Exotic Team Dynamics: How Advanced AI Teammates Are Unlocking New Levels of Innovation, Performance, and Success
20 July 2026
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Recommended Citation
Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 20). Exotic Team Dynamics: How Advanced AI Teammates Are Unlocking New Levels of Innovation, Performance, and Success. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/exotic-team-dynamics-how-advanced-ai-teammates-are-unlocking-new-levels-of-innovation.html
About This Article
This article highlights specific cases as well as illustrative composites based on documented trends and practices. Sources appear in the References section.
It's 11 p.m., and a product team at a consumer tech startup is still sketching features on a digital whiteboard when their advanced AI collaborator interrupts with a question nobody else thought to ask. It's a provocation, backed by thousands of user interviews and an obscure behavioral economics paper nobody else in the room has read. The conversation, which had been circling incremental tweaks, suddenly leaps to something category-redefining. Nobody assigned the AI that task or objective. It just did it, the way a sharp new hire might, except this one never sleeps and has read and analyzed nearly everything on the topic of interest.
Moments like this are showing up across Silicon Valley and in the virtual war rooms of global enterprises.
This is the era of "exotic team dynamics." AI and teamwork tradecraft expert, Scott M. Graffius, coined the term to describe the novel, emergent patterns that arise when people collaborate with advanced AI (agentic, autonomous, or autopoietic) as teammates rather than tools. These new, complex, and often counterintuitive patterns produce behaviors and outcomes that traditional human-only teams don't experience.
It's a fundamental shift in what "team" means. When advanced AI joins marketers, engineers, strategists, and creatives as a teammate, the chemistry becomes exotic. New patterns of collaboration emerge, creating possibilities that neither humans nor machines could achieve alone.
That late-night product sprint from the introduction, with the AI collaborator "Echo," is a preview of where knowledge-work teams are headed.
It reflects a broader transition in how teams are working. In a 776-person Harvard Business School field experiment involving Procter & Gamble employees, individuals using AI for product-innovation challenges achieved results comparable to two-person human teams, and AI-assisted teams produced some of the strongest solutions. At Autodesk, engineers are seeing similar shifts.
The transition is already visible across industries. Frontier labs, creative studios, pharmaceutical teams, financial firms, and executive offices are experimenting with AI as a collaborator—not merely a tool. These systems generate possibilities, challenge assumptions, and extend human judgment in ways that are beginning to reshape how teams work.
What makes these dynamics “exotic” is their alien quality. Humans bring experience, emotional intelligence, ethical intuition, and that mysterious spark of originality. AI contributes tireless pattern recognition, exhaustive recall, rapid prototyping, and machine-native cognition that feels almost like adding team members from entirely different world. The interplay creates something greater than the sum of its parts: hybrid human-AI intelligence (sometimes called hybrid intelligence).
Four physics-inspired pillars reveal what makes these collaborations different.
The first is inverse decision logic. In a human-only team, the group converges on the option that seems most reasonable given what everyone already believes. AI teammates often chart their own course. Like negative mass, which pushes back against force instead of yielding to it, an AI collaborator will sometimes argue for the counterintuitive option, because the data suggests it's the better bet. That's what's happening when Echo tells the team to blow up its subscription model instead of tweaking it.
The second is superposition roles. A human on a team typically fills one role (and if spread over multiple roles, problems often ensue). An AI teammate can simultaneously perform multiple roles. Borrowing from quantum superposition, where a particle exists in multiple states until measured, the AI in the room can be running competitive analysis, red-teaming a claim, and drafting a document simultaneously, snapping into whichever role the moment calls for without the switching costs a human would pay (e.g., the friction of disengaging from one line of thought, rebuilding context, and reactivating expertise in another).
The third is entangled decision-making. Quantum-entangled particles stay correlated no matter the distance between them; on these teams, human judgment and AI computation become similarly interdependent. Neither the strategist's instinct nor the model's pattern-matching produces the final call alone. Pull one out, and the decision changes shape.
The fourth is emergent protocols. Complex systems in nature (such as flocking birds, ant colonies) produce sophisticated group behavior from simple local rules, with no one directing traffic. Hybrid teams develop their own version: unwritten norms for when to trust an AI's first draft, when to demand a citation, when a human overrides on judgment alone. These rules take shape on their own.
