Meta's Muse Missed the Mark: Hollywood’s Win Against Big Tech on AI Consent and Likeness Rights

10 July 2026

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

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Recommended Citation

Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 10). Meta's Muse Missed the Mark: Hollywood’s Win Against Big Tech on AI Consent and Likeness Rights. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/meta-muse-backlash.html

About This Article

This article includes a references section with links to sources, including items from Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Meta, MSN, SAG-AFTRA, Variety, Wired, TheWrap, and additional sources.

Introduction

Three days can feel like an eternity. That was how long Meta's Muse Image generative AI feature was available on Instagram before the company pulled it following fierce Hollywood backlash. From its launch, to criticism and concerns from SAG-AFTRA, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and others, and finally to Meta's reversal, the episode offers a revealing case study in the clash between Silicon Valley's innovation imperative and the entertainment industry's hard-won emphasis on consent, control, and human creativity.

Meta's Muse Image

Meta rolled out Muse Image in July 2026 as part of its broader AI initiatives under Meta Superintelligence Labs. The tool positioned itself as a creative aid, allowing users to generate high-quality images from text prompts and, crucially, by referencing public Instagram content.

Users could @-mention public Instagram accounts in prompts, enabling the AI to produce inspired or remixed visuals based on that account’s photos, reels, and profile imagery. Promotional materials highlighted its potential for fun, artistic blending—turning ideas into downloadable, shareable visuals.

The details quickly proved contentious. Public adult accounts were opted in by default, often without users even knowing. There was no proactive notification to account holders that their content could be referenced. Opting out was possible but required manual action through settings. Private accounts and those belonging to users under 18 were automatically excluded. Once generated, AI-created images could persist online, raising concerns about permanence and downstream misuse.

This reflected Meta’s push into generative media, following tools such as those from OpenAI and Google. Proponents saw it as democratizing creativity, lowering barriers for everyday users to produce polished visuals. However, critics viewed it as a large-scale experiment that treated public social media posts as raw training or reference material without consent.

The Backlash

The backlash hit fast and hard, especially from Hollywood. SAG-AFTRA wasted no time advising its members to review their settings and opt out. The union framed the tool as another example of technology that could enable the creation of non-consensual digital replicas, potentially undermining livelihoods.

CAA, one of the industry’s most powerful talent agencies with clients including major stars, issued a pointed public statement. “No one’s name, image, likeness, voice, or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent,” the agency declared. CAA emphasized that true innovation puts creators first, called for protection as the default (with opt-in for those who choose to participate), and CAA noted they had raised concerns directly with Meta.

The statements highlighted several core principles, including documented consent, creator autonomy, monitoring capabilities, swift removal of unauthorized content, and clear disclosures when material is AI-generated. These concerns went beyond abstract ethics: they touched on real economic risks. For performers, likeness is often their primary asset. Unauthorized AI remixes could dilute brand value, enable deceptive endorsements, or contribute to a flood of synthetic content that competes with human work.

Broader user and creator feedback amplified these points. Many expressed privacy fears, noting the lack of notification meant most account holders remained unaware their public posts could fuel AI generation. Concerns included deepfake-style misuse, reputational harm, and the normalization of scraping public content without meaningful safeguards. Social media commentary and industry chatter quickly turned the rollout into a public relations issue for Meta.

Meta's Response: "This Feature Missed the Mark"

By July 10, Meta had had enough. The company pulled the plug, admitting in an update: “We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available.” They reiterated their original intent (to provide a useful creative tool while giving people control) but conceded the execution fell short amid the backlash.

SAG-AFTRA welcomed the decision, calling it “the responsible thing to do.” CAA had previously urged Meta to strengthen protections requiring clear consent for the use of individuals’ likenesses and creative work.

This reversal came after an initial defense in which Meta highlighted existing guardrails: automatic exclusion of private and minor accounts, the ability to opt out, and commitments to act on violations of community standards. The rapid pivot suggests internal reassessment of reputational risk, especially given Hollywood’s coordinated response.

The episode echoes earlier controversies, such as OpenAI’s Sora video model challenges, where opt-out approaches similarly drew criticism before adjustments. It raises questions about Meta’s AI strategy: Does the company sometimes prioritize speed and scale over preemptive stakeholder/user alignment? Did it underestimate the influence of organized entertainment industry voices in 2026?

SAG-AFTRA's Long Game on AI

None of this happened in a vacuum. SAG-AFTRA has spent years fighting to build guardrails around AI, centered on clear consent, fair compensation, and control over performances.

Key milestones include:

Contract negotiations securing protections in TV/Theatrical, Interactive Media, Commercials, and other agreements.
Opposition to synthetic performers replacing humans, as articulated in their 2025 statement on an AI-generated “actor”: “SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics.”
Legislative advocacy supporting bills such as the NO FAKES Act, TAKE IT DOWN Act, and state laws on digital replicas and synthetic advertising disclosures.
Public campaigns and partnerships emphasizing human artistry.

CAA’s involvement adds another layer. As an agency that has explored AI opportunities (including its own “CAA Vault” for managing client likenesses), its strong stance here underscores a consistent industry message: technology must serve creators, not circumvent them.

Industry Power Dynamics and What the Reversal Reveals

This situation suggests the enduring influence of Hollywood unions and agencies in the AI era, at least in this instance. Despite tech giants’ vast resources, coordinated pushback from talent representatives can force meaningful changes. It may point to a maturing ecosystem where entertainment stakeholders are shifting from a reactive posture to a more proactive one in shaping AI deployment norms.

At the same time, it reveals tensions in Big Tech’s approach. Automatic opt-in for public content aligns with a broad interpretation of publicly available data, but it conflicts with evolving legal and ethical expectations around publicity rights, likeness, and consent, particularly for commercial or high-profile use cases. The swift removal suggests Meta recognized that proceeding could invite deeper scrutiny, potential legal challenges, or damage to partnerships in entertainment.

Lessons and Forward-Looking Implications

The Muse Image saga has several takeaways:

Opt-in vs. Opt-out: Default protection (opt-in for use) is emerging as the preferred standard among creators. Conversely, opt-out places the burden on individuals and often fails in practice due to low awareness.
Transparency and Control: Users need clear notifications, robust monitoring tools, and easy removal mechanisms. Watermarking AI content and audit trails could help.
Future Tools: With Muse Video already in early preview, Meta and peers face similar tests. Will they apply lessons here?
Regulatory Ripple Effects: Incidents like this bolster arguments for legislation clarifying consent, deepfake remedies, and platform responsibilities. They also encourage voluntary industry standards.
Balanced Innovation: Generative AI offers genuine benefits, including enhanced creativity, accessibility, and new artistic forms. The challenge lies in harnessing these without eroding the human foundation of entertainment. As SAG-AFTRA has consistently argued, technology should augment, not replace, human performance.

Creators, technologists, and policymakers should view this not as anti-AI sentiment but as a call for responsible development. Sustainable progress requires collaboration. Tech companies should engage early with stakeholders, unions should continue to adapt contracts and advocate for smart regulation, and creators should leverage tools ethically.

Conclusion

Meta's decision to disable Muse Image so quickly can be read as a win for consent advocates and a reminder that Hollywood retains meaningful leverage in the AI conversation. It also reinforces the principle that innovation should respect creators' rights and livelihoods.

The situation also underscores the fragile nature of trust. For Big Tech, the path to broader acceptance of generative tools runs through dialogue, robust safeguards, and a willingness to prioritize opt-in models where likeness and creative work are involved. For Hollywood, continued vigilance (through contracts, legislation, and public engagement) will be essential as AI capabilities advance.

The Muse episode serves as an early test of how generative AI and the entertainment industry will coexist. As AI capabilities continue to evolve, success will depend not only on technical innovation but also on earning and maintaining the trust of creators whose work and identities make that innovation possible.

Scott M. Graffius has generated over $2.51 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations around the world. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form; for other inquiries, email him.

