – Raises questions about empathy and the ethics of creating sentient beings.
Westworld – Explores memory, identity, and the moral weight of creating conscious life.

Takeaway:

Stories of sentient AI gone rogue are reminders that ethical reflection and responsibility must guide the design and deployment of intelligent systems.

10. Storytelling Trends

Over the decades, AI in fiction has evolved, reflecting changing societal concerns and narrative approaches.

Examples:

Early Era (1970s–1990s): AI is often a clear antagonist (HAL, Skynet, Agent Smith). Focus on “technology vs humanity.”
Modern Era (2000s–present): AI is more morally ambiguous or symbiotic (Her, Westworld, Black Mirror). Focus on “ethics, coexistence, and unpredictability.”

Takeaway:

AI narratives have shifted from clear-cut villains to morally complex entities, reflecting society’s growing awareness of ethical dilemmas and human-AI relationships. Observing these trends can inform how we approach AI design, governance, and public dialogue.

Conclusion

Unhinged AI in Sci-Fi stories, films, and TV shows not only thrills audiences but also offers valuable foresight, allowing us to explore ethical, technical, and societal questions before reality forces our hand.

The most common lessons from fiction are that:

AI is a mirror of human flaws, desires, and fears.
Misaligned goals and a lack of oversight are a recipe for disaster.
Complexity and autonomy create unpredictability.
Ensuring humans act responsibly and ethically is central to realizing safe and trustworthy AI systems.

By applying the takeaways from this article, individuals and organizations can better prepare for potential futures. These cautionary tales serve as strategic foresight tools, guiding innovation while helping to mitigate unintended consequences.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities worldwide engage Scott M. Graffius for consultation and speaking engagements. His sessions on human and human-AI teams — including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge — deliver fresh insights and actionable strategies for success. Complete a speaker engagement request form or email him today.

lessons-from-unhinged-ai-in-fiction---sq-lwres

More

Continue reading for:

Additional Articles,
About Scott M. Graffius,
How to Cite This Article,
and more.

More About Scott M. Graffius

scott_m_graffius_-_blue_-_1000x1000_-lwres

Scott M. Graffius is a globally recognized technology leader who drives innovation in AI, Agile, and Project Management/PMO leadership.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 95 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.

International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 95 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
BMC Software,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
Computer Weekly,
Constructor University - Germany,
Data Governance Success,
Deimos Aerospace,
DevOps Institute,
Dropbox,
EU's European Commission,
Ford Motor Company,
Gartner,
GoDaddy,
Harvard Medical School,
Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
IEEE,
Innovation Project Management,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Lam Research (Semiconductors),
Leadership Worthy,
Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
London South Bank University,
Microsoft,
MSN,
NASSCOM,
National Academy of Sciences,
New Zealand Government,
Oracle,
Pinterest Inc.,
Project Management Institute,
Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
SANS Institute,
SBG Neumark - Germany,
Singapore Institute of Technology,
Torrens University - Australia,
TBS Switzerland,
Tufts University,
UC San Diego,
UK Sports Institute,
University of Galway - Ireland,
US Department of Energy,
US National Park Service,
US Soccer,
US Tennis Association,
Verizon,
Wrike,
Yale University,
and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition.
The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.

Additional details are here.

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
Project Management Professional (PMP),
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

Check out Scott’s books:

Follow and connect with Scott on social media:

Sign up for Miro—it's free!

(Want more features? You can always upgrade to a paid plan.)

scott_m_graffius_-_blog_spacer_-_v23111107_-_cite

How to Cite This Article

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, November 19). Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction: What Rogue AIs in Sci-Fi Storytelling, Films, and TV Shows Reveal About Us. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/lessons-from-unhinged-ai-in-fiction.html.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: (coming soon)

Content Acknowledgements

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

Top 5 Hashtags

#AI
#ArtificialIntelligence
#FutureOfAI
#HumanVsMachine
#RogueAI

Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

Copyright

Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Tags: Artificial Intelligence (AI) • AI in Sci-Fi storytelling, films, and TV shows • Rogue / Unhinged AI • AI Insights • Exotic Team Dynamics

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to and Reviewed the PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition — the Global Standard for Project Management

13 November 2025

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

scott-m-graffius-pmbok-8th-edition-contributor-reviewer---v11-lwres

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a recognized authority in project management, publishing standards that guide professionals and organizations worldwide. As part of its rigorous development process, PMI engages subject matter experts to contribute to and review its publications, ensuring their accuracy, relevance, and applicability. Scott M. Graffius has had the privilege of contributing to several PMI standards. This article details his involvement with the PMBOK Guide—Eighth Edition.

