Using Bruce Tuckman's Phases of Team Development to Help Your Team Grow and Advance: 2021 Update

A NEWER VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE HERE: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/graffius-phases-of-team-development-2026.html

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

2021 Update
Teams (agile or otherwise) go through phases of development, and Dr. Bruce Tuckman established a popular and durable framework on the subject. According to Dr. Tuckman, all phases—Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning—are necessary for teams to grow, tackle problems, find solutions, plan work, and deliver results.
Agile project management thought leader, influencer, and author Scott M. Graffius developed a related custom illustration, Phases of Team Development. It highlights the performance level, characteristics, and proven strategies for each of the phases. Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, DevOps Leads, and other professionals can apply the information to help handle challenges or issues experienced by teams. By doing so, they’ll advance the teams' happiness and productivity, as well as the teams' (and their own) success. Graffius updates the content periodically.
He released an updated version of the visual on January 4, 2021. This article features the new version of the Phases of Team Development illustration. Read on for details including information on permission requests and downloadable high-resolution versions of the visual.

Five Phases of Team Development

1. Forming
Characteristics of Forming include displaying eagerness, socializing, generally polite tone, sticking to safe topics, being unclear about how one fits in, and some anxiety and questioning.
Strategies for this phase include taking the ‘lead,’ being highly visible, facilitating introductions, providing the ‘big picture,’ establishing clear expectations, communicating success criteria, and ensuring that response times are quick.
2. Storming
Traits of Storming include resistance, lack of participation, conflict related to differences of feelings and opinions, competition, high emotions, and starting to move towards group norms.
Strategies for this phase include requesting and encouraging feedback, identifying issues and facilitating their resolution, normalizing matters, and building trust by honoring commitments.
3. Norming
Features of Norming include an improved sense of purpose and understanding of goals, higher confidence, improved commitment, team members are engaged and supportive, relief—lowered anxiety, and starting to develop cohesion.
Strategies for this phase include recognizing individual and team efforts, proving opportunities for learning and feedback, and monitoring the ‘energy’ of the team.
4. Performing
Characteristics of Performing include higher motivation, elevated trust and empathy, individuals typically deferring to the team's needs, effective production, consistent performance, and demonstrations of interdependence and self-management (also referred to as self-organization).
Strategies for this phase include ‘guiding from the side’ (minimal intervention), celebrating successes, and encouraging collective decision-making and problem-solving.
5. Adjourning
Typical traits of Adjourning (also referred to as Transitioning or Mourning) include a shift to process orientation, sadness, recognition of team and individual efforts, and disbanding.
Strategies for this phase include recognizing change, providing an opportunity for summative team evaluations (which may go by ‘lessons learned,’ post-project review, retrospective, or another label), providing an opportunity for individual acknowledgments, and celebrating the team's accomplishments—which may involve a party and possibly an ‘after-party.’

As shown, performance fluctuates as teams move through the phases. Review the characteristics to help identify the team's current phase, then apply the corresponding proven strategies to help them advance.

Bibliography
Select list of publications
- Alford, J. (2019, April 11). Our Co-Production Journey: From Sandpits to Bird Boxes. London, United Kingdom: Imperial College London.
- Bennett, M., Gadlin, H., & Marchand, C. (2018). Collaboration Team Science: Field Guide. Rockville, MD: National Institutes of Health.
- Couture, N. (2016, October 27). A Note About Teams. CIO. Boston, MA: International Data Group (IDG).
- Daly, L. (2002). Identify Your Project Management Team’s Level of Development and Facilitate It to Success. Paper presented at Project Management Institute Annual Seminars and Symposium, San Antonio, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
- Deloitte (2017). Digital Era Technology Operating Models, Volume 2. New York, NY: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.
- Finkelstein, S. (2017, October 29). Why Companies Should Hire Teams, Not Individuals. The Wall Street Journal. New York, NY: The Wall Street Journal.
- Forbes (2018, April 23). How to Fast-Track Any Team to Success. Forbes. New York, NY: Forbes.
- Forbes (2012, October 27). How the iPad Mini is Defining Tim Cook’s Apple. Forbes. New York, NY: Forbes.
- Glover, P. (2012, March 13). Team Conflict: Why It’s a Good Thing. Fast Company. New York, NY: Mansueto Ventures.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021). Phases of Team Development. Los Angeles, CA: Scott M. Graffius. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.22040.42246.
- Jovanovic, M., Mesquida, A., Radakoviฤ, N., & Mas, A. (2016). Agile Retrospective Games for Different Team Development Phases. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 22: 1489-1508.
- Kane, G. C. (2014, October 7). Why Your Company is Probably Measuring Social Media Wrong. MIT Sloan Management Review. Cambridge, MA: MIT Sloan Management Review.
- KPMG (2017). The Digital Fund, Season 2. Amstelveen, Netherlands: KPMG International.
- Madden, D. (2019, May 19). The Four Stages of Building a Great Team – and the One Where Things Usually Go Wrong. Inc. Magazine. New York, NY: Inc. Magazine.
- Makar, A. (2011, July 13). Lessons Learned in Norming and Performing Team Development Phases. Louisville, KY: TechRepublic.
- Martinuzzi, B. (2012, June 8). Six Tips Guaranteed to Reduce Workplace Frustrations. New York, NY: American Express Company.
- Microsoft (2019, June 15). Is the Latest Technology the Key to Your Team’s Success, or is There Something Else? Microsoft Developer Support. Accessed at: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/premier-developer/is-the-latest-technology-the-key-to-your-teams-success-or-is-there-something-else. Redmond, WA: Microsoft.
- Mocko, G., & Linnerud, B. (2016). Measuring the Effects of Goal Alignment on Innovative Engineering Design Projects. International Journal of Engineering Education, 32: 55-63.
- Romanelli, M. (2019, September 11). Teamwork Accelerated. PM Times. Newmarket, Ontario, Canada: Macgregor Communications.
- Riggs, A. (2020, October 15). Why I Start All My Video Meetings with Collaborative Games (Spoiler: It’s Not Boredom). Amsterdam, the Netherlands: The Next Web (TNW).
- Rowley, D., & Lange, M. (2007). Forming to Performing: The Evolution of an Agile Team. IEEE Computer Society Proceedings. Agile 2007, 1: 408-414.
- Scrum Alliance (2020). Learning Objectives Examples. Denver, CO: Scrum Alliance.
- Sakpal, M. (2020, March 3. Learn How to Debunk These Five Restructuring Myths. Stamford, CT: Gartner, Inc.
- Stern, S. (2018, September 26). Is Your Team Working the Rory Underwood Way? Financial Times. London, United Kingdom: The Financial Times, a Nikkei Company.
- Telford, R. (2013, June 4). This is Where It Gets Interesting. Armonk, NY: International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation.
- Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental Sequence in Small Groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63: 384-399.
- Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. A. C. (1977). Stages of Small-Group Development Revisited. Group and Organizational Studies, 2 (4): 419-427.
- United States Army (2015). Innovative Learning: A Key to National Security. Washington, DC: Uni๏ฟผ

๏ฟผ
About Scott M. Graffius

Scot founder, CEO, and principal consultant at Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™, based in Los Angeles, California. His expertise spans project, program, portfolio, and PMO leadership inclusive of agile, traditional, and hybrid approaches. Content from his books (Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions and 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), workshops, speaking engagements, and more have been featured and used by businesses, governments, and universities including Gartner, Microsoft, Deloitte, Oracle, Cisco, Ford, Qantas, Atlassian, Bayer, the National Academy of Sciences, the United States Department of Energy, the United States Army, Project Management Institute, the IEEE, the New Zealand Ministry of Education, Tufts University, Texas A&M University, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Warsaw University of Technology, University of Waterloo, Loughborough University London, and others. Graffius has spoken at 58 conferences and other events around the world, including Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States. Thinkers360 named Graffius a global top thought leader and influencer in four domains: Agile, Change Management, Digital Transformation, and GovTech.
His full bio is available at https://www.scottgraffius.com.
Connect with Scott on:


About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile frameworkโScrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ญ๐บ Hungary
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel
- ๐ฎ๐น Italy
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ณ๐ด Norway
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช UAE
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

About 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

Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, 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 provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ฆ๐บ Australia
- ๐ฆ๐น Austria
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

Permission Request Information
To request permission to use the 'Phases of Team Development' visual, contact Scott M. Graffius. If approved, high resolution JPG and PNG image files will be provided, subject to terms and conditions.


Post-Publication Notes
Update on 7 January 2025
Scott M. Graffius periodically updates his 'Phases of Team Development' work. The most current edition is here.

© Copyright 2021 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Use the Phases of Team Development (Based on Bruce W. Tuckman's Model of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning) to Help Teams Grow and Advance: 2022 Update

A NEWER VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE HERE: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/graffius-phases-of-team-development-2026.html

2022 Update
Want happier and more productive teams? Among other things, it takes great leadership. And proven strategies can provide a real edge! That’s where the groundbreaking work by Bruce W. Tuckman — Ph.D. in Psychology from Princeton — comes in.
Tuckman conducted extensive research on group dynamics, and he published a related model in 1965. At that time, the model included four phases: forming, storming, norming, and performing. However, Dr. Tuckman subsequently determined that adjourning was so important that he, with Mary Ann Jensen, updated his model in 1977 to add adjourning as the fifth phase. According to Tuckman, all five phases — Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning — are necessary for teams to grow, tackle problems, find solutions, plan work, and deliver results.
Tuckman’s model has stood the test of time because it remains highly relevant and beneficial. Since his work was published, it has been supported by additional peer-reviewed research. And it has received recommendations and coverage from leading organizations including Google, Harvard Business Review, IEEE, MIT, Fast Company, NASA, Microsoft, TNW, Project Management Institute, Scrum Alliance, Scrum.org, Gartner, CIO, RAND Corporation, Software Engineering Institute, University of Edinburgh, Cisco, KPMG, Warsaw University of Technology, Software Engineering Institute, DevOps Institute, American Express, SANS Institute, Zurich University, SAP, ViacomCBS, Oxford University, American Management Association, AT&T, University of Southern California, IBM, and many others.
Agile project management practitioner, consultant, award-winning author, international speaker, thought leader, and influencer Scott M. Graffius developed a related custom illustration, Phases of Team Development. It highlights the performance level, characteristics, and proven strategies for each of the five phases. Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, DevOps Leads, and other professionals can apply the information to help handle challenges or issues experienced by teams. By doing so, they’ll advance the teams' happiness, productivity, and success.
Graffius updates the content periodically. He released an updated version of the visual on February 14, 2022. This article features the newest version of the Phases of Team Development illustration. Read on for details including information on permission requests and downloadable high-resolution versions of the image.