Bibliography

Bolies, C. (2026, July 10). Meta suspends Instagram AI image feature after days of backlash. Variety. https://variety.com/2026/biz/news/meta-suspends-ai-image-instagram-feature-backlash-1236806989/

Garner, G. (2026, July 10). Meta removes Muse Image AI feature after backlash: "Missed the mark." Deadline. https://deadline.com/2026/07/meta-removes-muse-image-ai-feature-backlash-1236979605/

Meta. (2026, July 10). Update regarding Muse Image feature. Meta Newsroom / About.fb.com. https://about.fb.com/news/2026/07/introducing-muse-image-meta-ai/

MSN. (2026, July 10). CAA, SAG-AFTRA call on Meta to tighten Muse AI likeness protections: "True innovation puts creators first." https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/caa-sag-aftra-call-on-meta-to-tighten-muse-ai-likeness-protections-true-innovation-puts-creators-first/ar-AA27wp1f

Murray, C. (2026, July 10). Instagram’s new AI update faces blowback from Hollywood, cybersecurity companies. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2026/07/10/instagrams-new-ai-update-faces-blowback-from-hollywood-cybersecurity-companies/

Press, J. (2026, July 6). Inside CAA's secret AI "Vault," where actors can live forever—if they want. Vanity Fair. https://www.vanityfair.com/story/caa-vault-actors-ai-replica

Ray, A. (2026, July 8). CAA, SAG-AFTRA call on Meta to tighten Muse AI likeness protections: “True innovation puts creators first.” TheWrap. https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/tech/caa-demands-meta-tighten-muse-ai-likeness-protections/

Rogers, R. (2026, July 8). Meta now lets anyone use your Instagram photos in AI images—Unless you opt out. WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/meta-now-lets-anyone-use-your-instagram-photos-in-ai-images-unless-you-opt-out/

SAG-AFTRA [@sagaftra]. (2026, July 10). Meta now lets anyone use your Instagram photos in AI images without your consent. SAG-AFTRA recommends that #SagAftraMembers (and all Instagram users) opt-OUT of Meta’s new AI image generation tool, Muse Image. Take action to protect your likeness. [Image attached]. X. https://x.com/sagaftra/status/2075388961560658379

SAG-AFTRA [@sagaftra]. (2026, July 10). UPDATE: A win is a win. Following widespread backlash — including SAG-AFTRA's call for members to opt out — Meta has withdrawn the feature. [Post linked to article]. X. https://x.com/sagaftra/status/2075729397920027102

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). (n.d.). Artificial intelligence. https://www.sagaftra.org/contracts-industry-resources/member-resources/artificial-intelligence

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). (2025, September 30). SAG-AFTRA statement on synthetic performer. https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-statement-synthetic-performer

Weprin, A. (2026, July 8). CAA calls out Meta for making its Muse AI video and photo tool opt-out. The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/caa-calls-out-meta-muse-ai-video-photo-tool-instagram-1236642814/

Weprin, A. (2026, July 10). Meta pulls back on opt-out AI function after Hollywood outrage: "This feature missed the mark". The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/meta-pulls-opt-out-ai-tool-hollywood-outrage-1236644312/

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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 99 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.51 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 99 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:

The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management
Agile Practice Guide – Second Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition
The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition
Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition

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

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Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property 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. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development."

The 2026 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.

Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

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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 Fast Company, GoDaddy, Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture (French Ministry of Culture), Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2026 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.

Discover Scott’s Books

Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.

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List of Additional Articles

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How to Cite This Article

Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 10). Meta's Muse Missed the Mark: Hollywood’s Win Against Big Tech on AI Consent and Likeness Rights. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/meta-muse-backlash.html

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

(Coming soon)

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Content Acknowledgements

Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners. Meta, Instagram, Muse, and related logos, names, and marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Meta Platforms, Inc. (or its affiliates). All references to Meta, Instagram, or their products, features, or content in this article are for informational, commentary, and critical purposes only. Graffius' article does not constitute endorsement by, or affiliation with, Meta Platforms, Inc. or Instagram. This article includes limited excerpts, attributed, and used under the fair use doctrine for purposes of news reporting, commentary, and analysis.

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#AIEthics
#MetaAI
#MuseImage
#LikenessRights
#SAGAFTRA
#AIConsent
#DigitalPrivacy
#Hollywood
#GenerativeAI
#BigTech

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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: Artificial Intelligence • Meta Muse AI Tool • Likeness Rights • Generative AI • Entertainment Industry • Data Privacy • SAG-AFTRA • CAA • Instagram • AI Ethics

Scott M. Graffius Contributed to Seven Project Management Institute (PMI) Standards

06 July 2026

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

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Recommended Citation

Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 6). Scott M. Graffius Contributed to Seven Project Management Institute (PMI) Standards. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.32612.95369

Introduction

Professional standards are the foundation of a discipline, and contributing to them is one of the most meaningful ways to give back to the profession.

Founded in 1969, the Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world's leading authority on project success. Supported by a global community of millions of project professionals and by thousands of corporations, government agencies, and academic institutions, PMI develops widely adopted standards, certifications, and other resources that help organizations deliver projects and transformations effectively and responsibly. Its standards influence project management practice across industries and around the world.

Scott M. Graffius has contributed to seven standards and guides published by the PMI. They include:

Agile Practice Guide – Second Edition (2026)
The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management (2026)
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition (2025)
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition (2019)
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition (2017)
The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition (2017)
Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition (2006)

These contributions reflect engagement with the discipline at a foundational level, defining and refining methods, terminology, and guidance for practitioners worldwide, and they show Graffius participating in collaborative efforts that help ensure PMI standards remain relevant, practical, and aligned with evolving real-world delivery environments. Across all seven, the throughline is clarity and usability, helping practitioners apply proven guidance while adapting it to diverse contexts, industries, and geographies. Each of the seven standards is highlighted next.

1. Agile Practice Guide – Second Edition (2026)

Date of Publication: Scheduled for July 2026

Description

The Agile Practice Guide is a widely adopted reference developed jointly by PMI and the Agile Alliance to help practitioners apply agile and hybrid approaches in organizational environments. It serves as a bridge between predictive project management and adaptive delivery methods, offering guidance on tailoring practices to context rather than prescribing a single methodology. The Second Edition expands this foundation to reflect the increasing complexity of modern product and project ecosystems. It emphasizes adaptability, situational judgment, and alignment between agile principles and enterprise delivery realities. It also reinforces the importance of practical implementation over theoretical purity, helping teams operate effectively across predictive, agile, and hybrid environments.

The following visual includes excerpts from the publication highlighting contributors, including Graffius.

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For background, Graffius previously covered the Agile Practice Guide here.

The PMI publication is available on Amazon in paperback format.

2. The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management (2026)

Date of Publication: 2026

Description

This standard provides structured guidance for integrating artificial intelligence into portfolio, program, and project management environments. It defines foundational principles, performance domains, and lifecycle considerations for AI-enabled delivery systems. It also addresses governance, ethics, and legal responsibilities, which are increasingly critical as AI becomes embedded in decision-making processes. The standard reflects the need for shared language and structure as organizations adopt AI at scale. It helps practitioners understand not only how AI can enhance portfolio, program, and project delivery, but also how it should be governed responsibly to support effective, ethical, and trustworthy outcomes.

The following visual includes excerpts from the publication highlighting contributors, including Graffius.

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For background, Graffius previously covered The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management here.

The PMI publication is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle/ebook formats.

3. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition (2025)

Date of Publication: 2025

Description

The PMBOK Guide serves as the global foundation of project management practice across industries and delivery approaches. The Eighth Edition builds on prior editions by refining guidance for predictive, agile, and hybrid environments while expanding coverage of emerging topics such as artificial intelligence, modern governance, and evolving delivery practices. Rather than prescribing a single methodology, it emphasizes principles, adaptability, and value delivery across diverse organizational contexts. The guide helps practitioners tailor approaches to meet the unique needs of projects while remaining aligned with organizational objectives. It reflects the continuing evolution of the profession in response to changing technologies, organizational structures, and ways of working.

The following visual includes excerpts from the publication highlighting contributors, including Graffius.

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For background, Graffius previously covered A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition here.

The PMI publication is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle/ebook formats.

4. The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition (2019)

Date of Publication: 2019

Description

The Practice Standard for Project Estimating provides structured guidance for developing project estimates that are transparent, consistent, and defensible. It covers a range of estimating approaches, from early conceptual estimates through detailed and definitive estimates that support planning, budgeting, and decision-making. It also highlights the importance of managing uncertainty, assumptions, and risk throughout the estimating process. The standard reinforces the idea that estimating is not a one-time activity but an evolving discipline throughout the project lifecycle. It helps practitioners improve both the accuracy of estimates and the effectiveness of communication with stakeholders and decision-makers.

The following visual includes excerpts from the publication highlighting contributors, including Graffius.

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For background, Graffius previously covered The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition here.

The PMI publication is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle/ebook formats.

5. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition (2017)

Date of Publication: 2017

Description

The Sixth Edition of the PMBOK Guide represents a major step in the evolution of modern project management practice. It formally incorporates agile, adaptive, and hybrid approaches alongside predictive methods, reflecting the increasing diversity of project delivery environments. It also strengthens the emphasis on tailoring, enabling practitioners to adapt processes based on project context, complexity, and uncertainty. The guide provides a structured yet flexible foundation that supports both practitioners and certification frameworks worldwide. It remains one of the most widely referenced editions in the history of the discipline.

The following visual includes excerpts from the publication highlighting contributors, including Graffius.

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scott-m-graffius-contributed-to-7-pmi-standards---visual-excerpts-2017-pmbok-lwres

For background, Graffius previously covered A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition here.

The PMI publication is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle/ebook formats. (Note: Links are to the current edition.)

6. The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition (2017)

Date of Publication: 2017

Description

The Standard for Program Management defines the principles and practices used to manage multiple related projects in a coordinated program structure. It emphasizes aligning program outcomes with organizational strategy while maximizing benefits realization through coordinated governance, stakeholder engagement, and integrated management of related projects. The Fourth Edition strengthens guidance for managing complexity at scale while maintaining strategic alignment across interdependent initiatives. It also provides clearer direction for overseeing cross-project integration and organizational change. The standard helps program managers deliver outcomes that would be difficult (or impossible) to achieve through individual projects alone.

The following visual includes excerpts from the publication highlighting contributors, including Graffius.

scott-m-graffius-contributed-to-7-pmi-standards---visual-excerpts-2017-program-lwres

scott-m-graffius-contributed-to-7-pmi-standards---visual-excerpts-2017-program-lwres

For background, Graffius previously covered The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition here.

The PMI publication is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle/ebook formats. (Note: Links are to the current edition.)

7. Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition (2006)

Date of Publication: 2006

Description

The Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures provides foundational guidance for creating and applying work breakdown structures (WBS) in project management practice. It explains how decomposing project scope into manageable deliverables improves planning, estimation, accountability, communication, and project control. The standard reinforces alignment with the broader PMBOK Guide framework and supports consistent application across industries and organizations. It remains one of the foundational references for organizing project deliverables and structuring work. Its principles continue to underpin effective planning and control, including in today's adaptive and agile delivery environments.

The following visual includes excerpts from the publication highlighting contributors, including Graffius.

scott-m-graffius-contributed-to-7-pmi-standards---visual-excerpts-2006-wbs-lwres

scott-m-graffius-contributed-to-7-pmi-standards---visual-excerpts-2006-wbs-lwres

For background, Graffius previously covered the Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition here.

The PMI publication is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle/ebook formats. (Note: Links are to the current edition.)

Conclusion

These seven publications span two decades of PMI's standards development, from the foundational work on work breakdown structures in 2006 to the guidance on artificial intelligence in 2026. Each standard addressed the delivery challenges of its moment, from structuring scope and estimating costs to coordinating programs and integrating agile and AI-driven practices into project management. Contributing to this body of work has provided a firsthand view of how the profession has adapted, and it has been a privilege to help shape the standards that practitioners around the world rely on every day.

Scott M. Graffius has generated over $2.51 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations around the world. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form; for other inquiries, email him.

Bibliography

Graffius, S. M. (n.d.). About Scott M. Graffius. https://scottgraffius.com/bio.html

Graffius, S. M. (n.d.). Thought Leader and Influencer. https://www.scottgraffius.com/thoughtleaderandinfluencer.html

Graffius, S. M. (2025, February 12). Scott M. Graffius' Role in Advancing Project Management Institute (PMI) Standards Excellence. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/scott-m-graffius-role-in-advancing-project-management-institute-(pmi)-standards.html

Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 13). Scott M. Graffius Contributed to and Reviewed the PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition — the Global Standard for Project Management. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.25557.69601

Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 3). Scott M. Graffius Contributed to the Agile Practice Guide - Second Edition. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/scott-m-graffius-contributed-to-agile-practice-guide-second-edition.html

Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 9). Scott M. Graffius Contributed to The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/scott-m-graffius-contributed-to-pmi-standard-for-ai-in-pppm.html

Project Management Institute. (n.d.). https://www.pmi.org

Project Management Institute. (2006). Practice standard for work breakdown structures (2nd ed.). Project Management Institute.

Project Management Institute. (2017). The standard for program management (4th ed.). Project Management Institute.

Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (6th ed.). Project Management Institute.

Project Management Institute. (2019). The practice standard for project estimating (2nd ed.). Project Management Institute.

Project Management Institute. (2025). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (8th ed.). Project Management Institute.

Project Management Institute. (2026). Agile practice guide (2nd ed.). Project Management Institute.

Project Management Institute. (2026). The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management. Project Management Institute.

scott-m-graffius-contributed-to-7-pmi-standards---visual-ig2-lwres

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 99 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.51 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 99 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:

The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management
Agile Practice Guide – Second Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition
The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition
Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition

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 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property 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. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development."

The 2026 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 Fast Company, GoDaddy, Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture (French Ministry of Culture), Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2026 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.

Discover Scott’s Books

Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.

Sign up for Miro—it's free!

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

scottgraffius-com-article-sections-v2026-more-lwres

List of Additional Articles

How to Cite This Article

Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 6). Scott M. Graffius Contributed to Seven Project Management Institute (PMI) Standards. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.32612.95369

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32612.95369

Content Acknowledgements

Project Management Institute (PMI) name, mark, and content are the property of PMI.

Graffius’ article includes limited excerpts of PMI publications, attributed and used under fair use doctrine for purposes of news reporting, commentary, and analysis.

#PMI
#ProjectManagement
#PMBOK
#Agile
#AI
#ArtificialIntelligence
#ProgramManagement
#ProjectEstimating
#WBS
#FutureOfWork
#Leadership

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 Practice Guide • AI in project management • Enterprise agility • Work breakdown structure (WBS) • Project Management Institute (PMI) • Project management • Project estimating • Program management standards • Professional standards development • Portfolio program project management (PPPM) • PMI standards contributions • PMBOK Guide

Quantum Computing, Advanced AI Acceleration, and the Rise of Exotic Team Dynamics in Human-AI Teams

02 July 2026

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

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Recommended Citation

Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 2). Quantum Computing, Advanced AI Acceleration, and the Rise of Exotic Team Dynamics in Human-AI Teams. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.14506.99525

About This Article

This article includes a references section (with links to sources) and a glossary.

Introduction

Imagine a young oncologist and an advanced AI teammate collaborating on a complex case involving a patient with aggressive, treatment-resistant cancer. Drawing on quantum-accelerated molecular simulations, the advanced AI proposes a counterintuitive therapeutic strategy that departs from established clinical protocols yet demonstrates exceptionally strong predicted efficacy and low toxicity. Within minutes, the human-AI team evaluates data that would have previously required months—or even years—of conventional modeling, laboratory experimentation, and clinical testing. The physician contributes clinical judgment, ethical oversight, and contextual interpretation; the AI contributes unprecedented analytical speed, pattern recognition, and probabilistic reasoning. This scenario exemplifies the convergence and future potential of quantum computing, advanced AI, and the "exotic team dynamics" that arise when humans and advanced AI systems collaborate. Solutions once out of reach—in medicine and other fields—can be realized, and the results can be life-changing and life-saving.

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Quantum Computing

Quantum computing harnesses principles of quantum mechanics—such as superposition and entanglement—to perform calculations using qubits that can represent multiple states simultaneously, offering potential exponential advantages over classical bits for specific problems. It is being aggressively pursued by governments, national laboratories, big tech companies, and specialized startups. The shared bet is that certain intractable problems—molecular and materials simulation, large-scale optimization, cryptography, and other complex calculations—scale so poorly on classical computers that a new computational paradigm is essential. Hybrid quantum-classical systems are particularly promising: they leverage quantum processors for specific subtasks (e.g., optimization or simulation) while relying on classical hardware for the rest.

Research on quantum state distinguishability further underscores this trajectory. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have demonstrated new approaches for creating and identifying quantum states with higher reliability, addressing one of the central challenges in quantum measurement and readout fidelity. Improvements in state discrimination directly strengthen error correction protocols and enhance the practicality of hybrid quantum-classical architectures by reducing ambiguity in quantum outputs (MIT, 2026).

Early applications already show potential to reduce training time and energy consumption for machine learning models, especially in data-scarce or highly complex scenarios (Quandela, 2026).