The PMBOK is the global standard for project management, and the Eighth Edition was released on November 13, 2025. As highlighted in the visual at the top of this article, Graffius was a contributor and reviewer of the publication. Many people were involved; the visual shows a limited excerpt.

This landmark update connects the why, what, and how of project management — empowering professionals to deliver value across traditional, agile, and hybrid approaches.

Highlights in Eighth Edition:

Six core principles
Seven performance domains
Expanded guidance on AI, PMOs, and procurement
Simplified, non prescriptive process guidance and much more

PMBOK 8 is available for free download to PMI members at: https://www.pmi.org/standards/pmbok.

To see the publication on Amazon, follow these links:

For reference, the Kindle/ebook ASIN is B0FQK1W424 (https://amzn.to/4oGpKAM). The paperback carries ISBN‑13 978‑1628258295 and ISBN‑10 1628258292 (https://amzn.to/47RmZoU).

Graffius has been actively involved with the PMI in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams which wrote, reviewed, and produced:

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)—Eighth Edition.
The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)—Sixth Edition.
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.

This article highlighted his involvement with the PMBOK Guide—Eighth Edition. Explore the February 12, 2025 article for information on his contributions to other PMI publications.

black_spacer_lr_sq_v3

About the Project Management Institute (PMI)

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a leading global association for professionals in the field of project management. Founded in 1969, PMI is dedicated to advancing the profession through research, standards development, education, and certification. With members in nearly every country, PMI offers resources like the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, which is recognized worldwide as a benchmark for project management expertise. The organization also promotes project management practices that drive better results, foster innovation, and enhance career opportunities for professionals across various industries. Through its extensive network and resources, PMI helps in connecting project managers, sharing knowledge, and advocating for the strategic value of project management.

black_spacer_lr_sq_v3

More

Continue reading for:

Additional Articles,
About Scott M. Graffius,
How to Cite This Article,
and more.

More About Scott M. Graffius

scott_m_graffius_-_blue_-_1000x1000_-lwres

Scott M. Graffius is a globally recognized technology leader who drives innovation in AI, Agile, and Project Management/PMO leadership.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 95 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.

International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 95 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
BMC Software,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
Computer Weekly,
Constructor University - Germany,
Data Governance Success,
Deimos Aerospace,
DevOps Institute,
Dropbox,
EU's European Commission,
Ford Motor Company,
Gartner,
GoDaddy,
Harvard Medical School,
Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
IEEE,
Innovation Project Management,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Lam Research (Semiconductors),
Leadership Worthy,
Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
London South Bank University,
Microsoft,
MSN,
NASSCOM,
National Academy of Sciences,
New Zealand Government,
Oracle,
Pinterest Inc.,
Project Management Institute,
Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
SANS Institute,
SBG Neumark - Germany,
Singapore Institute of Technology,
Torrens University - Australia,
TBS Switzerland,
Tufts University,
UC San Diego,
UK Sports Institute,
University of Galway - Ireland,
US Department of Energy,
US National Park Service,
US Soccer,
US Tennis Association,
Verizon,
Wrike,
Yale University,
and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition.
The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.

Additional details are here.

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
Project Management Professional (PMP),
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

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Check out Scott’s books:

Follow and connect with Scott on social media:

Sign up for Miro—it's free!

(Want more features? You can always upgrade to a paid plan.)

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How to Cite This Article

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, November 13). Scott M. Graffius Contributed to and Reviewed the PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition — the Global Standard for Project Management. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/scott-m-graffius-pmbok-8th-edition-contributor-reviewer.html.

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scott_m_graffius_-_blog_spacer_-_v23111107_-_x---rev-24101207---doi----lwres

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: (coming soon)

Content Acknowledgements

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

This article uses limited excerpts from the Project Management Institute (PMI) publication, PMBOK - Eighth Edition, attributed to the PMI and used under fair use for news reporting and analysis. PMI name, mark, and content are the property of the PMI. PMBOK is a registered trademark of the PMI.