Five Phases of Team Development
1. Forming
Characteristics of Forming include displaying eagerness, socializing, generally polite tone, sticking to safe topics, unclear about how one fits in, and some anxiety and questioning.
Strategies for this phase include taking the ‘lead,’ being highly visible, facilitating introductions, providing the ‘big picture,’ establishing clear expectations, communicating success criteria, and ensuring response times are quick.
2. Storming
Traits of Storming include some resistance, lack of participation, conflict based on differences of opinions, competition, and high emotions.
Strategies for this phase include requesting and encouraging feedback, identifying issues and facilitating their resolution, normalizing matters, and building trust by honoring commitments.
3. Norming
Features of Norming include purpose and goals are well-understood, more confident, improved commitment, members are engaged and supportive, relief (lowered anxiety), and developing cohesion.
Strategies for this phase include recognizing individual and team efforts, providing learning opportunities and feedback, and monitoring the ‘energy’ of the team.
4. Performing
Characteristics of Performing include high motivation, trust, and empathy; individuals defer to team needs; effectively producing deliverables; consistent performance; and demonstrations of interdependence and self-management.
Strategies for this phase include ‘guiding from the side’ (minimal intervention), celebrating successes, and encouraging collective decision-making and problem-solving.
5. Adjourning
Typical traits of Adjourning (also referred to as Transitioning or Mourning) include potential sadness, recognition of team and individual efforts, and disbanding.
Strategies for this phase include recognizing change, providing an opportunity for summative team evaluations ('lessons learned'), providing an opportunity for individual acknowledgments, and celebrating the team’s accomplishments — which may involve a party and possibly an after-party.

As shown, performance fluctuates as teams move through the phases. Review the characteristics to help identify the team's current phase, then apply the corresponding proven strategies to help them advance.

© Copyright 2022 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
๏ฟผ
'Phases of Team Development' by Scott M. Graffius Featured by Hasso Plattner Institute

Click here to download this article as a PDF.
The Hasso Plattner Institute (Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering GmbH), abbreviated HPI, a German information technology institute and faculty of the University of Potsdam, featured content by Scott M. Graffius — Graffius, Scott M. (2021). Phases of Team Development. Los Angeles, California: Scott M. Graffius. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.22040.42246. — in HPI’s presentation, Scalable Software Engineering (WS 2021/22).
The now-current 2022 version of the Phases of Team Development visual is here.

About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius, PMP, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, SFE, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, multi award-winning author, and international keynote speaker. He has generated over $1.75 billion of business value in aggregate for the organizations he has served. Graffius is the CEO and Principal Consultant at Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™. Content from his books (Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions and 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), workshops, speaking engagements, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities. Examples include Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Deloitte, EY, Project Management Institute, IEEE, SANS Institute, U.S. Soccer Federation, English Institute of Sport, Ford, Qantas, Atlassian, Wrike, National Academy of Sciences, United States Department of Energy, United States Army, United States National Park Service, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Tufts University, Texas A&M University, Warsaw University of Technology, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and others. Graffius has delighted audiences with talks and workshops on technology leadership and agile project, program, portfolio, and PMO management at 82 conferences and other events across 24 countries.
His full bio is available here.
Connect with Scott on:


About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile frameworkโScrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ญ๐บ Hungary
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel
- ๐ฎ๐น Italy
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ณ๐ด Norway
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช UAE
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

About 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

Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, 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 provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ฆ๐บ Australia
- ๐ฆ๐น Austria
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

The short URL for this article is: https://bit.ly/hpi-2022
© Copyright 2022 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Use the Phases of Team Development (Based on Bruce W. Tuckman's Model of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning) to Help Teams Grow and Advance: 2023 Update

A NEWER VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE HERE: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/graffius-phases-of-team-development-2026.html

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

2023 Update
In 2008, Scott M. Graffius started developing material on advancing teams’ happiness, productivity, and success. His respective Phases of Team Development content factors the work of Dr. Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen; Graffius's experience, observation, and analysis; and research, recommendations, and coverage from additional sources (examples are listed below).
The Phases of Team Development highlights the performance level, characteristics, and proven strategies for each of the five phases: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, DevOps Leads, and other leaders can apply the information to help handle challenges or issues experienced by teams. By doing so, they’ll advance the teams' (and their own) happiness, productivity, and success.
This article and the accompanying visual provides the updated 2023 version of the Phases of Team Development.

Five Phases of Team Development
1. Forming
Characteristics of Forming include displaying eagerness, socializing, generally polite tone, sticking to safe topics, unclear about how one fits in, and some anxiety and questioning.
Strategies for this phase include taking the ‘lead,’ being highly visible, facilitating introductions, providing the ‘big picture,’ establishing clear expectations, communicating success criteria, and ensuring response times are quick.
2. Storming
Traits of Storming include some resistance, lack of participation, conflict based on differences of opinions, competition, and high emotions.
Strategies for this phase include requesting and encouraging feedback, identifying issues and facilitating their resolution, normalizing matters, and building trust by honoring commitments.
3. Norming
Features of Norming include purpose and goals are well-understood, more confident, improved commitment, members are engaged and supportive, relief (lowered anxiety), and developing cohesion.
Strategies for this phase include recognizing individual and team efforts, providing learning opportunities and feedback, and monitoring the ‘energy’ of the team.
4. Performing
Characteristics of Performing include high motivation, trust, and empathy; individuals defer to team needs; effectively producing deliverables; consistent performance; and demonstrations of interdependence and self-management.
Strategies for this phase include ‘guiding from the side’ (minimal intervention), celebrating successes, and encouraging collective decision-making and problem-solving.
5. Adjourning
Typical traits of Adjourning (also referred to as Transitioning or Mourning) include potential sadness, recognition of team and individual efforts, and disbanding.
Strategies for this phase include recognizing change, providing an opportunity for summative team evaluations ('lessons learned'), providing an opportunity for individual acknowledgments, and celebrating the team’s accomplishments — which may involve a party and possibly an after-party.


References / Sources
The Phases of Team Development by Scott M. Graffius factors the work of Dr. Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen; Graffius's experience, observation, and analysis; and research, recommendations, and coverage from additional sources such as Google, Harvard Business Review, IEEE, MIT, Fast Company, NASA, Microsoft, TNW, Project Management Institute, Scrum Alliance, Scrum.org, Gartner, CIO, RAND Corporation, Software Engineering Institute, University of Edinburgh, Cisco, KPMG, Warsaw University of Technology, Software Engineering Institute, DevOps Institute, American Express, SANS Institute, Zurich University, SAP, ViacomCBS, Oxford University, American Management Association, AT&T, University of Southern California, IBM, and many others.
Select (partial) bibliography:
- Alford, J. (2019, April 11). Our Co-Production Journey: From Sandpits to Bird Boxes. London, United Kingdom: Imperial College London.
- Bennett, M., Gadlin, H., & Marchand, C. (2018). Collaboration Team Science: Field Guide. Rockville, MD: National Institutes of Health.
- Couture, N. (2016, October 27). A Note About Teams. CIO. Boston, MA: International Data Group (IDG).
- Daly, L. (2002). Identify Your Project Management Team’s Level of Development and Facilitate It to Success. Paper presented at Project Management Institute Annual Seminars and Symposium, San Antonio, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
- Deloitte (2017). Digital Era Technology Operating Models, Volume 2. New York, NY: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.
- Finkelstein, S. (2017, October 29). Why Companies Should Hire Teams, Not Individuals. The Wall Street Journal. New York, NY: The Wall Street Journal.
- Forbes (2018, April 23). How to Fast-Track Any Team to Success. Forbes. New York, NY: Forbes.
- Forbes (2012, October 27). How the iPad Mini is Defining Tim Cook’s Apple. Forbes. New York, NY: Forbes.
- Glover, P. (2012, March 13). Team Conflict: Why It’s a Good Thing. Fast Company. New York, NY: Mansueto Ventures.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021). Phases of Team Development. Los Angeles, CA: Scott M. Graffius. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.22040.42246.
- Jovanovic, M., Mesquida, A., Radakoviฤ, N., & Mas, A. (2016). Agile Retrospective Games for Different Team Development Phases. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 22: 1489-1508.
- Kane, G. C. (2014, October 7). Why Your Company is Probably Measuring Social Media Wrong. MIT Sloan Management Review. Cambridge, MA: MIT Sloan Management Review.
- KPMG (2017). The Digital Fund, Season 2. Amstelveen, Netherlands: KPMG International.
- Madden, D. (2019, May 19). The Four Stages of Building a Great Team – and the One Where Things Usually Go Wrong. Inc. Magazine. New York, NY: Inc. Magazine.
- Makar, A. (2011, July 13). Lessons Learned in Norming and Performing Team Development Phases. Louisville, KY: TechRepublic.
- Martinuzzi, B. (2012, June 8). Six Tips Guaranteed to Reduce Workplace Frustrations. New York, NY: American Express Company.
- Microsoft (2019, June 15). Is the Latest Technology the Key to Your Team’s Success, or is There Something Else? Microsoft Developer Support. Accessed at: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/premier-developer/is-the-latest-technology-the-key-to-your-teams-success-or-is-there-something-else. Redmond, WA: Microsoft.
- Mocko, G., & Linnerud, B. (2016). Measuring the Effects of Goal Alignment on Innovative Engineering Design Projects. International Journal of Engineering Education, 32: 55-63.
- Romanelli, M. (2019, September 11). Teamwork Accelerated. PM Times. Newmarket, Ontario, Canada: Macgregor Communications.
- Riggs, A. (2020, October 15). Why I Start All My Video Meetings with Collaborative Games (Spoiler: It’s Not Boredom). Amsterdam, the Netherlands: The Next Web (TNW).
- Rowley, D., & Lange, M. (2007). Forming to Performing: The Evolution of an Agile Team. IEEE Computer Society Proceedings. Agile 2007, 1: 408-414.
- Scrum Alliance (2020). Learning Objectives Examples. Denver, CO: Scrum Alliance.
- Sakpal, M. (2020, March 3. Learn How to Debunk These Five Restructuring Myths. Stamford, CT: Gartner, Inc.
- Stern, S. (2018, September 26). Is Your Team Working the Rory Underwood Way? Financial Times. London, United Kingdom: The Financial Times, a Nikkei Company.
- Telford, R. (2013, June 4). This is Where It Gets Interesting. Armonk, NY: International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation.
- Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental Sequence in Small Groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63: 384-399.
- Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. A. C. (1977). Stages of Small-Group Development Revisited. Group and Organizational Studies, 2 (4): 419-427.
- United States Army (2015). Innovative Learning: A Key to National Security. Washington, DC: Uni๏ฟผted States Army.