The practical implications are becoming tangible. Quantum computing is transitioning from lab curiosity to strategic infrastructure. In April 2026, IBM and MIT launched a joint research lab focused on the convergence of AI and quantum computing, aiming to surpass classical limits (IBM, 2026). This momentum accelerated in June 2026 with executive orders aimed at advancing quantum innovation and securing the nation against advanced cryptographic threats, followed by a major announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). On June 23, 2026, the DOE announced Quantum Genesis, a major initiative to deliver the world’s first fault-tolerant, scientifically relevant quantum computing capability by 2028. This includes a DOE Q Competition, a National Quantum Supercomputing User Facility (integrating quantum computing with high-performance computing, AI, and networking), and targeted R&D. The target domains—chemistry, materials science, plasma physics, and high-energy physics—directly support progress in AI (U.S. Department of Energy, 2026).

Advanced AI

The Quantum Genesis project provides an example of how quantum infrastructure can accelerate AI. Hybrid quantum-classical architectures are already demonstrating faster AI training and reduced data requirements for certain models (Quandela, 2026).

The relationship between the two technologies is bidirectional and self-reinforcing: AI helps overcome quantum challenges in error correction, qubit control, and algorithm design (Time, 2026), while quantum systems promise breakthroughs in the very domains that fuel next-generation AI—materials for better chips, molecular simulations for drug discovery AI, and complex optimization for model efficiency. This feedback loop shortens R&D cycles.

Meaningful quantum advantages for general AI training likely require further advances in scale and error correction, with hybrid systems providing early wins in specialized tasks rather than replacing classical GPUs in the near term. The call to extend the frontier of problems solvable with quantum computing and advanced AI (Nature Machine Intelligence, 2023) remains as relevant today as when it was first issued.

Exotic Team Dynamics

As advanced AI proliferates—accelerated in part by quantum-enabled breakthroughs—"exotic team dynamics" become more common.

Coined and developed by Scott M. Graffius, "exotic team dynamics" describe the novel patterns that emerge when humans and advanced AI collaborate as teammates, rather than operating within a traditional user–tool relationship (Graffius, n.d.). It positions human–AI teaming as a frontier domain in which the integration of human judgment and AI-driven computation produces new and distinct rhythms of collaboration and decision-making.

Graffius introduced the term in an August 8, 2025, article (Graffius, 2025a) and has since expanded it through a sequence of presentations and publications. He presented it at a corporate leadership event in Las Vegas later that same month (Graffius, 2025b) and again at an event in Paris that November (Graffius, 2025c). In 2026, he incorporated "exotic team dynamics" into the updated version of his popular and highly-cited "Phases of Team Development" work, extending its applicability from human-only teams to both human-only and human-AI teams (Graffius, 2026a). In March 2026, a companion practitioner-oriented talk and article further positioned mastery of these dynamics as a leadership necessity (Graffius, 2026b).

"Exotic team dynamics" are delineated further through four physics-inspired analogies that characterize its novel patterns.

Inverse decision logic, analogous to negative mass in physics, occurs when an AI teammate generates recommendations that run counter to human intuition or established practice yet prove superior upon careful evaluation. Such situations are especially likely in complex, data-rich environments where human decision-making is influenced by cognitive biases such as confirmation bias, status quo bias, and availability heuristics. Rather than encouraging blind trust or automatic skepticism, effective organizations develop trust-calibration protocols that evaluate counterintuitive AI outputs on their merits, document the rationale behind key decisions, and refine confidence through accumulated evidence. These practices help teams capitalize on AI-driven innovation while maintaining sound governance and accountability.

Superposition roles, inspired by quantum superposition, describe an advanced AI's ability to support multiple team functions simultaneously—for example, serving as analyst, strategist, researcher, risk assessor, and communications partner without the handoff friction or context-switching costs typical of human specialization. This capability can dramatically compress project timelines and improve organizational agility. At the same time, it introduces governance challenges because a single AI may contribute across multiple domains at once. Organizations therefore benefit from defining clear human ownership and accountability for AI-supported decisions, even when AI performs many functions in parallel.

Entangled decision-making, inspired by quantum entanglement, refers to the deeply interdependent relationship between human judgment and AI reasoning. Human insights continuously reshape AI outputs, while AI-generated analyses refine human understanding, creating decisions that emerge from ongoing collaboration rather than a simple sequence of independent contributions. This interaction can produce superior outcomes in complex, high-stakes environments, but it also complicates questions of accountability and auditability. Maintaining structured records of significant human-AI interactions and decision pathways helps preserve transparency while supporting effective governance.

Emergent protocols, analogous to emergent phenomena in complex systems, are the collaboration norms, workflows, communication patterns, and operating practices that develop organically through repeated interaction between humans and advanced AI. Over time, these evolving behaviors can become a significant source of organizational efficiency and competitive advantage by improving coordination and accelerating decision-making. However, they can also reinforce unintended biases or ineffective practices if left unexamined. Periodic reviews of human-AI collaboration patterns help organizations identify valuable innovations worth formalizing while correcting undesirable drift.

"Exotic team dynamics" serves as a diagnostic tool and a practical guide for designing and managing hybrid human-AI teams, where the AI is advanced. It is particularly relevant in research and development, crisis response, strategic planning, defense and national security, healthcare, financial services, and other domains with mission-critical operations (Graffius, 2026b). More broadly, the framework reflects a shift from treating AI as a tool to collaborating with it as a teammate. That transition signals a broader reconfiguration of organizational reality itself, where teamwork—including trust, decision-making, and other functions—is no longer solely a human construct but an emergent outcome of the interplay between people and machine intelligence (Graffius, n.d.).

Conclusion

Quantum Genesis is one of several catalysts driving advances in AI capabilities. Together with related initiatives, it is accelerating the shift from AI-as-tool to AI-as-teammate—precisely where "exotic team dynamics" emerge.

The future of work will be defined by people and advanced AI working as collaborators. Organizations that invest in understanding quantum-driven AI progress and mastering “exotic team dynamics” will gain decisive advantages in innovation and competitiveness.

Scott M. Graffius has generated over $2.51 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations around the world. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form; for other inquiries, email him.

References

Graffius, S. M. (n.d.). Exotic team dynamics. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/exotic-team-dynamics.html

Graffius, S. M. (2025a, August 8). Exotic team dynamics: The new frontier of human–AI collaboration. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18048.49921

Graffius, S. M. (2025b, August 22). Scott M. Graffius premieres his new "Exotic Team Dynamics: Human-AI Collaboration" talk at corporate event in Las Vegas. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.34380.07047

Graffius, S. M. (2025c, November 21). This is what happens when advanced AI joins your team [Presentation]. Corporate event, Paris, France.

Graffius, S. M. (2026a, January 3). Scott M. Graffius' phases of team development – Applied to human teams and human-AI teams: 2026 update. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18184.89601

Graffius, S. M. (2026b, March 23). Human-AI teamwork: Master the exotic team dynamics that emerge when collaborating with advanced AI — Or be outplayed. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/human-ai-teamwork-master-the-emergent-exotic-team-dynamics-or-be-outplayed.html

IBM. (2026, April 29). The MIT-IBM Computing Research Lab launches to shape the future of AI and quantum computing. IBM Newsroom. https://newsroom.ibm.com/2026-04-29-the-mit-ibm-computing-research-lab-launches-to-shape-the-future-of-ai-and-quantum-computing

MIT. (2026, June 15). How to create distinguishable states for quantum systems. MIT News. https://news.mit.edu/2026/how-to-create-distinguishable-states-for-quantum-systems-0615

Nature Machine Intelligence. (2023, August). Seeking a quantum advantage for machine learning. Nature Machine Intelligence, 5, 813. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-023-00710-9

Quandela. (2026, January 15). Quandela identifies four quantum computing trends for 2026. The Quantum Insider. https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/01/15/quandela-quantum-computing-trends-2026/

Time. (2026, April 7). AI helped spark a quantum breakthrough. The world "is not prepared." https://time.com/article/2026/04/07/ai-quantum-computing-advance/

U.S. Department of Energy. (2026, June 23). Energy Department announces initiative to create and deploy the world's first scientifically relevant, fault-tolerant quantum computers. https://www.energy.gov/science/articles/energy-department-announces-initiative-create-and-deploy-worlds-first

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Glossary

Advanced AI refers to emerging systems that surpass traditional tools or monolithic concepts, acting as genuine teammates in human-AI collaboration and creating exotic team dynamics, with a progression across agentic, autonomous, and autopoietic forms. Also see agentic AI, autonomous AI, and autopoietic AI.

Agentic AI is an advanced form of artificial intelligence capable of independently pursuing defined objectives through planning multi-step actions, coordinating processes, and adapting strategies to changing conditions, operating with high autonomy in execution but guided by external goals. It is commercially available and capable of planning multi-step actions, coordinating processes and tools while remaining semi-autonomous overall. Also see advanced AI.