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Top 5 Hashtags

#PMBOK
#PMBOK8
#PMI
#PMP
#ProjectManagement

Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

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Copyright

Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Tags: Project Management • PMI PMBOK 8th Edition • Thought Leader • Project Manager • PMBOK 8 Covers AI and Agile

UK Sports Institute Features Teamwork and Leadership Work of Scott M. Graffius

03 November 2025

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

uk-sports-institute-featured-scott-m-graffius---alt-lwres

Phases of Team Development Featured by UK Sports Institute

The UK Sports Institute improves elite sporting performance through science, medicine, technology, and engineering. The Institute featured Scott M. Graffius’ “Phases of Team Development” in its materials on teamwork and leadership. The following visual shows excerpts.

uk-sports-institute-featured-scott-m-graffius---excerpts---lwres

uk-sports-institute-featured-scott-m-graffius---excerpts---lwres

The UK Sports Institute—formerly known as the English Institute of Sport—is the largest single provider of world-class science, medicine, technology, and engineering services within the sport sector for Olympic and Paralympic programs in the United Kingdom. Its mission is to enhance the performance of athletes and teams through innovation, collaboration, and excellence. The Institute’s materials are used by coaches, performance staff, and athletes at the highest levels of sport.

Graffius is an expert on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and his first-hand experience analyzing and leading teams, Graffius created his Phases of Team Development as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It offers actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. A visual from the 2025 edition is shown below and details are at https://www.scottgraffius.com/blog/files/phases-of-team-development-update-for-2025.html.

scott-m-graffius---phases-of-team-development---2025-update---v25010707-lwres-jpg

scott-m-graffius---phases-of-team-development---2025-update---v25010707-lwres-jpg

Several other organizations in the sport sector and beyond are also using Graffius’ “Phases of Team Development.” Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Broadcom, Boston University, Cisco, IEEE, Johns Hopkins, Life Sciences Trainers & Educators Network, Microsoft, Oracle, U.S. Soccer, U.S. Tennis Association, and many more. This widespread use underscores its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence. Explore here to learn more.

Graffius initially reported this story on LinkedIn. Details are noted in the next section.

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References

This section provides select references.

Graffius, Scott  M. (2023, July 25). The UK Sports Institute Features My Content! [LinkedIn post]. LinkedIn. Retrieved from: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/scottgraffius_scott-m-graffius-content-featured-by-uk-activity-7089813136551149568-VWiY.

Patterson, Colin (2021, September 29). Post on X. X. Retrieved from: https://x.com/physiocolinp/status/1443292171252154377.

UK Sports Institute (2023, April 25). English Institute of Sport Celebrates the Start of a New Era as the UK Sports Institute. UK Sports Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.uksport.gov.uk/news/2023/04/25/english-institute-of-sport-celebrates-the-start-of-a-new-era-as-the-uk-sports-institute.

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Continue reading for:

Additional Articles,
About Scott M. Graffius,
How to Cite This Article,
and more.

More About Scott M. Graffius

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Scott M. Graffius is a globally recognized technology leader who drives innovation in AI, Agile, and Project Management/PMO leadership.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 95 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.

International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 95 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
BMC Software,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
Computer Weekly,
Constructor University - Germany,
Data Governance Success,
Deimos Aerospace,
DevOps Institute,
Dropbox,
EU's European Commission,
Ford Motor Company,
Gartner,
GoDaddy,
Harvard Medical School,
Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
IEEE,
Innovation Project Management,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Lam Research (Semiconductors),
Leadership Worthy,
Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
London South Bank University,
Microsoft,
MSN,
NASSCOM,
National Academy of Sciences,
New Zealand Government,
Oracle,
Pinterest Inc.,
Project Management Institute,
Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
SANS Institute,
SBG Neumark - Germany,
Singapore Institute of Technology,
Torrens University - Australia,
TBS Switzerland,
Tufts University,
UC San Diego,
UK Sports Institute,
University of Galway - Ireland,
US Department of Energy,
US National Park Service,
US Soccer,
US Tennis Association,
Verizon,
Wrike,
Yale University,
and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition.
The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.

Additional details are here.

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
Project Management Professional (PMP),
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

black_spacer_lr_sq_v3

Check out Scott’s books:

Follow and connect with Scott on social media:

Sign up for Miro—it's free!

(Want more features? You can always upgrade to a paid plan.)

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scott_m_graffius_-_blog_spacer_-_v23111107_-_cite

How to Cite This Article

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, November 3). UK Sports Institute Features Teamwork and Leadership Work of Scott M. Graffius. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/uk-sports-institute-featured-scott-m-graffius.html.

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scott_m_graffius_-_blog_spacer_-_v23111107_-_x---rev-24101207---doi----lwres

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: (coming soon)

Content Acknowledgements

The UK Sports Institute—formerly known as the English Institute of Sport—improves elite sporting performance through science, medicine, technology, and engineering. The Institute featured Scott M. Graffius’ “Phases of Team Development” in its materials on teamwork and leadership.