How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2023, January 9). Use the Phases of Team Development (Based on Bruce W. Tuckman's Model of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning) to Help Teams Grow and Advance: 2023 Update. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.10720.35846. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.10720.35846.


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About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius, PMP, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, SFE, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, multi award-winning author, and highly sought-after international keynote speaker. He has generated over $1.75 billion of business value in aggregate for the organizations he has served. Graffius is the CEO and Principal Consultant at Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™. Content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities. Select examples include Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, U.S. Soccer Federation, Qantas, National Academy of Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. National Park Service, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Yale University, Warsaw University of Technology, and others. Graffius has delighted audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile, project management, and technology leadership at 82 conferences and other events across 24 countries.
His full bio is available here.
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Post-Publication Notes
Update on 7 January 2025
Scott M. Graffius periodically updates his 'Phases of Team Development' work. The most current edition is here.

© Copyright 2023 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development: 2024 Update

A NEWER VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE HERE: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/graffius-phases-of-team-development-2026.html

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


Introduction
Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Scott M. Graffius’ first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his ‘Phases of Team Development’ as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development — 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.
Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, DevOps Leads, and other leaders can apply the information to help handle challenges or issues experienced by teams. By doing so, they’ll advance the teams’ (and their own) happiness, productivity, and success.
Graffius initially developed his unique material in 2008, and he periodically refreshes it. This article (including the accompanying visual) provides the 2024 update to his ‘Phases of Team Development’ work.
Graffius’ work has “team development” in the title. Alternative terms — which may be interchangeable in the context of this article — include group development, group dynamics, team agility, team building, team coaching, team collaboration, teamcraft, team dynamics, team leadership, team optimization, team performance, team tradecraft, and teamwork.

Five Phases of Team Development
1. Forming
Characteristics of the Forming phase include displaying eagerness, socializing, generally polite tone, sticking to safe topics, unclear about how one fits in, and some anxiety and questioning.
Strategies for Forming include taking the ‘lead,’ being highly visible, facilitating introductions, providing the ‘big picture,’ establishing clear expectations, communicating success criteria, and ensuring response times are quick.
2. Storming
Traits of the Storming phase include some resistance, lack of participation, conflict based on differences of opinions, competition, and high emotions.
Strategies for Storming include requesting and encouraging feedback, identifying issues and facilitating their resolution, normalizing matters, and building trust by honoring commitments.
3. Norming
Features of the Norming phase include developing cohesion; purpose and goals are well-understood; more confident; improved commitment; members are engaged and supportive; and relief, lowered anxiety.
Strategies for Norming include delivering feedback, recognizing individual and team efforts, providing learning/upskilling opportunities, and monitoring the ‘energy’ of the team.
4. Performing
Characteristics of the Performing phase include demonstrations of interdependence and self-management; high motivation, trust, and empathy; individuals defer to team needs; producing deliverables effectively; and consistent performance.
Strategies for Performing include ‘guiding from the side’ (minimal intervention), highlighting successes, and encouraging collective decision-making and problem-solving.
5. Adjourning
Typical traits of the Adjourning phase (also referred to as the Transitioning or Mourning phase) include potential sadness, and disbanding of temporary teams.
Strategies for Adjourning include communicating change, conducting a summative team evaluation via a retrospective or lessons learned session, recognizing individual and team efforts and achievements, and celebrating the team's accomplishments (a party/after-party).

Conclusion
Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, DevOps Leads, and other leaders can apply the information in this article and the accompanying visual to help handle challenges or issues experienced by teams. By doing so, they’ll advance the teams’ (and their own) happiness, productivity, and success.
This article provided a brief overview of the five phases of team development. Scott M. Graffius presents dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on this topic and more at conferences and other events (public and private/corporate) around the world. To learn more, visit here. For booking information, please complete a speaker engagement request form or email Scott M. Graffius.
If you're looking for additional information on this article (such as references/sources, citation details, or permission request information), read on.

Graffius’ Research is Widely Cited, Featured, and Used
Businesses, scientists, journalists, professional associations, government agencies, universities, and others around the world have featured and used prior — 2023 and earlier — editions of Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ material. Here are a few examples:
- Academic Cooperation Association
- Adobe
- American Management Association
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute
- Bayer
- Boston University
- CodeMonk
- Dagen
- Deimos Aerospace
- Erste Bank
- FSU College of Medicine
- Hasso Plattner Institute (Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering GmbH)
- IEEE
- Innovify
- Life Sciences Trainers & Educators Network (LTEN)
- London South Bank University
- New Zealand Government
- Prima Resource
- Singapore University of Social Sciences
- Technical University of Munich
- Torrens University Australia
- UK Sports Institute
- University of Galway Ireland
- University of Graz Austria
- University of Waterloo
- US National Park Service
- Virginia Tech
- Warsaw University of Technology
- Yale University
- Zittau/Gorlitz University of Applied Sciences
- And many more

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- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, April 26). The Science of High-Performance Teams [Presentation]. Talk delivered at the DevOps Institute’s SKILup Day 2023 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.15888.28169. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.15888.28169.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, January 9). Use the Phases of Team Development (Based on Bruce W. Tuckman's Model of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning) to Help Teams Grow and Advance: 2023 Update. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.10720.35846. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.10720.35846.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, June 29). What Successful AI Teams Have in Common [Presentation]. Talk delivered at Conf42 Quantum Computing 2023 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.29382.45120. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29382.45120.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, May 1). Fueling the Development of Innovative and Life-Changing AI Solutions [Presentation]. Talk delivered to an audience of Technology professionals (including Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, Data Engineers, AI Researchers, Project Managers, Business Analysts, UX Designers, Software Developers, Cloud Architects, Data Privacy and Security Specialists, and others involved or interested in AI) at a private event in Mountain View, California, United States. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.27956.73601. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27956.73601.
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- Graffius, Scott M. (2022, May 13). Want Happier and More Productive DevOps Teams? [Presentation]. Talk delivered at DevOpsDays Geneva, Switzerland 2022 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.22252.85127. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22252.85127.
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- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, June 21). DevOps and Team Leadership [Workshop]. Session at private event in Las Vegas, NV. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.15380.22401.
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- Wheelan, S. A. (2009). Group Size, Group Development, and Group Productivity. Small-Group Research, 40 (2): 247-262.

How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, January 5). Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development: 2024 Update. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/teams-2024.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28629.40168.

Permission Request Information
To request permission to use the ‘Phases of Team Development’ visual shown at the top of this article or any other material from this publication, email Scott M. Graffius. If your request is approved, Graffius will give you an authorization/license and, if applicable, high-resolution files of the visual.

About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, SFE, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, thinker, creator, multi-award-winning author, and international public speaker. Founder and CEO of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™, he has generated over $1.9 billion for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he has served. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, National Academy of Sciences, United States Department of Energy, Yale University, Tufts University, and others. He delights audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile project management, AI, Tech leadership, video game development, strategic alignment, the science of high performance teams, and more. To date, he's presented sessions at 89 conferences and other events across 25 countries.
His full bio is available here.
Connect with Scott on:



About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile frameworkโScrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ญ๐บ Hungary
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel
- ๐ฎ๐น Italy
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ณ๐ด Norway
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช UAE
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

About 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

Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, 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 provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ฆ๐บ Australia
- ๐ฆ๐น Austria
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries


Post-Publication Notes
Update on 7 January 2025
Scott M. Graffius periodically updates his 'Phases of Team Development' work. The most current edition is here.

© Copyright 2024 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

University of California, San Diego Features Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ Work

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Rady School of Management features Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ work in MGT 173 Project Management.

The request for, and the granting of, a license for Graffius’ copyrighted ‘Phases of Team Development’ is shown above.

Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ work and the respective UCSD course are shown above.
About Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’
Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Scott M. Graffius’ first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his ‘Phases of Team Development’ as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development — 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.
Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, DevOps Leads, and other leaders can apply the information to help handle challenges or issues experienced by teams. By doing so, they’ll advance the teams’ (and their own) happiness, productivity, and success.
With permission/a license from Graffius, his ‘Phases of Team Development’ work is used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities around the world. Examples include Yale University, IEEE, Torrens University Australia, UK Sports Institute, Adobe, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Academic Cooperation Association, Boston University, U.S. National Park Service, Bayer, Hasso Plattner Institute, New Zealand Government, University of Galway Ireland, and many more.
Graffius initially developed his unique material in 2008, and he periodically refreshes it. The most current (2024) edition of his work is here.
Graffius has presented talks and workshops at 89 conferences and other events across 25 countries. While each session is unique, the top topic is high performance teams. In those sessions, he leverages and expands upon on his ‘Phases of Team Development’ work. Sessions are dynamic, engaging, and packed with fresh insights and usable information. They’re highly rated by attendees and organizers alike. To book him for your conference or other event, complete a speaker engagement request form or email him.

About UCSD Rady School of Management Course - MGT 173 Project Management
UCSD describes MGT 173 Project Management at https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/MGT.html as: "This course covers efficient techniques for managing health services projects, including both the technical aspects of project management as well as the human-capital management issues associated with blending administrative and technical staff with health-care professionals. Topics include scheduling methods, milestone setting, governmental regulations, resource allocation, interpersonal skills, and performing research and development projects—all with a health services focus."

About UCSD
Recognized as one of the top 20 research universities worldwide, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) culture of collaboration sparks discoveries that advance society and drive economic impact. UCSD is considered a Public Ivy—a public university perceived to provide a collegiate experience on the level of Ivy League universities. Its faculty, researchers, and alumni have won 27 Nobel Prizes as well as 3 Fields Medals, 8 National Medals of Science, 8 MacArthur Fellowships, and 3 Pulitzer Prizes. Additionally, of the current faculty, 29 have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, 70 to the National Academy of Sciences, 45 to the Institute of Medicine, and 110 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Visit https://ucsd.edu to learn more.