AI. See advanced AI.

Artificial intelligence. See advanced AI.

Autonomous AI is an advanced form of artificial intelligence that operates and makes decisions independently without direct human intervention, featuring sustained self-regulation, the ability to set or adjust goals based on its environment, and action within defined or evolving parameters. It does not yet exist in commercial products. Also see advanced AI.

Autopoietic AI is an advanced, experimental, and hypothetical form of artificial intelligence characterized by self-generating, self-maintaining, and self-adaptive processes, where the system recursively regenerates its own structure, rules, and boundaries to sustain its identity in changing environments. No commercial systems currently exist. Also see advanced AI.

DOE Q Competition is a milestone-driven national competition established by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of its Quantum Genesis initiative to accelerate the development of fault-tolerant quantum computing. It challenges participants to build quantum systems capable of performing scientifically meaningful computations, with an emphasis on reliable logical qubits rather than simply increasing physical qubit counts. The competition focuses on solving high-impact problems in areas such as chemistry, materials science, plasma physics, and high-energy physics. By fostering collaboration among industry, national laboratories, and academia, the DOE Q Competition aims to advance practical quantum computing for scientific discovery and national competitiveness.

Emergent protocols are new communication patterns, norms, and interaction protocols that evolve organically in human-AI teams without explicit programming or predefined rules. Also see exotic team dynamics.

Entangled decision-making occurs when human and AI inputs and decisions become deeply interconnected and interdependent, influencing each other to produce outcomes neither could achieve alone, potentially creating synergies or conflicts. Also see exotic team dynamics.

Exotic team dynamics (shown here without quotation marks) was coined and developed by Agile, AI, and teamwork tradecraft expert Scott M. Graffius. It refers to the novel, often counterintuitive, emerging collaboration patterns that occur when humans work alongside advanced artificial intelligences—specifically agentic, autonomous, or autopoietic AI—as teammates. Exotic team dynamics feature new rhythms of interaction, decision-making, and role-sharing that differ from traditional human-only teamwork while still relying on core principles such as trust, communication, and adaptability. Also see advanced AI, agentic AI, autonomous AI, autopoietic AI, emergent protocols, entangled decision-making, inverse decision logic, and superposition roles.

Future of work refers to the evolving nature of how work is structured, coordinated, and performed, as technologies, organizational models, and human–machine collaboration reshape roles, processes, and outcomes. It is a broad, cross-disciplinary concept that captures ongoing shifts in skills, workflows, governance, and team dynamics driven by advancements such as AI, automation, and emerging paradigms. As it relates to this article, the future of work is examined through the convergence of quantum computing, advanced AI, and exotic team dynamics, where humans and intelligent systems operate as integrated, adaptive teams, achieving capabilities that exceed what either humans or machines could accomplish independently.

GPU (graphics processing unit) refers to a specialized type of computer processor originally designed to accelerate graphics rendering, but now widely used in artificial intelligence due to its ability to perform large numbers of parallel calculations efficiently, making it well-suited for training and running deep learning models.

Human-AI teams are collaborative systems in which humans and advanced artificial intelligence—agentic, autonomous, or autopoietic AI—work as teammates. Also see advanced AI, agentic AI, autonomous AI, autopoietic AI, and exotic team dynamics.

Inverse decision logic is when AI challenges human assumptions by prioritizing counterintuitive yet optimal choices, causing decision-making to deviate from traditional logic and leading to unexpected and novel effects. Also see exotic team dynamics.

Phases of Team Development (shown here without quotation marks) is popular and highly-cited material on teamwork tradecraft developed by Scott M. Graffius. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies on teamwork, and Graffius' professional experience with and analysis of team leadership and high-performance teams, Graffius created his Phases of Team Development as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development—Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. It includes a graph showing how performance varies by phase, as well as the characteristics and strategies for each phase. Leaders can apply these insights to advance the success of teams. Graffius initially developed his unique material in 2008, and he periodically updates it. The 2026 edition covers both human teams and human-AI teams, including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when collaborating with advanced AI. Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, universities, publications, media outlets, and others around the world have featured and used Graffius' Phases of Team Development.

Quantum bit. See qubit.

Quantum computing is a form of computation that uses principles of quantum mechanics to process information in ways fundamentally different from classical computing. Instead of classical bits that represent either 0 or 1, quantum computers use quantum bits (qubits), which can exist in superposition—meaning they can represent multiple states simultaneously. Qubits can also become entangled, allowing the state of one qubit to depend on another, even across distance, which enables highly correlated computations. These properties allow certain classes of problems—such as factoring large numbers, simulating quantum systems, and optimization tasks—to potentially be solved more efficiently than on classical computers. However, quantum systems are extremely sensitive to noise and decoherence, making practical, large-scale quantum computing an ongoing engineering and scientific challenge.

Quantum Genesis is a U.S. Department of Energy initiative to develop and deploy the world's first scientifically relevant, fault-tolerant quantum computing capability for research and development. As a component of the broader Genesis Mission, it integrates quantum computing with artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and advanced scientific facilities to accelerate discovery across fields such as materials science, chemistry, physics, and energy. The initiative reflects a shift from viewing quantum computers as isolated research systems to treating them as part of a broader computational ecosystem designed to solve problems beyond the reach of classical computing alone.

Qubit (quantum bit) is the fundamental unit of information in quantum computing, analogous to the bit in classical computing. However, unlike a classical bit, which can exist only in a state of 0 or 1, a qubit can exist in a superposition of both states simultaneously, with probabilities associated with each outcome. Qubits can also become entangled with one another, meaning the state of one qubit can depend on the state of another, even when separated by distance. These properties enable quantum computers to process certain types of complex problems more efficiently than classical computers.

Superposition roles are about AI supporting or occupying multiple team roles and functions simultaneously in parallel, or dynamically shifting emphasis or sharing functions with humans based on contextual needs. Also see exotic team dynamics.

quantum-computing-advanced-ai-and-rise-of-exotic-team-dynamics---visual-ig-lwres

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 99 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.51 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 99 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:

The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management
Agile Practice Guide – Second Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition
The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition
Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition

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 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property 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. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development."

The 2026 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 Fast Company, GoDaddy, Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture (French Ministry of Culture), Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2026 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.

Discover Scott’s Books

Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.

Sign up for Miro—it's free!

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

scottgraffius-com-article-sections-v2026-more-lwres

List of Additional Articles

How to Cite This Article

Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 2). Quantum Computing, Advanced AI Acceleration, and the Rise of Exotic Team Dynamics in Human-AI Teams. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.14506.99525

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.14506.99525

Content Acknowledgements

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

#AdvancedAI
#AdvancedTechnology
#AIResearch
#ArtificialIntelligence
#AutonomousAI
#AutopoieticAI
#EmergentProtocols
#EntangledDecisionMaking
#ExoticTeamDynamics
#FutureOfTechnology
#FutureOfWork
#GPU
#HumanAITeams
#InverseDecisionLogic
#QuantumComputing
#QuantumGenesis
#Qubit
#ResearchAndDevelopment
#SuperpositionRoles
#Technology

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 Acceleration • Advanced Technology • AI Research • GPU • Qubit • Human-AI teams • Inverse decision logic • Future of work • Technology • Superposition roles • Rise of Exotic Team Dynamics in Human-AI Teams • Research and Development • Quantum Genesis • Quantum Computing • Future of Technology • Exotic team dynamics • Entangled decision-making • Emergent protocols • DOE Q Competition • Autopoietic AI • Autonomous AI • Artificial intelligence

Ohio State University Course Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

30 June 2026

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

ohio-state-university-course-features-scott-m-graffius-phases-of-team-development---visual-lwres

Recommended Citation

Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 30). Ohio State University Course Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development." ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.31284.21122

Software Engineering Course Features Graffius' Work on Teamwork Tradecraft

Scott M. Graffius' “Phases of Team Development” is featured in coursework at The Ohio State University, a flagship public research university and one of the largest universities in the United States. Graffius’ work is in material for CSE 3232: Software Requirements Analysis. The course is part of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering within the College of Engineering, taught by Timothy G. Bolwerk, Senior Instructor. The curriculum features the 2022 edition of Graffius’ “Phases of Team Development.” Excerpts are shown below.

ohio-state-university-course-features-scott-m-graffius-phases-of-team-development---visual-excerpts-lwres

ohio-state-university-course-features-scott-m-graffius-phases-of-team-development---visual-excerpts-lwres

About Graffius' "Phases of Team Development"

Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies on human teamwork, and Scott M. Graffius' first-hand professional experience with and analysis of team leadership and high-performance teams, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development—Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning—inclusive of a graph showing how performance varies by phase, as well as the characteristics and strategies for each phase.