One of the most visible payoffs is the explosion in creative output. Writers use AI as a relentless idea generator and first-draft partner. Filmmakers storyboard with tools that can visualize concepts instantly. Strategists use AI to run war-game scenarios that simulate responses across millions of variables.
Research on human-AI creative teams shows groups with well-integrated AI often produce ideas rated significantly more novel and feasible than purely human teams. The magic lies in the partnership between different kinds of intelligence. Humans excel at divergent thinking and sensing cultural nuance; AI excels at convergent synthesis and stress-testing assumptions at scale.
Speed follows naturally. Software engineering teams report that AI pair programmers autocomplete code, debate architecture, catch security vulnerabilities proactively, and suggest entirely new product directions based on emerging trends. Engineering managers may describe the experience as working with a brilliant, slightly obsessive junior colleague who never sleeps and remembers every relevant discussion the team has ever had.
Marketing teams have embraced this too. A campaign brief that once took weeks of research now gets distilled in hours, then stress-tested against real-time social sentiment and cultural signals. The AI supercharges the creative director's vision, sometimes surfacing unexpected cultural connections or audience segments that might otherwise be missed.
Human-AI collaborations aren't always harmonious. They come with real tensions that reveal deep truths about human psychology and organizational culture.
Trust remains the biggest hurdle. Many professionals initially treat AI outputs with healthy skepticism. That's warranted, given potential biases and occasional hallucinations. However, successful teams build “verification rituals”: quick human checks on critical outputs, transparent prompting practices, and clear accountability lines.
Communication itself evolves. Humans learn to "speak AI," whether through carefully crafted prompts or natural conversation, refining interactions as they go. Advanced systems mirror human tone, explain reasoning, and maintain team memory across sessions.
Teams that master exotic team dynamics will think differently, act differently, and work faster. Conversations will move fluidly between human judgment and machine reasoning, and disagreements will become catalysts for better ideas.
It's the logical extension of where we stand today. The companies and individuals who lean into these dynamics with curiosity, rigor, and humanity will define the next decade of innovation. Those who resist may find themselves playing catch-up in a game that's fundamentally changed.
The future of work is humans with AI, in all its strange, productive, and occasionally bewildering glory. Those who understand and navigate exotic team dynamics will shape what comes next while unlocking new levels of innovation, performance, and success.
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.
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Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 19). Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction: What Rogue AIs in Sci-Fi Storytelling Reveal. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29673.35687
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Graffius, S. M. (2025, December 9). A Data-Driven Analysis of the Evolution of Project Management: Tasks, Trends, and AI. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.25079.28328
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
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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.
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:
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:
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:
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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Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 20). Exotic Team Dynamics: How Advanced AI Teammates Are Unlocking New Levels of Innovation, Performance, and Success. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/exotic-team-dynamics-how-advanced-ai-teammates-are-unlocking-new-levels-of-innovation.html
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Recommended Citation
Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 20). Exotic Team Dynamics: How Advanced AI Teammates Are Unlocking New Levels of Innovation, Performance, and Success. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/exotic-team-dynamics-how-advanced-ai-teammates-are-unlocking-new-levels-of-innovation.html
About This Article
This article highlights specific cases as well as illustrative composites based on documented trends and practices. Sources appear in the References section.
Introduction
It's 11 p.m., and a product team at a consumer tech startup is still sketching features on a digital whiteboard when their advanced AI collaborator interrupts with a question nobody else thought to ask. It's a provocation, backed by thousands of user interviews and an obscure behavioral economics paper nobody else in the room has read. The conversation, which had been circling incremental tweaks, suddenly leaps to something category-redefining. Nobody assigned the AI that task or objective. It just did it, the way a sharp new hire might, except this one never sleeps and has read and analyzed nearly everything on the topic of interest.
Moments like this are showing up across Silicon Valley and in the virtual war rooms of global enterprises.
This is the era of "exotic team dynamics." AI and teamwork tradecraft expert, Scott M. Graffius, coined the term to describe the novel, emergent patterns that arise when people collaborate with advanced AI (agentic, autonomous, or autopoietic) as teammates rather than tools. These new, complex, and often counterintuitive patterns produce behaviors and outcomes that traditional human-only teams don't experience.