About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, thinker, creator, multi-award-winning author, and international public speaker. Founder and CEO of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™, he has generated over $1.9 billion for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he has served. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, National Academy of Sciences, United States Department of Energy, Yale University, Tufts University, and others. He delights audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile project management, AI, Tech leadership, video game development, strategic alignment, the science of high performance teams, and more. To date, he's presented sessions at 89 conferences and other events across 25 countries.
His full bio is available here.
Connect with Scott on:



About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile frameworkโScrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ญ๐บ Hungary
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel
- ๐ฎ๐น Italy
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ณ๐ด Norway
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช UAE
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

About 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

Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, 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 provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ฆ๐บ Australia
- ๐ฆ๐น Austria
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

The short link for this article is: https://bit.ly/ucsd-173
© Copyright 2024 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Oracle Featured Scott M. Graffius' IP on Team Tradecraft in Their Publication


Oracles Featured Scott M. Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' IP in Their Publication
Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Scott M. Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development — 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. Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Leaders of teams can apply Graffius' information to help handle challenges or issues experienced by teams. By doing so, they’ll advance the teams’ (and their own) happiness, productivity, and success.
Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' intellectual property is used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities around the world. Select examples include:
- Adobe,
- American Management Association,
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
- Bayer,
- Boston University,
- Cisco,
- Deimos Aerospace,
- DevOps Institute,
- Ford Motor Company,
- Hasso Plattner Institute (Germany),
- IEEE,
- London South Bank University,
- Microsoft,
- New Zealand Government,
- Torrens University Australia,
- UC San Diego,
- TBS Switzerland,
- UK Sports Institute,
- University of Galway Ireland,
- U.S. National Park Service,
- U.S. Tennis Association,
- Virginia Tech,
- Yale University,
- and many others.
Today, Oracle was (re)added to the list. It incorporated Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' intellectual property in its 2024 publication, CFOs as Growth Leaders. Images follow.

The cover page of Oracle's CFOs as Growth Leaders is shown above.

Page 7 of Oracle's CFOs as Growth Leaders is shown above.

A zoomed-in view of page 7 of Oracle's CFOs as Growth Leaders is shown above.
Oracle’s publication is available at https://www.netsuite.com/portal/resource/wp/business_mgt.shtml and https://bit.ly/oracle-cfo and other locations.
Graffius initially developed his respective material in 2008, and he periodically refreshes it. Information on the current (2024) edition of his 'Phases of Team Development' IP is available at https://www.scottgraffius.com/blog/files/teams-2024.html and other locations.
Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. Oracle’s CFOs as Growth Leaders is copyright © Oracle. Oracle and NetSuite names and marks are the property of Oracle.





About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, creator, award-winning author (Agile Scrum and Agile Transformation), and international public speaker. Founder and CEO of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™, he has generated over $1.9 billion for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he has served. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Adobe, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, Qantas, National Academy of Sciences, EU's European Commission, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Boston University, U.S. National Park Service, Bayer, Ford, London South Bank University, Warsaw University of Technology, U.S. Tennis Association, Hasso Plattner Institute, American Management Association, Virginia Tech, University of Galway Ireland, UC San Diego, Yale University, and others. He delights audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile project management, AI, video game development, strategic alignment, the science of high performance teams, and more. To date, he's presented sessions at 91 conferences and other events across 25 countries. His full bio is available here.



About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile frameworkโScrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ญ๐บ Hungary
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel
- ๐ฎ๐น Italy
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ณ๐ด Norway
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช UAE
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

About 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

Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, 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 provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ฆ๐บ Australia
- ๐ฆ๐น Austria
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

About Oracle
Oracle Corporation is a multinational computer technology company. In 2020, Oracle was the third-largest software company in the world by revenue and market capitalization. The company sells database software and cloud computing. Oracle's core application software is a suite of enterprise software products, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, human capital management (HCM) software, customer relationship management (CRM) software, enterprise performance management (EPM) software, Customer Experience Commerce (CX Commerce) and supply chain management (SCM) software.
To learn more, visit https://www.oracle.com.

About Oracle NetSuite
For more than 25 years, Oracle NetSuite has helped organizations grow, scale, and adapt to change. NetSuite provides products and services tailored for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) including accounting and financial management, customer relationship management, inventory management, human capital management, payroll, procurement, project management, and e-commerce software. Its solutions are used by more than 38,000 across 219 countries.
Visit https://www.netsuite.com/portal/home.shtml to learn more.

How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, June 13). Oracle Featured Scott M. Graffius' IP on Team Tradecraft in Their Publication. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/oracle-2024.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.14627.05920.



A PDF of this article is here.
© Copyright 2024 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Johns Hopkins University Features the Work of Scott M. Graffius


Johns Hopkins University features Scott M. Graffius’ work!
Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Scott M. Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development — 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. Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Leaders of teams can apply Graffius' information to help handle challenges or issues experienced by teams. By doing so, they’ll advance the teams’ (and their own) happiness, productivity, and success.
Graffius' copyrighted 'Phases of Team Development' work is used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities around the world. Select examples include:
- Adobe,
- American Management Association,
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
- Bayer,
- Boston University,
- Broadcom,
- Cisco,
- Deimos Aerospace,
- DevOps Institute,
- Ford Motor Company,
- Hasso Plattner Institute (Germany),
- IEEE,
- London South Bank University,
- Microsoft,
- New Zealand Government,
- Oracle
- Torrens University Australia,
- UC San Diego,
- TBS Switzerland,
- UK Sports Institute,
- University of Galway Ireland,
- U.S. National Park Service,
- U.S. Tennis Association,
- Virginia Tech,
- Yale University,
- and many others.
Johns Hopkins University (JHU) was added to the list. JHU Carey Business School features Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ IP in its Business Communications (BU 120.601) course, taught by Steven D. Cohen, Ph.D., M.P.P.
Excerpts from a related presentation follow.

The title page of the JHU presentation is shown above.

Page 2 of the JHU presentation is shown above.

Page 3 of the JHU presentation is shown above.
Current Edition of Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ IP
Graffius initially developed his respective material in 2008, and he periodically refreshes it. Information on the current (2024) edition of his 'Phases of Team Development' IP is available at https://www.scottgraffius.com/blog/files/teams-2024.html.
About Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, is America's first research university and home to nine world-class academic divisions working together as one university.
- The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School is the graduate business school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It was established in 2007 and offers full-time and part-time programs leading to the Master of Business Administration and Master of Science degrees.
- The School of Advanced International Studies’ interdisciplinary curriculum—delivered at locations on three continents and grounded in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies—prepares students to address the multifaceted challenges facing the world today.
- Krieger School of Arts and Sciences—comprised of 22 departments and 33 centers, programs, and institutes—is home to students interested in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
- The School of Education prepares educators to make a difference in the lives of children and adults.
- The Whiting School of Engineering, a global leader in innovation and research, teaches students to think creatively while drawing upon mathematics and scientific principles to tackle difficult, real-world problems.
- The School of Medicine has revolutionized the education of physicians, the practice of medicine, and medical research nationally and internationally.
- The School of Nursing aims to improve health locally and globally through leadership and excellence in nursing education, research, practice, and service.
- Founded in 1857 as America’s first academy of music, the Peabody Institute trains musicians and dancers of every age and at every level through its degree-granting Conservatory and its community-based Preparatory.
- The Bloomberg School of Public Health educates scientists and public health professionals committed to the improvement of health and prevention of disease and disability around the world.
Visit https://www.jhu.edu/ to learn more.
About Business Communication (BU 120.601)
The JHU Business Communication (BU 120.601) course refines students’ skills in business writing, public speaking, and interpersonal communication. Through analyses and practice of communication strategies adopted by successful business professionals, students learn to write clearly and concisely, deliver compelling presentations, and construct effective arguments. See JHU’s course catalog at https://e-catalogue.jhu.edu/course-descriptions/management/ to learn more.
About Steven D. Cohen, Ph.D., M.P.P.
Steven D. Cohen is a Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. He is well known for helping leaders communicate with confidence, influence, and authority. Dr. Cohen has been quoted in media outlets such as the Financial Times, Forbes, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, and NBC News. To learn more about Professor Cohen, visit https://carey.jhu.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/steven-d-cohen-phd.





About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, creator, award-winning author (Agile Scrum and Agile Transformation), and international public speaker. Founder and CEO of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™, he has generated over $1.9 billion for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he has served. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Adobe, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, Qantas, National Academy of Sciences, EU's European Commission, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Boston University, U.S. National Park Service, Bayer, Ford, London South Bank University, Warsaw University of Technology, U.S. Tennis Association, Hasso Plattner Institute, American Management Association, Virginia Tech, University of Galway Ireland, UC San Diego, Yale University, and others. He delights audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile project management, AI, video game development, strategic alignment, the science of high performance teams, and more. To date, he's presented sessions at 91 conferences and other events across 25 countries. His full bio is available here.



About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile frameworkโScrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ญ๐บ Hungary
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel
- ๐ฎ๐น Italy
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ณ๐ด Norway
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช UAE
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

About 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

Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, 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 provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ฆ๐บ Australia
- ๐ฆ๐น Austria
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, August 1). Johns Hopkins University Features the Work of Scott M. Graffius. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/jhu-cbs.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.35998.34889.

A PDF of this article is here
The short link for this article is https://bit.ly/jhu-cbs
© Copyright 2024 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.

Pennsylvania State Agency Used Scott M. Graffius' Intellectual Property


If there's an update after this article is published, the information will appear in the Post-Publication Notes section.

Introduction
A whistleblower/tip informed Scott M. Graffius that a Pennsylvania state agency is using his copyrighted property without credit. After Graffius received the details, he confirmed that the report was valid. Based on the indisputable facts, the bad acts involve the ethical issue of plagiarism and the legal issue of copyright infringement. The Pennsylvania state agency's use of Graffius' intellectual property was not ‘fair use’ nor otherwise allowed.
Graffius vigorously maintains, enforces, and protects his copyright and other intellectual property rights. This article serves as a clarion call for the Pennsylvania state agency to face the repercussions of, and take responsibility for, their blatant and damaging violation.

Background
Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Scott M. Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his ‘Phases of Team Development’ as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development — 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.
Graffius' intellectual property (IP) is registered with the United States Copyright Office.
Graffius initially developed his ‘Phases of Team Development’ unique material in 2008, and he periodically refreshes it.
For reference, the visual from the edition applicable to this case (v2019) [Exhibit 1] is shown below. It is also available here and other locations. The integrated text applies.