Leaders can apply the actionable insights to help advance the effectiveness and success of teams.

It has been used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, universities, publications, and others around the world. Examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Bayer,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
DevOps Institute,
Government of Finland,
Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering GmbH,
IEEE,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Microsoft,
Oracle,
Technical University of Munich,
Tufts University,
U.S. National Park Service,
U.S. Tennis Association,
University of California at San Diego (UCSD),
University of South Wales,
University of Waterloo,
Yale University,
and many more.

First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI (agentic, autonomous, or autopoietic) collaborates as a teammate. A visual from the current (2026) edition is shown below, and details are here.

phases-of-team-development-2026-1000px

Scott M. Graffius has generated over $2.51 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations around the world. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form; for other inquiries, email him.

About The Ohio State University

The Ohio State University is a flagship public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1870 as a land-grant institution, Ohio State is one of the largest universities in the United States by enrollment and is consistently ranked among the nation's leading research institutions. It is a member of the Big Ten Academic Alliance and the Association of American Universities, a prestigious consortium of leading research universities in the United States and Canada. Ohio State advances research, education, and public service across a broad range of disciplines, with particular strength in engineering, medicine, business, and the sciences.

About the College of Engineering

The College of Engineering at The Ohio State University is one of the largest and most comprehensive engineering colleges in the United States, offering a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs across major engineering disciplines. It is recognized for its strong focus on innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and large-scale research initiatives. The college is organized into multiple departments, including aerospace, civil, electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering, along with rapidly growing areas such as data and materials science. Through extensive research infrastructure and industry partnerships, it contributes to engineering advances that address complex technological and societal challenges.

About the Department of Computer Science and Engineering

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University is part of the College of Engineering. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs spanning core and emerging areas of computing, including software engineering, artificial intelligence, systems, theory, and human-computer interaction. The department emphasizes rigorous technical preparation alongside collaborative and professional skills development, reflecting the multidisciplinary demands of the modern technology landscape.

About CSE 3232: Software Requirements Analysis

CSE 3232: Software Requirements Analysis is an undergraduate course offered through the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University. The course focuses on the principles and practices of eliciting, analyzing, specifying, and validating software requirements. It addresses both the technical and collaborative dimensions of software development, including team dynamics and the interpersonal skills essential to effective requirements engineering in professional environments.

About Timothy G. Bolwerk

Timothy G. Bolwerk is a Senior Instructor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University, where he has taught software engineering coursework for several years. His teaching record includes multiple semesters of CSE 3232: Software Requirements Analysis, as well as CSE 2501: Social, Ethical, and Professional Issues in Computing, and CSE 3231: Software Engineering Techniques. In CSE 3232, students build foundational skills in requirements analysis, systems modeling, and collaborative team-based software projects, with team dynamics and high-performing team formation incorporated directly into the course content. Bolwerk brings real-world project and program management experience to his teaching, holding PMP and PMI-ACP credentials and operating a part-time consultancy that supports engineering and manufacturing organizations with program and project management needs.

About the Big Ten Academic Alliance

The Big Ten Academic Alliance is a collaborative consortium of major research universities that advances education, research, and shared academic infrastructure across its member institutions. Despite the name “Big Ten,” the Alliance now includes 18 member universities. The term reflects its historical origin as the academic counterpart to the Big Ten Conference, which originally consisted of ten institutions. As the conference expanded over time, additional universities joined, but the established “Big Ten” branding was retained for continuity and recognition. Today, the Alliance operates as a large-scale cooperative network supporting collective academic and research initiatives.

About the Association of American Universities

The Association of American Universities (AAU) is a nonprofit organization comprising leading research universities in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1900, the AAU represents institutions that are committed to maintaining the highest standards of excellence in research and scholarship. Member universities collectively account for a substantial share of federally funded university research, produce a significant portion of the nation's doctoral graduates, and contribute broadly to scientific discovery and economic development.

Bibliography

Association of American Universities. (n.d.). Association of American Universities. https://www.aau.edu/

Big Ten Academic Alliance. (n.d.). Big Ten Academic Alliance. https://btaa.org/

Bolwerk, T. G. (n.d.). Team Dynamics. CSE 3232 - Software Requirements Analysis. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, The Ohio State University.

Graffius, S. M. (n.d.). Exotic Team Dynamics. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/exotic-team-dynamics.html

Graffius, S. M. (2022, February 14). Use the Phases of Team Development (Based on Bruce W. Tuckman's Model of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning) to Help Teams Grow and Advance: 2022 Update. ScottGraffius.com. https://www.scottgraffius.com/blog/files/teams-2022.html

Graffius, S. M. (2026, January 3). Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development - Applied to Human Teams and Human-AI Teams: 2026 Update. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18184.89601

Ohio State University. (n.d.). The Ohio State University. https://www.osu.edu/

Ohio State University. (n.d.). The Ohio State University, College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science and Engineering - Courses. https://cse.osu.edu/courses

ohio-state-university-course-features-scott-m-graffius-phases-of-team-development---visual-ig-lwres

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 99 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.51 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 99 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:

The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management
Agile Practice Guide – Second Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition
The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition
Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition

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 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property 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. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development."

The 2026 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 Fast Company, GoDaddy, Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture (French Ministry of Culture), Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2026 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.

Discover Scott’s Books

Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.

Sign up for Miro—it's free!

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

scottgraffius-com-article-sections-v2026-more-lwres

List of Additional Articles

How to Cite This Article

Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 30). Ohio State University Course Features Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development." ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.31284.21122

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.31284.21122

Content Acknowledgements

Scott M. Graffius' “Phases of Team Development” is featured in coursework at The Ohio State University, a flagship public research university and one of the largest universities in the United States. Graffius’ work is in material for CSE 3232: Software Requirements Analysis. The course is part of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering within the College of Engineering, taught by Timothy G. Bolwerk, Senior Instructor. The curriculum features the 2022 edition of Graffius’ “Phases of Team Development.” Graffius periodically updates his work. The 2026 edition is here: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18184.89601. The Ohio State University name and mark are the property of The Ohio State University. This piece by Graffius includes limited excerpts of university materials, attributed and used under fair use for purposes of news reporting, commentary, and analysis. Graffius’ “Phases of Team Development” is copyright © Scott M. Graffius.

Tags and Hashtags

Ohio State University
College of Engineering at Ohio State University
Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Ohio State University
CSE 3232: Software Requirements Analysis
Big Ten Academic Alliance
Association of American Universities
Phases of Team Development
Team Dynamics
Teamwork Tradecraft
Exotic Team Dynamics
Timothy G. Bolwerk

#OhioState
#CollegeOfEngineering
#ComputerScienceAndEngineering
#CSE3232
#SoftwareRequirementsAnalysis
#BigTenAcademicAlliance
#AAU
#AssociationOfAmericanUniversities
#PhasesOfTeamDevelopment
#TeamworkTradecraft
#TeamDynamics
#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: Ohio State University • Team Dynamics • Timothy G. Bolwerk • Exotic Team Dynamics • Teamwork Tradecraft • Phases of Team Development • Association of American Universities • Big Ten Academic Alliance • CSE 3232: Software Requirements Analysis • Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Ohio State University • College of Engineering at Ohio State University

Questions About Integrity at UNC Chapel Hill

29 June 2026

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

questions-about-integrity-at-unc-chapel-hill---lwres

Recommended Citation

Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 29). Questions About Integrity at UNC Chapel Hill. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.12480.29442

About This Article

Source information and links for materials referenced in this article are provided in the bibliography section.

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear in the Post-Publication Notes section at the end of this piece.

Introduction

This article is for anyone interested in creators' rights (including copyright and intellectual property), leadership, governance, accountability, and whether the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill) holds itself to the same standards of ethics and integrity that it requires of its students.

A 2025 publication by UNC Chapel Hill's Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken, "Setting Your Project Team Up for Success," plagiarized Scott M. Graffius' copyrighted 2023 "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property and violated his intellectual property rights. Graffius sent notices demanding an apology and removal of the infringing publication.

The Network for Change and Continuous Innovation (NCCI), the separate organization that had hosted the infringing publication, acted swiftly and with integrity. Its Executive Director confirmed that the resource library entries and associated documents from the infringing UNC Chapel Hill publication were fully deleted from NCCI's website and media storage.