It's a fundamental shift in what "team" means. When advanced AI joins marketers, engineers, strategists, and creatives as a teammate, the chemistry becomes exotic. New patterns of collaboration emerge, creating possibilities that neither humans nor machines could achieve alone.
The New Ensemble
That late-night product sprint from the introduction, with the AI collaborator "Echo," is a preview of where knowledge-work teams are headed.
It reflects a broader transition in how teams are working. In a 776-person Harvard Business School field experiment involving Procter & Gamble employees, individuals using AI for product-innovation challenges achieved results comparable to two-person human teams, and AI-assisted teams produced some of the strongest solutions. At Autodesk, engineers are seeing similar shifts.
The transition is already visible across industries. Frontier labs, creative studios, pharmaceutical teams, financial firms, and executive offices are experimenting with AI as a collaborator—not merely a tool. These systems generate possibilities, challenge assumptions, and extend human judgment in ways that are beginning to reshape how teams work.
What makes these dynamics “exotic” is their alien quality. Humans bring experience, emotional intelligence, ethical intuition, and that mysterious spark of originality. AI contributes tireless pattern recognition, exhaustive recall, rapid prototyping, and machine-native cognition that feels almost like adding team members from entirely different world. The interplay creates something greater than the sum of its parts: hybrid human-AI intelligence (sometimes called hybrid intelligence).
Four New Patterns
Four physics-inspired pillars reveal what makes these collaborations different.
The first is inverse decision logic. In a human-only team, the group converges on the option that seems most reasonable given what everyone already believes. AI teammates often chart their own course. Like negative mass, which pushes back against force instead of yielding to it, an AI collaborator will sometimes argue for the counterintuitive option, because the data suggests it's the better bet. That's what's happening when Echo tells the team to blow up its subscription model instead of tweaking it.
The second is superposition roles. A human on a team typically fills one role (and if spread over multiple roles, problems often ensue). An AI teammate can simultaneously perform multiple roles. Borrowing from quantum superposition, where a particle exists in multiple states until measured, the AI in the room can be running competitive analysis, red-teaming a claim, and drafting a document simultaneously, snapping into whichever role the moment calls for without the switching costs a human would pay (e.g., the friction of disengaging from one line of thought, rebuilding context, and reactivating expertise in another).
The third is entangled decision-making. Quantum-entangled particles stay correlated no matter the distance between them; on these teams, human judgment and AI computation become similarly interdependent. Neither the strategist's instinct nor the model's pattern-matching produces the final call alone. Pull one out, and the decision changes shape.
The fourth is emergent protocols. Complex systems in nature (such as flocking birds, ant colonies) produce sophisticated group behavior from simple local rules, with no one directing traffic. Hybrid teams develop their own version: unwritten norms for when to trust an AI's first draft, when to demand a citation, when a human overrides on judgment alone. These rules take shape on their own.
Amplifying Creativity and Speed
One of the most visible payoffs is the explosion in creative output. Writers use AI as a relentless idea generator and first-draft partner. Filmmakers storyboard with tools that can visualize concepts instantly. Strategists use AI to run war-game scenarios that simulate responses across millions of variables.
Research on human-AI creative teams shows groups with well-integrated AI often produce ideas rated significantly more novel and feasible than purely human teams. The magic lies in the partnership between different kinds of intelligence. Humans excel at divergent thinking and sensing cultural nuance; AI excels at convergent synthesis and stress-testing assumptions at scale.
Speed follows naturally. Software engineering teams report that AI pair programmers autocomplete code, debate architecture, catch security vulnerabilities proactively, and suggest entirely new product directions based on emerging trends. Engineering managers may describe the experience as working with a brilliant, slightly obsessive junior colleague who never sleeps and remembers every relevant discussion the team has ever had.
Marketing teams have embraced this too. A campaign brief that once took weeks of research now gets distilled in hours, then stress-tested against real-time social sentiment and cultural signals. The AI supercharges the creative director's vision, sometimes surfacing unexpected cultural connections or audience segments that might otherwise be missed.
The Friction Points
Human-AI collaborations aren't always harmonious. They come with real tensions that reveal deep truths about human psychology and organizational culture.