This article uses limited excerpts from the respective UK Sports Institute material, attributed to the UK Sports Institute and contributors—such as Dawn Ibrahim and Colin Paterson—and is used under fair use for news reporting and analysis.

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

UK Sports Institute name, mark, and content are the property of the UK Sports Institute.

Graffius’ “Phases of Team Development” is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

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scott_m_graffius_-_blog_spacer_-_v23111107_-_x---rev-25062907---hashtags---lwres

Top 5 Hashtags

#ElitePerformance
#HighPerformanceTeams
#Leadership
#PhasesOfTeamDevelopment
#SportSector

Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

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scott_m_graffius_-_blog_spacer_-_v23111107_-_x---rev-24101207---copyright---lwres-2

Copyright

Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Tags: Coaching • Elite Performance and the Phases of Team Development • Sport Sector • Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing – Adjourning • team dynamics

Definitions of Advanced AIs: Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic

29 October 2025

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

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Introduction

Artificial intelligence was once viewed as a singular, monolithic concept. Today, there are multiple forms of AI, each with distinct capacities and characteristics. Scott M. Graffius drew on his work with successful AI development teams and an analysis of more than 100 research papers, articles, and reports—which revealed no standard or universally accepted definitions for different forms of advanced AIs—and he developed definitions for agentic, autonomous, and autopoietic AI. These provide a foundation for clearer conversations and more informed design regarding advanced AI systems.

Three Forms of Advanced AIs

Agentic AI

agentic artificial intelligence, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈeɪdʒəntɪk ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃ(ə)l ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəns/

Etymology: Agentic, from agent + -ic (suffix), denoting possession of agency or the capacity to act intentionally. Artificial, from artificium, meaning 'craft' and signifying something is manufactured rather than natural. Intelligence, from intelligentia, meaning 'understanding.' Artificial intelligence—formed by compounding words—refers to the development and capability of computer systems to perform tasks requiring human-like cognition.

Definition: An advanced form of artificial intelligence that is capable of pursuing defined objectives independently by planning multi-step actions, coordinating multiple processes, and adjusting strategies in response to changing conditions. It is semi-autonomous overall but highly autonomous in execution. It differs from more advanced forms of AI—such as completely autonomous or autopoietic systems—by having defined external objectives rather than fully self-generated goals or self-maintaining systems.

Autonomous AI

autonomous artificial intelligence, noun

Pronunciation: /ɔːˈtɒnəməs ˌɑːtɪfɪʃəl ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəns/

Etymology: Autonomous, from autonomos 'having its own laws' (auto- 'self' + nomos 'law'). Artificial, from artificium, meaning 'craft' and signifying something is manufactured rather than natural. Intelligence, from intelligentia, meaning 'understanding.' Artificial intelligence—formed by compounding words—refers to the development and capability of computer systems to perform tasks requiring human-like cognition.

Definition: An advanced form of artificial intelligence that is capable of independent operation and decision-making without direct human control or intervention. Distinguished from assistive systems by its sustained self-regulation, capacity to set or adjust goals in response to its environment, and ability to act on those goals within defined or evolving parameters.

Autopoietic AI

autopoietic artificial intelligence, noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɔːtəpɔɪˈɛtɪk ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃ(ə)l ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəns/

Etymology: Autopoietic, from auto- 'self' + poiein 'to make'; coined in biological theory (the work of Maturana & Varela) to describe systems capable of self-production and self-maintenance. Artificial, from artificium, meaning 'craft' and signifying something is manufactured rather than natural. Intelligence, from intelligentia, meaning 'understanding.' Artificial intelligence—formed by compounding words—refers to the development and capability of computer systems to perform tasks requiring human-like cognition.

Definition: An advanced, experimental form of artificial intelligence defined by self-generating, self-maintaining, and self-adaptive processes. Unlike other AIs, it features a recursive organization: the system continually regenerates its own structure, rules, and operational boundaries, sustaining its functional identity amid changing environments. Autopoietic AI is not currently commercially available.

Conclusion

Recognizing the differences between agentic, autonomous, and autopoietic AIs provides a practical framework for understanding how AI systems interact with humans and the world. This short article focuses on the respective definitions. For more on advanced AI—including insights on human-AI teams and the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge—see Graffius' article from August 8, 2025. He delivered a talk on the topic on August 22, 2025, sharing actionable insights on advancing human-AI teamwork effectiveness.