In contrast, UNC Chapel Hill has not yet apologized for the plagiarism and violation of intellectual property rights. The university's conduct raises serious questions about its commitment to the standards of academic integrity and intellectual property compliance.

Graffius first wrote about the case here. He presents this follow-up article to elevate visibility of this case, uphold his intellectual property rights, hold UNC Chapel Hill accountable, and deter future violations.

Scott M. Graffius' Copyrighted "Phases of Team Development"

Graffius is an expert on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with and analysis of team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his novel work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to advance the effectiveness of teams.

Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, universities, and others around the world have featured and used Graffius' "Phases of Team Development." Select examples include:

Adobe,
American Management Association,
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Bayer,
Boston University,
Broadcom,
Cisco,
DevOps Institute,
Government of Finland,
Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering GmbH,
IEEE,
Johns Hopkins University,
Journal of Neurosurgery,
Microsoft,
Ohio State University,
Oracle,
Technical University of Munich,
Torrens University,
Tufts University,
UK Sports Institute,
United States National Park Service,
United States Tennis Association,
University of California at San Diego (UCSD),
University of Waterloo,
Warsaw University of Technology,
Yale University, and
many others.

Its adoption highlights its utility and value as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development" material.

Organizations engage Graffius to develop and deliver compelling, unforgettable talks and workshops. To date, he's presented sessions at 98 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.

Graffius’ "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is key to many of those sessions. His rate card and a listing of his engagements are here and here, respectively.

UNC Chapel Hill 2025 Publication by Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken Plagiarized Scott M. Graffius' 2023 Work and Violated His Intellectual Property Rights

Scott M. Graffius first introduced his intellectual property in 2008, and he periodically updates it. The 2023 edition was the version plagiarized and exploited in violation of his intellectual property rights. Details follow.

Graffius’ copyright ownership details and permission request information are integrated into and appear on his 2023 "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property. It reads: "Copyright © 2008-2023 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. For permission requests, contact scott@scottgraffius.com."

There was no request to use Graffius' copyrighted property in the UNC Chapel Hill publication, nor did Graffius provide permission.

Nevertheless, the UNC Chapel Hill infringing 2025 "Setting Your Project Team Up for Success" publication by Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken used Graffius' copyrighted 2023 property.

The following exhibit shows Graffius' copyrighted 2023 "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property (also shown at https://www.scottgraffius.com/blog/files/teams-2023.html and https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.10720.35846 and other locations) and excerpts from UNC Chapel Hill's 2025 infringing publication by Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken (the known locations are https://ncci-cu.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01.15.25-NCCI-Team-Collaboration.pdf and https://ncci-cu.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NCCI-Profile-2025.pdf - which lists the infringing "Setting Your Project Team Up for Success" as part of the "Power60s" online education program). The locations of the infringing online training are unknown to Graffius but known to NCCI.

After being notified about this case, NCCI (the separate organization that had hosted the infringing publication) acted swiftly and with integrity. Its Executive Director confirmed that the resource library entries and associated documents from the infringing UNC Chapel Hill publication were fully deleted from NCCI's website and media storage. The links are no longer working.

questions-about-integrity-at-unc-chapel-hill-exhibit-1---lwres

questions-about-integrity-at-unc-chapel-hill-exhibit-1---lwres

The names listed on the infringing 2025 "Setting Your Project Team Up for Success" publication include:

Georgia McRae, Senior Transformation Manager, UNC Chapel Hill
Nick Sengstaken, Senior Transformation Manager, UNC Chapel Hill

Additionally, the publication is marked with or references several organizations:

Network for Change and Continuous Innovation (NCCI)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill)

(UNC) Operational Excellence
Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers
Prosci
IDEO

The UNC Chapel Hill infringing 2025 publication used much of Graffius’ 2023 copyright content word-for-word. In further evidence of apparent knowing and willful violation, the authors seemed to attempt to conceal the deceit by slightly altering certain words. For example, “Encouraging collective decision-making and problem-solving” was changed to “Encourage collective decision-making & problem-solving”; in full context, their use is still plagiarism and infringement. A visual follows.

questions-about-integrity-at-unc-chapel-hill-exhibit-2---lwres

questions-about-integrity-at-unc-chapel-hill-exhibit-2---lwres

In addition to the visual above, here’s a comparison of content from Graffius’ 2023 copyrighted work and the infringing 2025 UNC Chapel Hill publication authored by Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken.

🟢 Scott M. Graffius' copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Displaying eagerness”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Eager”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Socializing”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Socializing”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Generally polite tone”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Generally polite tone”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Sticking to safe topics”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Sticking to safe topics”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Some anxiety”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Anxious”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Some resistance”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Some resistance”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Lack of participation”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Lack of participation”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Conflict”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Conflict”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Competition”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Competition”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Requesting and encouraging feedback”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Request and encourage feedback”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Building trust by honoring commitments”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Build trust by honoring commitments”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Developing cohesion”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Developing cohesion”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Engaged”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Engaged”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Supportive”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Supportive”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Relief”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Relief”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Lowered anxiety”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Lowered anxiety”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “High motivation”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “High motivation”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Trust”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Trust”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Empathy”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Empathy”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Effectively producing deliverables”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Effectively producing deliverables”

🟢 Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2023 property includes: “Encouraging collective decision-making and problem-solving”
🔴 Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken 2025 publication: “Encourage collective decision-making & problem-solving”

The UNC Chapel Hill's infringing 2025 publication used a material amount, including the heart of, Graffius’ 2023 copyrighted property.

UNC Chapel Hill's infringing 2025 publication failed to acknowledge Graffius' ownership of his content. It did not quote, cite, or otherwise credit Graffius. By doing so, its authors misled others — including the public, as the publication was available without restriction on the internet — into falsely believing that the authors of the UNC Chapel Hill's infringing 2025 publication are the owners of Graffius' intellectual property.

UNC Chapel Hill's infringing publication has damaged the marketability and value of Graffius’ intellectual property.

UNC Chapel Hill's infringing publication's use of Graffius’ copyrighted property was not "fair use" nor otherwise allowed.

UNC Chapel Hill's infringing publication violated Graffius' intellectual property rights.

The infringement is disgraceful, unprofessional, unethical, immoral, and unlawful.

Evidence was preserved.

Notes on the Violation

Scott M. Graffius’ copyright ownership details and permission request information are integrated into and appear on his 2023 "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property. It reads: "Copyright © 2008-2023 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. For permission requests, contact scott@scottgraffius.com."

There was no request to use Graffius' copyrighted property in the UNC Chapel Hill publication, nor did Graffius provide permission.

Nevertheless, Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken, Senior Transformation Managers at UNC Chapel Hill and authors of the 2025 infringing publication "Setting Your Project Team Up for Success," used protected material from Graffius' copyrighted 2023 intellectual property without authorization or attribution, thereby committing plagiarism and infringing his intellectual property rights.

The UNC Chapel Hill's infringing 2025 publication used a material amount, including the heart of, Graffius’ 2023 copyrighted property.

UNC Chapel Hill's infringing 2025 publication failed to acknowledge Graffius' ownership of his 2023 content. It did not quote, cite, or otherwise credit Graffius. By doing so, its authors misled others — including the public, as the publication was available without restriction on the internet — into falsely believing that the authors of the UNC Chapel Hill's infringing 2025 publication are the owners of Graffius' 2023 intellectual property.

UNC Chapel Hill's infringing publication has damaged the marketability and value of Graffius’ intellectual property.

UNC Chapel Hill's infringing publication's use of Graffius’ copyrighted property was not "fair use" nor otherwise allowed.

UNC Chapel Hill's infringing publication violated Graffius' intellectual property rights.

The infringement is disgraceful, unprofessional, unethical, immoral, and unlawful.

Demand, Including Notice

Graffius sent notices demanding an apology and removal of the infringing publication.

After being notified about this case, the Executive Director at NCCI—the separate organization that had hosted the infringing publication—confirmed that the resource library entries and associated documents from the infringing UNC Chapel Hill publication were fully deleted from NCCI's website and media storage. The removal was addressed.

Beyond the earlier article (June 20, 2026), Graffius sent notice of this serious matter the same day to the names and organizations listed on the infringing publication. He notified the following via email (some details below are redacted).