As shown above, Graffius’ copyright ownership details are integrated into and appear on his copyrighted property. Specifically, it reads: “Copyright © 2008-2019 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. For permission requests, contact scott@scottgraffius.com.”
Organizations around the world engage Graffius to deliver compelling talks and workshops. To date, he's presented sessions at 91 conferences and other events across 25 countries, including:
- Armenia,
- Australia,
- Brazil,
- Canada,
- Czech Republic,
- Finland,
- France,
- Germany,
- Greece,
- Hong Kong,
- Hungary,
- India,
- Ireland,
- Lithuania,
- Luxembourg,
- Nepal,
- Netherlands,
- New Zealand,
- Norway,
- Romania,
- Sweden,
- Switzerland,
- United Arab Emirates,
- United Kingdom,
- and the United States.
Graffius ‘Phases of Team Development’ IP is central and key to many of those sessions. His rate card and a listing of his engagements are here and here, respectively.
With an authorization/license from Graffius, his ‘Phases of Team Development’ IP is featured and used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities around the world. Examples include:
• Adobe,
• American Management Association,
• Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
• Bayer,
• Boston University,
• Broadcom,
• Cisco,
• Deimos Aerospace,
• DevOps Institute,
• Ford Motor Company,
• Hasso Plattner Institute,
• IEEE,
• Johns Hopkins University,
• LeadingEng,
• London South Bank University,
• Manufacturers Alliance,
• Microsoft,
• New Zealand Government,
• Oracle,
• TBS Switzerland,
• Torrens University Australia,
• U.S. National Park Service,
• U.S. Tennis Association,
• UC San Diego,
• UK Sports Institute,
• University of Galway Ireland,
• Virginia Tech,
• Warsaw University,
• Yale University,
• and many others.
Copyrights protect the intellectual property rights of creators, ensuring they receive recognition and compensation for their work, thus incentivizing creativity and innovation. Graffius is vigilant in upholding, protecting, and enforcing his copyrights and other IP rights.
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Publication Uses Graffius’ Copyrighted Property Without Permission and Without Attribution, Violating Graffius' Intellectual Property Rights
Exhibit 2 is below. It shows pages 1, 54, 55, and 56 of the infringing publication.

As shown above, the infringing document is marked with:
- “Pennsylvania”
- “Department of Human Services”
- “Office of Developmental Programs”
- “Quality Management Certification Handbook”
The PDF file is named ‘QM_Handbook_FINAL_20220322.pdf.’
The infringing document is known to reside here and here.
The infringing document may reside at additional locations.
Exhibit 3 is below. It provides a view of characteristics and strategies content from Graffius’ 2019 copyrighted ‘Phases of Team Development’ property, contrasted with infringing corresponding content from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ 2022 ‘Quality Management Certification Handbook.’

Again, Graffius’ copyright ownership details and permission request information are integrated into and appear on his intellectual property.
Permission to use Graffius’ copyrighted property was not requested nor approved.
Nevertheless, Graffius’ copyrighted property was used in the infringing publication.
Comparing Graffius' copyrighted 'Phases of Team Development' intellectual property with the infringing document is reveals blatant infringement. As a supplement to the visual above, here are some examples, shown in-line:
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: ”Sticking to safe topics”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “stick to safe topics”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Taking the ‘lead’”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “taking the lead”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Providing clear expectations and consistent instructions”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “providing clear expectations and consistent instructions”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Competition
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “competition”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “High emotions”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “strong emotions”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Normalizing matters”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “normalizing”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Reconciliation”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “reconciliation”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Members are engaged & supportive”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “engaged and supportive of each other”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Relief, lowered anxiety”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “relief/lowered anxiety”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Developing cohesion”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “cohesion”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Recognizing individual and group efforts”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “recognizing individual and group efforts”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Providing learning opportunities and feedback”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “providing learning opportunities and feedback”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Monitoring the ‘energy’ of the group”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “monitoring the energy of the group”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Reconciliation”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “reconciliation”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Demonstrations of interdependence”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “demonstration of interdependence”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Ability to effectively produce as a team”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “ability to effectively produce as a team”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “’Guiding from the side’ (minimal intervention)”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “guiding from the side lines with minimal intervention”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Celebrating”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “celebrating”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Encouraging group decision-making & problem-solving”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: “encouraging group decision-making and problem-solving”
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 property includes: “Providing opportunities to share learning across teams”
๐ด The infringing 2022 publication includes this: ”providing opportunities to share learning across teams”
Conclusion
Again, Graffius’ copyright ownership details and permission request information are integrated into and appear on his intellectual property.
Permission to use Graffius’ copyrighted property was not requested nor approved.
Nevertheless, the infringing Pennsylvania Department of Human Services publication used Graffius’ copyrighted property.
A significant volume of Graffius’ copyrighted property was used.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services infringing publication did not attribute Graffius’ copyrighted property to Graffius. Accordingly, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services wrongly leads others to falsely believe that it is the author and owner of Graffius’ respective intellectual property.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services blatantly violated Graffius’ intellectual property rights.
Copyright infringement is disgraceful, unprofessional, unethical, immoral, and illegal.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ infringement damaged the marketability and value of Graffius’ intellectual property.
For the aforementioned reasons, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ use of Graffius’ copyrighted property was not ‘fair use’ nor otherwise allowed.
So long as the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ infringing publication exists anywhere, in any form, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services continues to spread misinformation and violate Graffius’ intellectual property rights.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services must immediately implement the following three (3) actions regarding their infringing publication—and any other documents or materials containing infringing content:
- Remove the Infringing Material. Electronic Versions: Immediately remove the infringing publication from all digital platforms where it is advertised, promoted, sold, or distributed; this includes removing or disabling any online access to it. Physical Copies: If physical copies of the material are in inventory or circulation, stop further distribution; recall any copies already distributed; destroy all physical copies.
- Issue a Retraction. Publish a formal retraction notice acknowledging the infringement and the steps taken to rectify the situation. The notice will present the facts as they are—the notice will not "spin" or "downplay" the infringement.
- Notify Relevant Parties. Recipients: Inform the respective subscribers, purchasers, users, or other recipients of the material about the retraction, ensuring transparency about the issue; again, the notice will present the facts as they are—the notice will not "spin" or "downplay" the infringement. Indexes and Databases: Notify any databases or indexing services that list the material so they can update their records accordingly.
Copyrights and other intellectual property rights are essential because they safeguard the works of creators, allowing them to benefit from their efforts, which in turn fosters creativity and innovation. Graffius vigorously maintains, enforces, and protects his copyright and other intellectual property rights.
This troubling and consequential case is open.
If there's an update after this article is published, the information will appear in the Post-Publication Notes section.
Read on to learn:
- About Pennsylvania,
- About Scott M. Graffius,
- References/Sources,
- How to Cite This Article,
- Post-Publication Notes,
- and more.

About Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States.
It’s the fifth-most populous state, with over 13 million residents as of the 2020 U.S. census.

About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius is a global leader in agile project management, an expert on teamwork tradecraft, an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms, a creator, a consultant, a trainer, an award-winning author, and an international public speaker.
See his bio to learn more.



About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile frameworkโScrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ญ๐บ Hungary
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel
- ๐ฎ๐น Italy
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ณ๐ด Norway
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช UAE
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

About 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

Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, 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 provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ฆ๐บ Australia
- ๐ฆ๐น Austria
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries


References/Sources
The following is a list of material on publishing standards and procedures. Some cover the reporting and handling of copyright infringement.
- Alter, Alexandra (2019, September 22). It’s a Fact: Mistakes are Embarrassing the Publishing Industry. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/business/publishing-books-errors.html.
- American Psychological Association (2019, November). Correction Notices. Available at: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/research-publication/correction-notices.
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) (2018, November 15). ACM Publications Policy on the Withdrawal, Correction, Retraction, and Removal of Works from ACM Publications and ACM DL. Available at: https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/retraction-policy.
- Cambridge University Press (n.d.). Publishing Ethics. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/flow/information/journal-policies/publishing-ethics.
- Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (n.d.). Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections. Available at: https://publicationethics.org/postpublication.
- Elsevier (n.d.). Policy and Best practice: Errata & Corrigenda. Available at: https://www.elsevier.com/editor/perk/policy-and-best-practice-errata-and-corrigenda.
- Emerald Publishing (n.d.). Article Withdrawal & Correction. Available at: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/publish-with-us/author-policies/article-withdrawal-correction.
- Faust, Jessica (2007, October 3). Typos and Errors After Publication. Available at: https://bookendsliterary.com/typos-and-errors-after-publication.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2024, March 22). The Protocol for Reporting an Error to an Author or Publisher. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/error-reporting.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.18830.98883.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, November 10). An Error Was Introduced Into the Seventh Edition of 'A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)'. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/pmbok7.html.
- Idunn (n.d.). Publishing and Research Ethics Policy. Available at: https://www.idunn.no/info/publiseringsetikk.
- IEEE (n.d.). Publishing Ethics: Guidelines and Policies: Post-Publication Policies. Available at: https://books.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/book-publishing-at-ieee/publishing-ethics/guidelines-and-policies/post-publication-policies.
- Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) (n.d.). Guidelines for Ethical Behavior in Publishing. Available at: https://pubsonline.informs.org/page/opre/guidelines-for-ethical-behavior-in-publishing.
- IntechOpen (n.d.). Retraction and Correction Policy. Available at: https://www.intechopen.com/page/retraction-and-correction-policy.
- Marasoviฤ, Tea; Utrobiฤiฤ, Ana; and Maruลiฤ, Ana (2018, March 31). Transparency of Retracting and Replacing Articles. The Lancet, 391 (10127): 1244-1245.
- Nature (n.d.). Editorial and Publishing Policies. Available at: https://www.nature.com/srep/journal-policies/editorial-policies.
- O’Reilly Media (n.d.). Errata for Java in a Nutshell. Available at: https://www.oreilly.com/catalog/errata.csp?isbn=0636920030775.
- Palgrave Macmillan (n.d.). Corrections and Retractions. Available at: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/editorial-policies/corrections-and-retractions.
- Pearson Education / InformIT (n.d.). Contact Us: Submit Errata. Available at: https://www.informit.com/about/contact_us/index.aspx?ContactUs_Topics_Partners_id=9d39709c-c911-4c96-ac2c-2c5a22d68ba9.
- Project Management Institute (PMI) (n.d.). PMI Standards Program Comment Form. Available at: https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/pmbok-standards/pmi-standards-program-comment-form.pdf.
- Project Management Institute (PMI) (n.d.). Standards Errata Sheets. Available at: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok/errata-sheets.
- Public Library of Science (PLOS) (n.d.). Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions. Available at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/corrections-and-retractions.
- SAE International (n.d.). ARINC Standard – Errata Report Template. Available at: https://wcm14.sae.org/site/binaries/content/assets/itc/content/arinc/errata-form.docx [note: selecting the link will download the file].
- Sage Publications (n.d.). Sage Corrections and Retractions Policy. Available at: https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/sage-corrections-and-retractions-policy.
- Science Publishing Group (n.d.). Ethical Guidelines. Available at: https://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/information/ethical-guidelines.
- Springer (n.d.). Editorial Policies: Corrections and Retractions. Available at: https://www.springer.com/gp/editorial-policies/corrections-and-retractions.
- Taylor & Francis (n.d.). Publishing Ethics for Journal Editors: FAQs. Available at: https://editorresources.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-ethics-for-editors/publishing-ethics-faqs.
- Ubiquity Press (n.d.). Correction and Retraction Policy. Available at: https://ubiquitypress.com/site/corrections.
- Warner, Brooke (2019, April 26). How to Publish a Perfect Book. Available at: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/79902-how-to-publish-a-perfect-book.html.
- Wiley (n.d.). Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics. Available at: https://authorservices.wiley.com/ethics-guidelines/index.html.
- Wiley Author Services (n.d.). Wiley's Policy for Handling Retractions, Withdrawals, and Expressions of Concern. Available at: https://authorservices.wiley.com/ethics-guidelines/retractions-and-expressions-of-concern.html.
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (n.d.). Managing Intellectual Property in the Book Publishing Industry. Available at: https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/copyright/868/wipo_pub_868.pdf.