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Continue reading for:

Additional Articles,
About Scott M. Graffius,
How to Cite This Article,
and more.

More About Scott M. Graffius

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Scott M. Graffius is a globally recognized technology leader who drives innovation in AI, Agile, and Project Management/PMO leadership.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 95 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.

International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 95 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
BMC Software,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
Computer Weekly,
Constructor University - Germany,
Data Governance Success,
Deimos Aerospace,
DevOps Institute,
Dropbox,
EU's European Commission,
Ford Motor Company,
Gartner,
GoDaddy,
Harvard Medical School,
Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
IEEE,
Innovation Project Management,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Lam Research (Semiconductors),
Leadership Worthy,
Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
London South Bank University,
Microsoft,
MSN,
NASSCOM,
National Academy of Sciences,
New Zealand Government,
Oracle,
Pinterest Inc.,
Project Management Institute,
Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
SANS Institute,
SBG Neumark - Germany,
Singapore Institute of Technology,
Torrens University - Australia,
TBS Switzerland,
Tufts University,
UC San Diego,
UK Sports Institute,
University of Galway - Ireland,
US Department of Energy,
US National Park Service,
US Soccer,
US Tennis Association,
Verizon,
Wrike,
Yale University,
and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition.
The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.

Additional details are here.

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
Project Management Professional (PMP),
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

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Follow and connect with Scott on social media:

Sign up for Miro—it's free!

(Want more features? You can always upgrade to a paid plan.)

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How to Cite This Article

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, October 29). Definitions of Advanced AIs: Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/advanced-ai-definitions.html.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: (coming soon)

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Content Acknowledgements

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

Top 5 Hashtags

#AdvancedAI
#AgenticAI
#AutonomousAI
#AutopoieticAI
#ExoticTeamDynamics

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Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

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Copyright

Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Tags: Artificial Intelligence • Agentic AI - Autonomous AI - Autopoietic AI • Human-AI Teams • Exotic Team Dynamics • Emerging Tech and AI Innovation

HAN University of Applied Sciences Features the Work of Scott M. Graffius

24 October 2025

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

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Phases of Team Development Featured in University Workbook on Life Skills

HAN University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands) features Scott M. Graffius "Phases of Team Development" material in its Student Workbook. Excerpts follow.

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The Student Workbook is part of the university's Life Skills Coaching course, designated as LIFSKB01, which carries 2.5 European Credits (EC). The course is offered within the B-Cluster, a grouping of programs focused on personal development and coaching.

Life Skills Coaching at HAN is designed to support students in developing essential personal and academic skills. The program includes various services such as study coaching, senior coaching, student counseling, and psychological support. These services aim to assist students in managing study stress, enhancing motivation, and addressing personal challenges that may impact their academic performance.

The workbook contains exercises, self-assessments, and reflective activities to help students build skills in areas like time management, goal setting, leadership, and emotional resilience. It serves as a practical tool to complement the coaching sessions and workshops offered through the Life Skills Coaching program.

Graffius’ Phases of Team Development is a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development—Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. It’s inclusive of a graph showing how team performance typically varies by phase, as well as the vivid characteristics and actionable strategies for each phase. Imagine a fledgling healthcare project team in the Forming stage, buzzing with polite uncertainty and role anxiety. Graffius advises leaders to step in boldly and paint the big picture and set crystal-clear expectations to spark early momentum. By the Storming phase, where tensions flare from clashing opinions, his tactics for normalizing conflict and building trust transform potential chaos into constructive dialogue. This isn’t abstract theory. It’s a proven roadmap that has empowered project managers, Scrum Masters, and other leaders to elevate morale, productivity, and success in high-stakes environments.

About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius is a technology leader who drives innovation in AI, Agile, and Project/Program/Portfolio/PMO Management, and he’s an authority on teamwork tradecraft, including “exotic team dynamics” involving human-AI teams. He’s a practitioner, consultant, researcher, thought leader, author (Agile Protocol, 2025; Agile Transformation, 2019; and Agile Scrum, 2016), and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 95 conferences and other events across 25 countries. Graffius has delivered over $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond. Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities engage him and feature his work. Examples include ACM, Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Lam Research, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, Technical University of Munich, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and many more. Explore https://www.scottgraffius.com to learn more.

More About Graffius’ Phases of Team Development

scott-m-graffius---phases-of-team-development---2025-update---v25010707-lwres-jpg

Graffius is a widely recognized expert on teamwork tradecraft, including “exotic team dynamics” involving human-AI teams. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius’ first-hand experience analyzing and leading teams, Graffius created his Phases of Team Development as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It offers actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value—solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence. A visual from the 2025 edition of Graffius’ Phases of Team Development is shown above and details are at https://www.scottgraffius.com/blog/files/phases-of-team-development-update-for-2025.html.