Authors of the Infringing Publication

Georgia McRae - g████████@unc.edu
Nick Sengstaken - n█████████████@unc.edu

The Network for Change and Continuous Innovation (NCCI)

Amy Morgan - a███████@ncci-cu.org
Andrea Androuais - a█████████s@wustl.edu
Angela Song - a██████@ucsd.edu
Antonio Nava - a██████@ucsd.edu
Brandon Gaines - b███████@princeton.edu
Brian Fodrey - b████████@andrew.cmu.edu
Christian Van Horn - c████████@ncci-cu.org
Christina Blackman - c█████████n@ucdavis.edu
Cindy Moscrip - c████████@purdue.edu
Info - i███@ncci-cu.org
Jeremy Bean - j█████████████@psu.edu
Joseph Drasin - j████████@umd.edu
Josh Barnes - j███████@clemson.edu
Justin Rudisille - j████████@ncci-cu.org
Karen Keith - k████████@ncci-cu.org
Kim-Marie Jenkins - k████████@maine.edu
Maureen Knight-Burrell - m████████@northwestern.edu
Ralph Gigliotti - r██████████@rutgers.edu
Sarah Fidelibus - s█████████████@ucsf.edu
Scott Siler - s███@nd.edu
Scott Staelgraeve - s███████@umich.edu
Stacey Bradley - s████████@sc.edu
William Nelson - n████████@vcu.edu

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill)

Amy Grau - a███████@unc.edu
Conduct - s███████████@unc.edu
Dedric Carter - d█████████@unc.edu
Internal Audit - i███████████@northcarolina.edu
Jim Dean - p███████@unc.edu
Kevin Best - k███████████@unc.edu
Loretta Hester - l███████.hester@unc.edu
Michael Barker - m███████████@unc.edu
Mike Andreasen - m███████████@unc.edu
Peter Hans - p████████@northcarolina.edu
Policy - p███████@unc.edu
Timothy Kundro - t████████@kenan-flagler.unc.edu

(UNC) Operational Excellence

Rick Wernoski - w████████@email.unc.edu

Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers

Info - i███@apppostgradtraining.com
Kerry Bamrick - k█████████@apppostgradtraining.com
Shay Etheridge - s███████████@apppostgradtraining.com

Prosci

Contact - g████████████████@prosci.com
Contact - s███████████@prosci.com

IDEO

IDEO Contact - w████████@ideo.com
IDEO Info - i█████████@ideo.org
IDEOU Info - i████████@ideou.com

As detailed in the Post-Publication Notes section at the end of the earlier article, Graffius subsequently notified additional authorities.

Chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill

On June 25, 2026, Graffius forwarded the details on this case to Lee H. Roberts, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Here's an excerpt from the email: "I am notifying you of this scandal at your institution and the need for accountability."

Board of Governor

On June 28, 2026, Graffius forwarded the details on this case to the North Carolina Board of Governors. Here's an excerpt from the email: "I am notifying you of this disgraceful scandal at UNC Chapel Hill and the need for accountability. You—individually and collectively—are now on notice."

For screen shots and additional details, see the Post-Publication Notes section of the earlier article

Status

UNC Chapel Hill has not yet apologized for the plagiarism and violation of intellectual property rights.

Conclusion

The UNC Chapel Hill has not yet apologized for the plagiarism and copyright infringement. That conduct demonstrates a lack of integrity.

Graffius shares this case publicly to protect his intellectual property rights, hold UNC Chapel Hill accountable, and help deter violations in the future.

He will continue to pursue this matter until it is resolved.

If there are any subsequent updates, they will appear in the Post-Publication Notes section at the end of this piece.

Graffius has generated over $2.51 billion in business value for Fortune 500 companies and other organizations around the world. Put that track record to work for you. For speaking engagements, use the request form; for other inquiries, email him.

Bibliography

Bailey, J. (2022, March 14). UNC-Chapel Hill vice chancellor resigns after admitting plagiarism. Plagiarism Today. https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2022/03/14/unc-chapel-hill-vice-chancellor-resigns-after-admitting-plagiarism/

Basken, P. (2022, March 11). UNC research chief steps down over plagiarism charge. Times Higher Education. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/unc-research-chief-steps-down-over-plagiarism-charge

Graffius, S. M. (n.d.). Public Speaker. https://scottgraffius.com/publicspeaker.html

Graffius, S. M. (2023, January 9). Use the Phases of Team Development (Based on Bruce W. Tuckman's Model of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning) to Help Teams Grow and Advance: 2023 Update. ScottGraffius.com. https://www.scottgraffius.com/blog/files/teams-2023.html and https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.10720.35846

Graffius, S. M. (2026). Rate Card for 2026. https://scottgraffius.com/resources/Exceptional-PPM-and-PMO-Solutions-Rate-Card-for-2026-v26010107.pdf

Graffius, S. M. (2026, January 3). Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development - Applied to Human Teams and Human-AI Teams: 2026 Update. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18184.89601

Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 20). NCCI / UNC Chapel Hill Publication Features Scott M. Graffius' Work. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.14919.87205

Greenberg, S. H. (2022, March 9). UNC vice chancellor for research cited for plagiarism. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/03/10/unc-vice-chancellor-research-cited-plagiarism

Michaels, W., DeWitt, D., & Jurney, J. (2022, March 9). UNC vice chancellor resigns following report that said he plagiarized part of a grant application. WUNC News. https://www.wunc.org/2022-03-09/federal-investigation-finds-unc-ch-vice-chancellor-for-research-plagiarized-part-of-a-grant-application

Oransky, I. (2022, March 8). UNC-Chapel Hill vice chancellor admits to plagiarism. Retraction Watch. https://retractionwatch.com/2022/03/08/unc-chapel-hill-vice-chancellor-admits-to-plagiarism/

McRae, G., & Sengstaken, N. (2025, January 15). Setting Your Project Team Up for Success [PDF]. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill). Published at the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation (NCCI). https://ncci-cu.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01.15.25-NCCI-Team-Collaboration.pdf

Network for Change and Continuous Innovation (NCCI). (2025). Network for Change and Continuous Innovation in Higher Education: Profile 2025 [PDF]. This lists "Setting Your Project Team Up for Success" as part of the "Power60s" Online Education Program. https://ncci-cu.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NCCI-Profile-2025.pdf and the locations of the infringing online training are unknown to Graffius but known to NCCI.

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 98 conferences and other events across 25 countries.

He’s delivered over $2.51 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 98 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:

The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management
Agile Practice Guide – Second Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition
The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition
Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition
The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition

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 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property 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. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development."

The 2026 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 Fast Company, GoDaddy, Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture (French Ministry of Culture), Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.

The 2026 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.

Discover Scott’s Books

Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.

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List of Additional Articles

How to Cite This Article

Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 29). Questions About Integrity at UNC Chapel Hill. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.12480.29442

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.12480.29442

Content Acknowledgements

The “Setting Your Project Team Up for Success” publication, dated January 15, 2025, is marked with several names and organizations — including authors Georgia McRae and Nick Sengstaken, the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation (NCCI), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill), the Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers, Prosci, and IDEO. It features Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted January 9, 2023 “Phases of Team Development” work. Names and marks are the property of their respective owners. “Setting Your Project Team Up for Success,” except for material plagiarized from Graffius’ copyrighted work and used in violation of his intellectual property rights, is the property of its authors/owners. Graffius' article on this case includes limited excerpts from “Setting Your Project Team Up for Success,” attributed and used under the fair use doctrine for purposes of news reporting, commentary, and analysis. Graffius’ “Phases of Team Development” is copyrighted © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Tags and Hashtags

Ethics scandal at UNC Chapel Hill under watch of Chancellor Lee H. Roberts
Academic ethics and accountability
Academic integrity
Copyright infringement
UNC Chapel Hill's Georgia McRae caught plagiarizing and violating another's intellectual property rights
UNC Chapel Hill's Nick Sengstaken caught plagiarizing and violating another's intellectual property rights
Intellectual property rights
Phases of Team Development
Plagiarism at UNC Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill)
Scandal at UNC Chapel Hill

#AcademicIntegrity
#Copyright
#HigherEducation
#IDEO
#IntellectualProperty
#NCCI
#PhasesOfTeamDevelopment
#Plagiarism
#Prosci
#TeamDevelopment
#UNCChapelHill

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: Ethics scandal at UNC Chapel Hill under watch of Chancellor Lee H. Roberts • Academic ethics and accountability • Academic integrity • Scandal at UNC Chapel Hill • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill) • Plagiarism at UNC Chapel Hill • Phases of Team Development • Chancellor Lee H. Roberts • Intellectual property rights • UNC Chapel Hill's Nick Sengstaken caught plagiarizing and violating another's intellectual property rights • UNC Chapel Hill's Georgia McRae caught plagiarizing and violating another's intellectual property rights • Copyright infringement