How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, October 21). Pennsylvania State Agency Used Scott M. Graffius' Intellectual Property. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/pa-state-agency-2024.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.29391.09120.


Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication (21 October 2024), they will appear here.
Update on 25 October 2024
Graffius emailed the details of the violation—as delineated in this article—to multiple people with Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services. That email was titled "Notice to Pennsylvania Department of Human Services on the unauthorized and unattributed use of Scott M. Graffius' intellectual property; copyright infringement, damages."
Update on 26 October 2024
Additionally, Graffius forwarded the email referenced above to Valerie A. Arkoosh. She is the head of Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services.
Update on 28 October 2024
To date, Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services has not addressed nor resolved their violation. Accordingly, it knowingly and willfully continues to spread misinformation and violate Graffius’ intellectual property rights.
Update on 6 November 2024
To date, the agency has failed to remove their infringing publication (or even respond). Accordingly, it knowingly and willfully continues to spread misinformation and violate Graffius’ intellectual property rights.
Any further updates on this consequential matter will appear here.
Update on 7 November 2024

Among other actions, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services must immediately remove their infringing publication from all platforms/channels/distributions. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services continues to serve their infringing publication at https://palms-awss3-repository.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Shared_Content/Quality+Management/2022+Certification/QM_Handbook_FINAL_20220322.pdf. Graffius included that link along with other details in his initial email to the agency, titled "Notice to Pennsylvania Department of Human Services on the unauthorized and unattributed use of Scott M. Graffius' intellectual property; copyright infringement, damages." Graffius specified the locations known to him; the agency may be serving their infringing publication at additional locations; the agency is responsible for everywhere they published their infringing publication.
By still serving its infringing publication, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services continues to knowingly and willfully spread misinformation and violate Graffius' intellectual property rights.
Any further updates on this consequential matter will appear here.
Update on 14 November 2024
As noted in the article, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services was serving its infringing publication (PDF with file name 'QM_Handbook_FINAL_20220322.pdf') at multiple locations. The two locations known to Graffius were here and here. However, there may be additional locations.
The agency disabled access to their infringing publication at the first location known to Graffius - https://palms-awss3-repository.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Shared_Content/Quality+Management/2022+Certification/QM_Handbook_FINAL_20220322.pdf. Going to that link now displays an error page. A screen shot is below.

The agency replaced their infringing publication with a different publication at the second location known to Graffius - https://www.myodp.org/course/view.php?id=1795.
Again, the Pennsylvania state agency blatantly violated Graffius' copyright, damaging the marketability and value of his intellectual property. Copyright infringement is so serious that it is a Federal crime.
Graffius reserves his rights. If Graffius opts to take legal action against the Pennsylvania state agency for their violation of his copyright, the Federal case will include the greater of statutory damages or actual damages, special charges for willful infringement (which has been clarified by the courts to be either "intentional behavior" or merely "reckless behavior"), and additional costs.
Further updates, if any, will appear here.


๏ฟผ
Content Acknowledgements
This article uses limited excerpts from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ content, attributed to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and used under fair use for news reporting and analysis. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ content (excerpt for what was stolen from others) is the property of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. Visit ScottGraffius.com.


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.


Toastmasters Used Scott M. Graffius' Copyrighted Property Word-for-Word in Their Publication Without Authorization or Attribution


Introduction
Toastmasters used—without authorization or attribution—Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted property in their publication. Based on the indisputable facts, Toastmasters’ bad acts involve the ethical issue of plagiarism and the legal issue of copyright infringement.
Graffius maintains, enforces, and protects his copyright and other intellectual property rights. This article serves as a clarion call for Toastmasters to face the repercussions of, and take responsibility for, their blatant and damaging violation.

Background
Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman, Ph.D., and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Scott M. Graffius’ first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his ‘Phases of Team Development.’ It’s a unique perspective on the five phases of team development—Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning—and it’s inclusive of the characteristics/features/traits and strategies for each phase.
Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ intellectual property is registered with the United States Copyright Office.
Graffius initially developed his intellectual property in 2008, and he periodically refreshes it. For reference, an authorized example of his copyrighted property applicable in this case (2021 edition) is here: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22040.42246 . It is shown below as well (as Exhibit 1).

As shown above, Graffius’ copyright ownership details are integrated into and appear on his copyrighted property. Specifically, it reads: “Copyright © 2008-2021 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. For permission requests, contact scott@scottgraffius.com.”
Conference organizers, businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities around the world engage Graffius to deliver compelling talks and workshops. Examples are here.
Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ intellectual property is central and key to many of those sessions. Details including his rate card, a listing of his engagements, and more are here.
With an authorization/license from Graffius, many organizations around the world have featured and used his copyrighted ‘Phases of Team Development’ work. Select examples include Yale University, Adobe, IEEE, Microsoft, UK Sports Institute, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, American Management Association, and many others.
Copyrights protect the intellectual property rights of creators, ensuring they receive recognition and compensation for their work, thus incentivizing creativity and innovation. Graffius is vigilant in upholding, protecting, and enforcing his copyrights and other IP rights.
Toastmasters Used Scott M. Graffius' Copyrighted Property Word-for-Word in Their Publication Without Authorization or Attribution, Violating Graffius’ Intellectual Property Rights
Toastmasters infringing 2022 publication is marked with:
- “Toastmasters International”
- “Area Director Handbook”
- “2022”
- “Guide to a successful year as Area Director”
- “District 101”
Exhibit 2 is below. It shows pages 2, 19, 20, and 21 from the infringing 2022 publication.

Further details follow.
Again, Graffius’ copyright ownership details and permission request information are integrated into and appear on his intellectual property.
Toastmasters did not request nor receive permission to use Graffius’ copyrighted property.
Nevertheless, Toastmasters used Graffius’ 4 January 2021 copyrighted property in their 2022 publication.
Comparing Graffius' copyrighted 4 January 2021 'Phases of Team Development' intellectual property what Toastmasters has in its 2022 publication is reveals Toastmasters’ blatant infringement.
Exhibit 3 is below. It shows Toastmasters extensive—including word-for-word—use of Graffius’ copyrighted property on the characteristics and strategies for the Forming stage of team development.

Exhibit 4 is below. It shows Toastmasters extensive—including word-for-word—use of Graffius’ copyrighted property on the characteristics and strategies for the Storming stage of team development.

Exhibit 5 is below. It shows Toastmasters extensive—including word-for-word—use of Graffius’ copyrighted property on the characteristics and strategies for the Norming stage of team development.

Exhibit 6 is below. It shows Toastmasters extensive—including word-for-word—use of Graffius’ copyrighted property on the characteristics and strategies for the Performing stage of team development.

Exhibit 7 is below. It shows Toastmasters extensive—including word-for-word—use of Graffius’ copyrighted property on the characteristics and strategies for the Adjourning stage of team development.

Further, Toastmasters did not attribute their use of Graffius’ copyrighted property to Graffius. Accordingly, Toastmasters is wrongly leading others to falsely believe that they (or others) are the author and owner of Graffius’ respective copyrighted property.

Conclusion
Again, Graffius’ copyright ownership details and permission request information are integrated into and appear on his intellectual property.
Toastmasters did not request nor receive permission to use Graffius’ copyrighted property.
Nevertheless, Toastmasters used Graffius’ 4 January 2021 copyrighted property in their 2022 infringing publication.
Toastmasters used a significant volume of Graffius’ copyrighted property.
Toastmasters’ infringement included extensive word-for-word use of Graffius’ copyrighted property.
Toastmasters did not attribute their use of Graffius’ copyrighted property to Graffius. Accordingly, Toastmasters is wrongly leading others to falsely believe that they (or others) are the author and owner of Graffius’ respective copyrighted content.
Toastmasters damaged the marketability and value of Graffius’ copyrighted property.
For the aforementioned reasons, Toastmasters’ use of Graffius’ copyrighted property was not ‘fair use’ nor otherwise allowed.
Additionally, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S. Code § 1202, addresses the integrity of copyright management information. It specifies that that removal of copyright information from another’s intellectual property is a crime. That’s for all cases, including educational/non-commercial use. As shown by comparing Graffius' copyrighted property (Exhibit 1) and with page 19 of Toastmasters infringing publication (shown in Exhibit 2), Toastmasters cropped-out or otherwise removed Graffius’ copyright information. That alone makes Toastmasters' actions not ‘fair use’ and a crime.
Toastmasters’ actions in this matter are a disgraceful breach of professional ethics, moral standards, and Graffius’ intellectual property rights.
So long as the infringing publication exists in any form, Toastmasters knowingly and willfully continues to spread misinformation and violate Graffius’ intellectual property rights.
Toastmasters must immediately implement the following three (3) actions:
- Remove the Infringing Material. Electronic Versions: Immediately remove the infringing material from all digital platforms where it is advertised, promoted, sold, or distributed; this includes removing or disabling any online access to it. Physical Copies: If physical copies of the material are in inventory or circulation, stop further distribution; recall any copies already distributed; destroy (recycle) physical copies.
- Issue a Retraction. Publish a formal retraction notice acknowledging the infringement and the steps taken to rectify the situation. The notice will present the facts as they are—the notice will not "spin" or "downplay" the infringement.
- Notify Relevant Parties. Subscribers and Purchasers and other Recipients: Inform the respective subscribers, purchasers, or recipients of the material about the retraction, ensuring transparency about the issue; again, the notice will present the facts as they are—the notice will not "spin" or "downplay" the infringement. Indexes and Databases: Notify any databases or indexing services that list the material so they can update their records accordingly.
Graffius maintains, enforces, and protects his copyright and other intellectual property rights. He reserves his rights in this damaging, disturbing, and consequential matter.
This article serves as a clarion call for Toastmasters to face the repercussions of, and take responsibility for, their blatant and damaging violation.
This case is open.