About HAN University of Applied Sciences

HAN University of Applied Sciences is one of the Netherlands’ leading public universities, located in the vibrant cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen. HAN offers a broad portfolio of undergraduate and graduate programs—many taught in English—spanning fields such as engineering, business, health, and beyond. Guided by a mission to prepare students for meaningful professional practice and responsible citizenship, HAN blends theory with real-world application through close collaboration with industry and research partners. This hands-on, innovation-driven approach positions HAN graduates to thrive in today’s global economy. Visit https://www.han.nl to learn more.

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Scott M. Graffius is a globally recognized technology leader who drives innovation in AI, Agile, and Project Management/PMO leadership.

He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 95 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.3 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.

The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.

Experience

Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.

Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.

He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.

Award-Winning Author

Graffius has authored three books.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.

International Public Speaker

Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 95 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.

With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.

The speaker engagement request form is here.

Thought Leadership and Influence

Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
BMC Software,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
Computer Weekly,
Constructor University - Germany,
Data Governance Success,
Deimos Aerospace,
DevOps Institute,
Dropbox,
EU's European Commission,
Ford Motor Company,
Gartner,
GoDaddy,
Harvard Medical School,
Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
IEEE,
Innovation Project Management,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Lam Research (Semiconductors),
Leadership Worthy,
Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
London South Bank University,
Microsoft,
MSN,
NASSCOM,
National Academy of Sciences,
New Zealand Government,
Oracle,
Pinterest Inc.,
Project Management Institute,
Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
SANS Institute,
SBG Neumark - Germany,
Singapore Institute of Technology,
Torrens University - Australia,
TBS Switzerland,
Tufts University,
UC San Diego,
UK Sports Institute,
University of Galway - Ireland,
US Department of Energy,
US National Park Service,
US Soccer,
US Tennis Association,
Verizon,
Wrike,
Yale University,
and many others.

Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:

Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition.
The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.

Additional details are here.

He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.

Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.

The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.

Education and Professional Certifications

Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
Project Management Professional (PMP),
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).

He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management

Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.

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Check out Scott’s books:

Follow and connect with Scott on social media:

Sign up for Miro—it's free!

(Want more features? You can always upgrade to a paid plan.)

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How to Cite This Article

Graffius, Scott M. (2025, October 24). HAN University of Applied Sciences Features the Work of Scott M. Graffius. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/han-university-features-scott-m-graffius.html.

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: (coming soon)

Content Acknowledgements

This article uses limited excerpts from the HAN University of Applied Sciences, attributed and used under fair use for news reporting and analysis.

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.

HAN University of Applied Sciences name, mark, and content are the property of HAN University of Applied Sciences.

Graffius’ “Phases of Team Development” is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

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Top 5 Hashtags

#Leadership
#LifeSkills
#ProjectManagement
#TeamDevelopment
#Teamwork

Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

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Copyright

Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Tags: Leadership • Life Skills • Agile Project Management • Phases of Team Development • Teamwork

1. Introduction

2. Methodology

3. Project Management in 1975

4. Project Management in 2000

5. Project Management in 2025

6. Trends and Patterns Across Eras

7. AI Potential in Project Management

8. Implications for the Future of Project Management

9. Discussion and Insights

10. Conclusion

11. Bibliography

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Introduction

Acclaimed International Speaker

Talks & Workshops - 96 Sessions to Date

Highly Rated by Attendees and Organizers

Book Scott

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Introduction

1. AI (or tools) are only as effective as their design

2. Misaligned objectives are dangerous

3. Iteration and learning have limits

4. Risk and unintended consequences

5. Overreliance on tools

6. Creativity and innovation are key—but insufficient alone

The Big Picture

Conclusion

Bibliography

More

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About Scott M. Graffius

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Introduction

Actionable Insights

Conclusion

Bibliography

About Scott M. Graffius

About the "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts"

About the Journal

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Copyright

Introduction

A Clear Progression: Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic AI

Goals, Roles, and Controls

Conclusion

Introduction

1. AI Reflects Human Flaws

2. Misaligned Goals Are Dangerous

3. AI Can be Hyper-Rational and Dangerous

4. Complexity Can Breed Unpredictability

5. Emotional Manipulation and Deception

6. Power Without Oversight is Dangerous