Trust remains the biggest hurdle. Many professionals initially treat AI outputs with healthy skepticism. That's warranted, given potential biases and occasional hallucinations. However, successful teams build “verification rituals”: quick human checks on critical outputs, transparent prompting practices, and clear accountability lines.
Communication itself evolves. Humans learn to "speak AI," whether through carefully crafted prompts or natural conversation, refining interactions as they go. Advanced systems mirror human tone, explain reasoning, and maintain team memory across sessions.
The Horizon of Hybrid Intelligence
Teams that master exotic team dynamics will think differently, act differently, and work faster. Conversations will move fluidly between human judgment and machine reasoning, and disagreements will become catalysts for better ideas.
It's the logical extension of where we stand today. The companies and individuals who lean into these dynamics with curiosity, rigor, and humanity will define the next decade of innovation. Those who resist may find themselves playing catch-up in a game that's fundamentally changed.
The future of work is humans with AI, in all its strange, productive, and occasionally bewildering glory. Those who understand and navigate exotic team dynamics will shape what comes next while unlocking new levels of innovation, performance, and success.
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
Amazon Web Services. (n.d.). Tangram transforms drug discovery with agentic multi-LLM AI on AWS. https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/tangram-case-study/
Atlassian. (n.d.). New research reveals how AI is making jobs bigger. https://www.atlassian.com/blog/ai-at-work/new-research-reveals-how-ai-is-making-jobs-bigger
Autodesk. (2025, September 30). Neural technology | Intelligent Design and Make. https://www.autodesk.com/solutions/autodesk-ai/neural-technology
Autodesk. (2026, July 2). Unlocking innovative solutions with generative design. Fusion 360 Blog. https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/blog/unlocking-innovative-solutions-with-generative-design/
Buynomics. (n.d.). AI-driven tools for business wargaming. https://www.buynomics.com/commercial-challenges/ai-driven-business-wargaming/
Dell’Acqua, F., Sadun, R., & Lakhani, K. (2025). The cybernetic teammate: A field experiment on generative AI reshaping teamwork and expertise (Working Paper). Harvard Business School. https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/when-ai-joins-the-team-better-ideas-surface
Graffius, S. M. (n.d.). Exotic team dynamics. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.17903.39842
Graffius, S. M. (2025, 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. (2025, 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. (2025, October 29). Definitions of Advanced AIs: Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.10025.66402
Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 19). Lessons from Unhinged AI in Fiction: What Rogue AIs in Sci-Fi Storytelling Reveal. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29673.35687
Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 21). Navigating the Spectrum of Advanced AI – Agentic, Autonomous, and Autopoietic. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.21284.74882
Graffius, S. M. (2025, November 21). This is What Happens When Advanced AI Joins Your Team [Presentation]. Corporate event, Paris, France.
Graffius, S. M. (2025, December 1). Beep Beep! Why Wile E. Coyote Is the Patron Saint of AI Failure. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.35578.15048
Graffius, S. M. (2025, December 9). A Data-Driven Analysis of the Evolution of Project Management: Tasks, Trends, and AI. ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.25079.28328
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, 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
Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 22). L'avenir du Travail et de l'IA Avancée / Future of Work and Advanced AI. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/lavenir-du-travail-et-de-lia-avancee.html
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
Heilman, A., Kyllo, A., & Murphy-Hill, E. (2026). GitHub Copilot and developer productivity: An observational dose-response analysis. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.00438
IBM Research. (2025). Which contributions deserve credit? Perceptions of attribution in human-AI co-creation. https://research.ibm.com/publications/which-contributions-deserve-credit-perceptions-of-attribution-in-human-ai-co-creation
McKinsey & Company. (2025). The state of AI in marketing: How generative AI is transforming campaigns and customer insights. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-marketing
Mercier, C. (2026, April 8). Life Sciences & M&A | Industry Intelligence [LinkedIn article]. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/life-sciences-ma-industry-intelligence-caroline-mercier-hcxue/
Meta AI. (2026, June 15). How to write a book or a novel using AI: From idea to draft. https://ai.meta.com/learn/ai-creativity/how-to-write-a-book-with-ai
Patel, K. (2026, February 7). What is agentic reasoning? Learn Agentic. https://learnagentic.substack.com/p/what-is-agentic-reasoning
Peng, M. (2025, December 9). AI’s reliance on patterns can lead to ‘mediocre’ results, warns CEO of design consultancy IDEO. Fortune. https://fortune.com/2025/12/09/ai-mediocre-results-human-creativity-ideo-ceo-mike-peng/
PulseAugur. (n.d.). AI teammates exhibit exotic dynamics like inverse decision logic. PulseAugur AI news intelligence platform. https://pulseaugur.com/cluster/32195-ai-teammates-exhibit-exotic-dynamics-like-inverse-decision-logic
Skywork AI. (n.d.). AI team development stages. https://skywork.ai/slide/en/ai-team-development-stages-2033809730980769792
Storyflow. (2026). The 12 best AI storyboarding tools in 2026 (For filmmakers, animators, and branded content). https://storyflow.so/blog/best-ai-storyboarding-tools-2026
TheAssistant. (2026, March 2). Les 5 Phases de Développement d'une Équipe (Modèle de Tuckman) : Guide Complet 2026. https://www.theassistant.com/news-posts/les-5-phases-de-developpement-dune-equipe-modele-de-tuckman-guide-complet-2026
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
- Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions — Deliver Products in Short Cycles with Rapid Adaptation to Change, Fast Time-to-Market, and Continuous Improvement
- 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
- Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum
Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.