About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius is a global leader in agile project management, an expert on teamwork tradecraft, an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms, a creator, a consultant, a trainer, an award-winning author, and an international public speaker.
See his bio to learn more.









About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile frameworkโScrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ญ๐บ Hungary
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel
- ๐ฎ๐น Italy
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ณ๐ด Norway
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช UAE
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

About 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

Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, 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 provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ฆ๐บ Australia
- ๐ฆ๐น Austria
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries


How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2023, October 23). Toastmasters Used Scott M. Graffius' Copyrighted Property Word-for-Word in Their Publication Without Authorization or Attribution. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/ti-23.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.18914.34240.


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


Content Acknowledgements
This article uses limited excerpts from Toastmasters International content, attributed to Toastmasters International and used under fair use for news reporting and analysis.
Toastmasters International name, mark, and content (except for what was stolen from others) are the property of Toastmasters International.
Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.


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.

Strategies for Medical Team Success Featured Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ Intellectual Property


With authorization/license from Scott M. Graffius, his ‘Phases of Team Development’ property is featured and used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities worldwide. Among the organizations, scientific and medical-related ones include the Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Bayer, Johns Hopkins University, Life Sciences Trainers & Educators Network (LTEN), Royal Australasian College of Physicians, TBS Switzerland, and others. Naso Sano—a medical education and research organization based in Italy—was added to the list.
On 6 November 2024, Naso Sano published a presentation on strategies for medical success which featured Graffius’ work. Puya Dehgani-Mobaraki, MD (Naso Sano, Italy) hosted the session and Professor Saad Alsaleh (King Said University, Saudi Arabia) delivered the talk. The presentation was recorded, and the video is available on YouTube here.
A screen shot is below.

The current (2024) edition of Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' is here.
Read on to learn:
- About Scott M. Graffius,
- How to Cite This Article,
- and more.

About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius is a global leader in agile project management, an expert on teamwork tradecraft, an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms, a creator, a consultant, a trainer, an award-winning author, and an international public speaker.
See his bio to learn more.









About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile frameworkโScrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ญ๐บ Hungary
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel
- ๐ฎ๐น Italy
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ณ๐ด Norway
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช UAE
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries

About 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

Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, 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 provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- ๐ฆ๐บ Australia
- ๐ฆ๐น Austria
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
- ๐ซ๐ท France
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
- ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
- ๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
- ๐ช๐ธ Spain
- ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
- ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
- ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates
- ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
- ๐บ๐ธ United States
- ๐ More countries


How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, October 23). Strategies for Medical Team Success Featured Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ Intellectual Property. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/nso.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28413.78562.


Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28413.78562.
DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.28413.78562.


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


Content Acknowledgements
This article uses limited excerpts from Naso Sano, attributed to Naso Sano and used under fair use for news reporting and analysis.
Naso Sano name and mark are the property of Naso Sano.
King Saud University name and mark are the property of King Saud University.
Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.


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.

Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development: 2025 Update

A NEWER VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE HERE: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/graffius-phases-of-team-development-2026.html


Introduction
Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Scott M. Graffius’ first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development—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.
Graffius initially developed his unique material in 2008, and he periodically updates it. This article presents the refreshed 2025 edition.
Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, DevOps Leads, and other leaders can apply these insights to overcome team challenges, fostering happiness, productivity, and success.
This article has “team development” in the title. Alternative terms that may be interchangeable in the context of this discussion include group development, group dynamics, high-performance teaming, strategic team building, team agility, team building, team coaching, team collaboration, team dynamics, team leadership, team optimization, team performance, team tradecraft, teamcraft, teamwork, and teamwork tradecraft.


Five Phases of Team Development
1. Forming
Characteristics of the Forming phase include displaying eagerness, socializing, a generally polite tone, sticking to safe topics, being unclear about how one fits in, and some anxiety and questioning.
Strategies for Forming include taking the ‘lead,’ being highly visible, facilitating introductions, providing the ‘big picture,’ establishing clear expectations, communicating success criteria, and ensuring response times are quick.
2. Storming
Traits of the Storming phase include some resistance, lack of participation, conflict arising from differences of opinion, competition, high levels of emotions, and tension.
Strategies for Storming include requesting and encouraging feedback, identifying issues and facilitating their resolution, normalizing matters, and building trust by honoring commitments.
3. Norming
Features of the Norming phase include developing cohesion; purpose and goals are well-understood; more confident; improved commitment; members are engaged and supportive; and relief, lowered anxiety.
Strategies for Norming include delivering feedback, recognizing individual and team efforts, providing learning/upskilling opportunities, and monitoring the ‘energy’ of the team.
4. Performing
Characteristics of the Performing phase include high-level performance; demonstrations of interdependence and self-management; elevated empathy, trust, and morale; individuals defer to team needs; and producing deliverables effectively and consistently.
Strategies for Performing include ‘guiding from the side’ (minimal intervention), highlighting successes, and encouraging collective decision-making and problem-solving.
5. Adjourning
Typical traits of the Adjourning phase (also referred to as the Transitioning or Mourning phase) include potential sadness and the disbanding of temporary teams.
Strategies for Adjourning include communicating change; conducting a summative team evaluation via a retrospective event, lessons learned meeting, or similar session; recognizing individual and team efforts and achievements; and celebrating the team's accomplishments.


Conclusion
These insights provide a practical framework to navigate the complexities of group dynamics. Whether you’re a Project Manager guiding a cross-functional team, a Scrum Master fostering agility, a DevOps Lead bridging development and operations, or another leader, understanding and leveraging the phases of team development can transform challenges into opportunities. And they’ll advance the teams’—and your own—happiness, productivity, and success.
Organizations around the world engage Graffius to deliver compelling talks and workshops. To date, he's presented sessions at 91 conferences and other events across 25 countries:
- Armenia,
- Australia,
- Brazil,
- Canada,
- Czech Republic,
- Finland,
- France,
- Germany,
- Greece,
- Hong Kong,
- Hungary,
- India,
- Ireland,
- Lithuania,
- Luxembourg,
- Nepal,
- Netherlands,
- New Zealand,
- Norway,
- Romania,
- Sweden,
- Switzerland,
- United Arab Emirates,
- United Kingdom,
- and the United States.
Scott M. Graffius’ 'Phases of Team Development' intellectual property is central and key to many of those sessions.
Graffius is a global expert on high-performance teams and he delivers engaging talks and workshops that bring teamwork tradecraft to life. His sessions are tailored to inspire, educate, and equip audiences with actionable tools for success. Whether at global conferences or private corporate events, he provides a fresh perspective on leadership and teamwork.
For booking inquiries, complete the speaker engagement request form or email directly to explore how Graffius can help elevate your organization’s performance.
Read on for:
- Coverage of Graffius’ Research,
- Sources/References,
- About Scott M. Graffius,
- Permission Request Information,
- How to Cite This Article,
- and more.


Graffius’ Research is Widely Cited, Featured, and Used
Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, universities, researchers, journalists, and others around the world have featured and used prior editions of Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ material. Here are some examples:
- Adobe,
- American Management Association,
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
- Bayer,
- Boston University,
- Broadcom,
- Cisco,
- CodeMonk,
- Dagen,
- Deimos Aerospace,
- DevOps Institute,
- Erste Group Bank AG (Austria),
- FINAT,
- Ford Motor Company,
- FSU College of Medicine,
- Hasso Plattner Institute (Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering GmbH),
- IEEE,
- Innovify,
- Johns Hopkins University,
- Journal of Neurosurgery,
- LeadingEng,
- Life Sciences Trainers & Educators Network (LTEN),
- London South Bank University,
- Manufacturers Alliance,
- Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
- Microsoft,
- New Zealand Government,
- Oracle,
- Prima Resource,
- Royal Australasian College of Physicians,
- Singapore University of Social Sciences,
- TBS Switzerland,
- Technical University of Munich,
- Torrens University (Australia),
- Tufts University,
- U.S. National Park Service,
- U.S. Tennis Association,
- UC San Diego,
- UK Sports Institute,
- University of Galway (Ireland),
- University of Graz (Austria),
- University of Waterloo,
- Victorian Institute of Technology (Australia),
- Virginia Tech,
- Warsaw University of Technology,
- Western Sydney University,
- Yale University,
- and many others.
These examples demonstrate the widespread recognition and application of Scott M. Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' work across diverse sectors and entities around the world.