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More articles are listed here.
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 20). Exotic Team Dynamics: How Advanced AI Teammates Are Unlocking New Levels of Innovation, Performance, and Success. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/exotic-team-dynamics-how-advanced-ai-teammates-are-unlocking-new-levels-of-innovation.html
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Coming soon.
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Names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners.
Tags and Hashtags
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- #ArtificialIntelligence
- #AI
- #FutureOfWork
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- #Innovation
- #Teamwork
- #Leadership
- #ExoticTeamDynamics
- #HybridIntelligence
- #PhasesOfTeamDevelopment
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.
Round Square Global Educational Network Features Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development
16 July 2026
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Recommended Citation
Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 16). Round Square Global Educational Network Features Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/round-square-features-scott-m-graffius-phases-of-team-development.html
About This Article
Source information and links for materials cited are provided in the References section.
Round Square, a global nonprofit educational network, featured Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" in a February 2026 leadership presentation prepared by Innes van Nostrand, Principal of Appleby College and Deputy Chair of Round Square, for the organization's international community of schools. The presentation highlighted Graffius' work as a practical leadership tool for educators and school communities committed to improving team effectiveness.
The presentation, "Leadership Teams Dynamics: 2 Tools," introduced Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" on slide 3, explaining how teams typically progress through phases (sometimes referred to as stages). By incorporating the material into its leadership-development content, Round Square illustrated the framework's application in an international educational environment that prepares educators and students for effective collaboration, leadership, and teamwork.
Selected excerpts from the presentation are shown below.
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 in addition to Round Square include:
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. Additional details are here.
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.
Founded in 1966, Round Square is an international educational network incorporated in England as a Company Limited by Guarantee (Company No. 02011514) and registered as a charity (No. 327117). Inspired by the educational philosophy of Kurt Hahn, the visionary educator associated with experiential learning approaches that also influenced organizations such as Outward Bound and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Round Square connects schools worldwide through a shared commitment to developing students as ethical, globally minded, and socially responsible leaders.
Round Square’s educational philosophy is built around six IDEALS: Internationalism, Democracy, Environmental Stewardship, Adventure, Leadership, and Service. Through these principles, member schools emphasize learning through action, collaboration, community engagement, and leadership experiences alongside academic development.
Today, Round Square comprises more than 280 member schools across 50 countries and six continents. Its global network connects school leaders, educators, students, and communities through conferences, exchanges, service initiatives, leadership programs, and professional learning activities designed to foster character development, international understanding, and collaborative problem-solving.
Innes van Nostrand is Principal of Appleby College and Deputy Chair of Round Square. An experienced educational leader, he has served as Principal of Appleby College, an independent school in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, since 2012. His previous leadership roles include positions at Upper Canada College and Queen’s University.
Through his role with Round Square, van Nostrand contributes to a global educational community focused on character development, leadership, service, international understanding, and preparing students to collaborate effectively in a complex world. His leadership presentation for the Round Square Americas community connected research on team development with practical tools educators can apply to strengthen teamwork, collaboration, and leadership effectiveness.
Appleby College. (n.d.). Appleby College. https://www.appleby.on.ca/
Graffius, S. M. (2021, January 4). Phases of Team Development (Update for 2021). ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22040.42246
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
Round Square. (n.d.). Round Square. https://www.roundsquare.org/
van Nostrand, I. (n.d.). Innes van Nostrand. https://www.linkedin.com/in/innes-van-nostrand-5654bb4/
van Nostrand, I. (2026). Leadership Teams Dynamics: 2 Tools [Presentation]. Round Square Americas. Round Square. https://www.roundsquare.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/RS-Americas-Feb-26-Leadership-Tools-Innes-van-Nostrand-1.pdf
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.
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:
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:
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:
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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Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 16). Round Square Global Educational Network Features Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/round-square-features-scott-m-graffius-phases-of-team-development.html
Coming soon.
Round Square, a global nonprofit educational network, featured Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" in a 2026 leadership presentation, "Leadership Teams Dynamics: 2 Tools," by Innes van Nostrand, Principal of Appleby College and Deputy Chair the global educational network, Round Square. The presentation features the 2021 edition of the “Phases of Team Development.” Graffius periodically updates his work. The 2026 edition is here: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18184.89601. All names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. "Leadership Teams Dynamics: 2 Tools" is the property of its author and owner. Appleby College name, mark, and content are the property of Appleby College. Round Square name, mark, and content are the property of RoundSquare. This piece by Graffius includes limited excerpts from "Leadership Tools" and associated material from Appleby College and Round Square, attributed and used under fair use doctrine for purposes of news reporting, commentary, and analysis.
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
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.
Recommended Citation
Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 16). Round Square Global Educational Network Features Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/round-square-features-scott-m-graffius-phases-of-team-development.html
About This Article
Source information and links for materials cited are provided in the References section.
International Education Network Highlights Graffius' Work on Team Development
Round Square, a global nonprofit educational network, featured Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" in a February 2026 leadership presentation prepared by Innes van Nostrand, Principal of Appleby College and Deputy Chair of Round Square, for the organization's international community of schools. The presentation highlighted Graffius' work as a practical leadership tool for educators and school communities committed to improving team effectiveness.
The presentation, "Leadership Teams Dynamics: 2 Tools," introduced Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" on slide 3, explaining how teams typically progress through phases (sometimes referred to as stages). By incorporating the material into its leadership-development content, Round Square illustrated the framework's application in an international educational environment that prepares educators and students for effective collaboration, leadership, and teamwork.
Selected excerpts from the presentation are shown below.
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 in addition to Round Square 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. Additional details are here.
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 Round Square
Founded in 1966, Round Square is an international educational network incorporated in England as a Company Limited by Guarantee (Company No. 02011514) and registered as a charity (No. 327117). Inspired by the educational philosophy of Kurt Hahn, the visionary educator associated with experiential learning approaches that also influenced organizations such as Outward Bound and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Round Square connects schools worldwide through a shared commitment to developing students as ethical, globally minded, and socially responsible leaders.
Round Square’s educational philosophy is built around six IDEALS: Internationalism, Democracy, Environmental Stewardship, Adventure, Leadership, and Service. Through these principles, member schools emphasize learning through action, collaboration, community engagement, and leadership experiences alongside academic development.
Today, Round Square comprises more than 280 member schools across 50 countries and six continents. Its global network connects school leaders, educators, students, and communities through conferences, exchanges, service initiatives, leadership programs, and professional learning activities designed to foster character development, international understanding, and collaborative problem-solving.
About Innes van Nostrand
Innes van Nostrand is Principal of Appleby College and Deputy Chair of Round Square. An experienced educational leader, he has served as Principal of Appleby College, an independent school in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, since 2012. His previous leadership roles include positions at Upper Canada College and Queen’s University.
Through his role with Round Square, van Nostrand contributes to a global educational community focused on character development, leadership, service, international understanding, and preparing students to collaborate effectively in a complex world. His leadership presentation for the Round Square Americas community connected research on team development with practical tools educators can apply to strengthen teamwork, collaboration, and leadership effectiveness.
References
Appleby College. (n.d.). Appleby College. https://www.appleby.on.ca/
Graffius, S. M. (2021, January 4). Phases of Team Development (Update for 2021). ScottGraffius.com. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22040.42246
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
Round Square. (n.d.). Round Square. https://www.roundsquare.org/
van Nostrand, I. (n.d.). Innes van Nostrand. https://www.linkedin.com/in/innes-van-nostrand-5654bb4/
van Nostrand, I. (2026). Leadership Teams Dynamics: 2 Tools [Presentation]. Round Square Americas. Round Square. https://www.roundsquare.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/RS-Americas-Feb-26-Leadership-Tools-Innes-van-Nostrand-1.pdf
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
- Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions — Deliver Products in Short Cycles with Rapid Adaptation to Change, Fast Time-to-Market, and Continuous Improvement
- 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
- Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum
Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.
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How to Cite This Article
Graffius, S. M. (2026, July 16). Round Square Global Educational Network Features Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/round-square-features-scott-m-graffius-phases-of-team-development.html
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Coming soon.
Content Acknowledgements
Round Square, a global nonprofit educational network, featured Scott M. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" in a 2026 leadership presentation, "Leadership Teams Dynamics: 2 Tools," by Innes van Nostrand, Principal of Appleby College and Deputy Chair the global educational network, Round Square. The presentation features the 2021 edition of the “Phases of Team Development.” Graffius periodically updates his work. The 2026 edition is here: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18184.89601. All names, marks, and content are the property of their respective owners. Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. "Leadership Teams Dynamics: 2 Tools" is the property of its author and owner. Appleby College name, mark, and content are the property of Appleby College. Round Square name, mark, and content are the property of RoundSquare. This piece by Graffius includes limited excerpts from "Leadership Tools" and associated material from Appleby College and Round Square, attributed and used under fair use doctrine for purposes of news reporting, commentary, and analysis.
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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.
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
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.
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 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 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.
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?
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:
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.
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.
The Muse Image saga has several takeaways:
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.
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.
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/
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.
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:
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:
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:
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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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
(Coming soon)
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.
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
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.
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
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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/
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
- Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions — Deliver Products in Short Cycles with Rapid Adaptation to Change, Fast Time-to-Market, and Continuous Improvement
- 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
- Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum
Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.
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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
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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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.
Tags and Hashtags
- Artificial Intelligence
- Meta Muse AI Tool
- AI Ethics
- Likeness Rights
- SAG-AFTRA
- CAA
- Generative AI
- Data Privacy
- Entertainment Industry
- #AIEthics
- #MetaAI
- #MuseImage
- #LikenessRights
- #SAGAFTRA
- #AIConsent
- #DigitalPrivacy
- #Hollywood
- #GenerativeAI
- #BigTech
Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
Copyright
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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.
Scott M. Graffius Contributed to Seven Project Management Institute (PMI) Standards
06 July 2026
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
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
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:
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.
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.
For background, Graffius previously covered the Agile Practice Guide here.
The PMI publication is available on Amazon in paperback format.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.)
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.
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.)
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.
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 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.
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:
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:
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:
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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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
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32612.95369
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.
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions — Deliver Products in Short Cycles with Rapid Adaptation to Change, Fast Time-to-Market, and Continuous Improvement
- 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
- Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum
Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.
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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.
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- AI in project management
- Enterprise agility
- PMBOK Guide
- PMI standards contributions
- Portfolio program project management (PPPM)
- Professional standards development
- Program management standards
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- Project management
- Project Management Institute (PMI)
- Work breakdown structure (WBS)
- #PMI
- #ProjectManagement
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- #WBS
- #FutureOfWork
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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.
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
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
"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.).
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.
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
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.
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.
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:
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:
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:
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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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
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.14506.99525
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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.
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
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.
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
- Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions — Deliver Products in Short Cycles with Rapid Adaptation to Change, Fast Time-to-Market, and Continuous Improvement
- 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
- Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum
Connect with and follow Scott on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and ResearchGate.
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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.
Tags and Hashtags
- Advanced AI Acceleration
- Advanced Technology
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- Autonomous AI
- Autopoietic AI
- DOE Q Competition
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- Future of Technology
- Future of work
- GPU
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- Inverse decision logic
- Quantum Computing
- Quantum Genesis
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- Superposition roles
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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
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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.