References/Sources
Here’s the select (partial) bibliography:
- Activision Blizzard (2022, September 9). Tackling the Talent Shortage: Identifying the Skills Critical for Game Development. Available at: https://www.activisionblizzard.com/content/atvi/activisionblizzard/ab-touchui/ab/web/en/newsroom/2022/09/tackling-the-talent-shortage.html.
- Alfateh, Maryam Ali Abu; Messaadia, Mourad; and Ali, Mazen (2023, September). Exploring the Dynamics of Team Formation in Human-Artificial Intelligence Collaboration. In 2023 International Conference on Decision Aid Sciences and Applications (DASA), pp. 384-388, DOI: 10.1109/DASA59624.2023.10286788.
- Alford, J. (2019, April 11). Our Co-Production Journey: From Sandpits to Bird Boxes. London, United Kingdom: Imperial College London.
- Ali, A. J., Fuenzalida, J., Gómez, M., & Williams, M. J. (2021, June). Four Lenses on People Management in the Public Sector: An Evidence Review and Synthesis. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 37 (2): 335-366.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute (2021). APH Quality Handbook. Amsterdam: Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute.
- Bandai Namco (n.d.). Teamwork Makes the Dream Work. Available at: https://bandainamcomobile.com/news/power-up-your-teamwork-how-bandai-namco-mobile-builds-stronger-teams.
- Bellet, C., De Neve, J., & Ward, G. (2019 October 14). Does Employee Happiness Have an Impact on Productivity? Saïd Business School WP 2019-13. Oxford, UK: Oxford University.
- Bennett, M., Gadlin, H., & Marchand, C. (2018). Collaboration Team Science: Field Guide. Rockville, MD: National Institutes of Health.
- Berlin School of Business and Innovation (2022, September 22). How Do Technical Abilities Combined with Leadership Skills Fuel Career Growth? Available at: https://www.berlinsbi.com/blog/career-advice/how-do-technical-abilities-combined-with-leadership-skills-fuel-career-growth.
- Brief, A. P. & Weiss, H. M. (2022, February). Organizational Behavior: Affect in the Workplace. Annual Review of Psychology, 53 (1): 279-307.
- Buckinghamshire New University (2024). Strategic Leadership. International Master of Business Administration Programme.
- Caredda, Sergio (2020, January 20) (updated 2021, December 10). Models: Tuckman’s Stages of Team Development. Available at: https://sergiocaredda.eu/organisation/models-tuckmans-stages-of-team-development.
- Cisco (2019). Next-Generation IT Talent Strategies: How CIOs Can Close the Skills Gap and Drive True Business Transformation. Available at: https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/global/en_uk/solutions/executive-perspectives/pdf/ITTalent.pdf.
- Constructor University (2024). Master of Science in Advanced Software Technology. Available at: https://constructor.university/sites/default/files/2024-09/AST_MSc_Handbook__2024.pdf.
- Couture, N. (2016, October 27). A Note About Teams. CIO. Boston, MA: International Data Group (IDG).
- Daly, L. (2002). Identify Your Project Management Team’s Level of Development and Facilitate It to Success. Paper presented at Project Management Institute Annual Seminars and Symposium, San Antonio, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
- Dechurch, Leslie; & Mesmer-Magnus, Jessica. (2010). The Cognitive Underpinnings of Effective Teamwork: A Meta-Analysis. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 95: 32-53.
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) (2023, February 23). Episode 65: A Sprint to Tomorrow, Powered by Teamwork [Podcast]. Available at: https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2023-02-23a.
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- Graffius, Scott M. (2016, January 21). 2014 NSDM Publication on Leadership by National Security Affairs Professor Mary Raum Featured the 2008 Edition of Scott M. Graffius’ Work on Team Development. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/nsdm-leadership.html.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2016). Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions. North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2018, October 18). Agile Scrum Helps Innovators, Disruptors, and Entrepreneurs Develop and Deliver Products at Astounding Speed Which Drives Competitive Advantage [Presentation]. Talk delivered at Techstars Startup Week Conference. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25009.12647.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2019). 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. Scotts Valley, CA: CreateSpace.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, February 20). But First, the Team! [Presentation]. Talk delivered at the Brno, Czech Republic DevConf.CZ 2021 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.29016.72964. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29016.72964.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, June 21). DevOps and Team Leadership [Workshop]. Session at private event in Las Vegas, NV. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.15380.22401.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, May 13). But First, the Team! [Presentation]. Lecture delivered at DevOps Pro Europe 2021 Conference. Based and simulcast live from Vilnius, Lithuania. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30524.36481.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, November 10). An Error Was Introduced Into the Seventh Edition of 'A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).’ Los Angeles, CA: Scott M. Graffius.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, November 8). Bruce Tuckman’s Model (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning) is Highly Relevant and Beneficial, But It Doesn’t Please Everyone. Los Angeles, CA: Scott M. Graffius.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, November 8). Bruce Tuckman’s Model (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning) is Highly Relevant and Beneficial, But It Doesn’t Please Everyone. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/jobs.html.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, October 5). Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility for Happier and More Productive Teams [Presentation]. Talk delivered at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE Day 2021 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.20055.19365. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.20055.19365.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021). Phases of Team Development. Los Angeles, CA: Scott M. Graffius. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.22040.42246.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2022, February 4). Team Development Tradecraft: A Source of Competitive Advantage [Workshop]. Session at private event in Adelaide, Australia. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.14092.80002.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2022, May 13). Want Happier and More Productive DevOps Teams? [Presentation]. Talk delivered at DevOpsDays Geneva, Switzerland 2022 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.22252.85127. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22252.85127.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, April 26). The Science of High-Performance Teams [Presentation]. Talk delivered at the DevOps Institute’s SKILup Day 2023 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.15888.28169. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.15888.28169.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, January 9). Use the Phases of Team Development (Based on Bruce W. Tuckman's Model of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning) to Help Teams Grow and Advance: 2023 Update. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.10720.35846. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.10720.35846.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, July 15). Successful Video Game Development Teams Leverage an Extensive Range of Hard Skills and Soft Skills. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/gamedev.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.31205.17124.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, June 23). What Successful AI Teams Have in Common. Talk at Conf42 Quantum Computing Conference. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.29382.45120.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, June 29). What Successful AI Teams Have in Common [Presentation]. Talk delivered at Conf42 Quantum Computing 2023 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.29382.45120. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29382.45120.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, May 1). Fueling the Development of Innovative and Life-Changing AI Solutions [Presentation]. Talk delivered to an audience of Technology professionals (including Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, Data Engineers, AI Researchers, Project Managers, Business Analysts, UX Designers, Software Developers, Cloud Architects, Data Privacy and Security Specialists, and others involved or interested in AI) at a private event in Mountain View, California, United States. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.27956.73601. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27956.73601.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, October 13). The Science of High-Performance Game Development Teams [Presentation]. Talk delivered at the W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference 2023 - Helsinki, Finland. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.28602.16326. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.28602.16326.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2024, January 5). Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development: 2024 Update. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/teams-2024.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28629.40168.
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- Graffius, Scott M. (2024, May 21). What Successful AI Development Teams Have in Common. Talk at DevDays Europe 2024 Conference. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24313.07529.
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About Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius is a high impact and globally recognized AI, advanced technology, agile, and project management researcher, thought leader, author, and public speaker.
Graffius has generated more than USD $1.9 billion in business value for organizations served, including Fortune 500 companies. Businesses and industries range from technology (including R&D and AI) to entertainment, financial services, and healthcare, government, social media, and more.
Graffius leads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded talent, and consulting services to 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 vice president 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.
He is the author of two award-winning books.
- His first book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions (ISBN-13: 9781533370242), received 17 awards.
- His second book is 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 (ISBN-13: 9781072447962). BookAuthority named it one of the best Scrum books of all time.
Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have featured Graffius and his work including content from his books, talks, workshops, and more. 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,
- EU's European Commission,
- Ford Motor Company,
- 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,
- NASSCOM,
- National Academy of Sciences,
- New Zealand Government,
- Oracle,
- Pinterest Inc.,
- Project Management Institute,
- 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 Tennis Association,
- Veleuฤilište u Rijeci Croatia,
- Verizon,
- Virginia Tech,
- Warsaw University of Technology,
- Wrike,
- Yale University,
- and many others.
Graffius has been actively involved with the Project Management Institute (PMI) in the development of professional standards. He was a member of the team which produced the Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition. Graffius was a contributor and reviewer of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition, The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition, and 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.
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).
He divides his time between Los Angeles and Paris, France.
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Permission Request Information
This work is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
To request permission to use Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' visual shown at the top of this article, email Scott M. Graffius. If your request is approved, Graffius will give you an authorization/license and, if applicable, high-resolution files (JPG and PNG) of the visual. 

How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2025, January 7). Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development: 2025 Update. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/phases-of-team-development-update-for-2025.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33705.30564.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33705.30564

Short Link for Article
The short link for this article is https://bit.ly/teams-2025

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.
IPA / ADAL Publication Plagiarized Another’s Copyrighted Work and Violated Intellectual Property Rights

Recommended Citation
Graffius, S. M. (2026, June 25). IPA / ADAL Publication Plagiarized Another’s Copyrighted Work and Violated Intellectual Property Rights. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/ipa-adal-plagiarized-and-violated-intellectual-property.html
About This Article
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear in the Post-Publication Notes section at the end of this piece.
Introduction
The Institute of Public Administration (IPA) is one of Saudi Arabia's oldest and most influential government institutions. Established by Royal Decree in 1961, it serves as the Kingdom's principal institution for developing the capabilities of public-sector employees, conducting administrative research, and advising government entities. Today, its work is closely aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 and includes leadership development through the IPA's Academy for Developing Administrative Leaders (ADAL), executive education, consulting, research, and organizational transformation. Integrity and ethics are explicit themes.
The IPA/ADAL emphasizes integrity and ethical leadership. However, IPA/ADAL’s 2024 publication, "Leading Talent and Developing Teams - Session 2 - Teams Life Cycle," plagiarized Scott M. Graffius' copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" property and violated his intellectual property rights. IPA/ADAL's conduct contradicts its own principles. Their violation is disgraceful, unprofessional, unethical, immoral, and unlawful.
This case is not yet resolved.
Intellectual property rights grant creators exclusivity, attribution, and control over their use. Graffius's copyright is protected under international law in this case. He presents details of the violation to uphold his intellectual property rights, hold IPA/ADAL accountable, and deter future violations.
Scott M. Graffius' Copyrighted "Phases of Team Development"
Graffius is an expert on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with and analysis of team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his novel work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to advance the effectiveness of teams.
Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, universities, publications, media outlets, and others around the world have featured and used Graffius' "Phases of Team Development." Select examples include:
- Adobe,
- American Management Association,
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
- Bayer,
- Boston University,
- Broadcom,
- Cisco,
- DevOps Institute,
- Government of Finland,
- Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering GmbH,
- IEEE,
- Johns Hopkins University,
- Journal of Neurosurgery,
- Microsoft,
- Ohio State University,
- Oracle,
- Technical University of Munich,
- Torrens University,
- Tufts University,
- UK Sports Institute,
- United States National Park Service,
- United States Tennis Association,
- University of California at San Diego (UCSD),
- University of Waterloo,
- Warsaw University of Technology,
- Yale University, and
- many others.
Its adoption highlights its utility and value as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development" material.
Organizations engage Graffius to develop and deliver compelling, unforgettable talks and workshops. To date, he's presented sessions at 98 conferences and other events across 25 countries, including:
- Armenia,
- Australia,
- Brazil,
- Canada,
- Czech Republic,
- Finland,
- France,
- Germany,
- Greece,
- Hong Kong,
- Hungary,
- India,
- Ireland,
- Lithuania,
- Luxembourg,
- Nepal,
- Netherlands,
- New Zealand,
- Norway,
- Romania,
- Sweden,
- Switzerland,
- United Arab Emirates,
- United Kingdom,
- and the United States.
Graffius’ "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is key to many of those sessions. His rate card and a listing of his engagements are here and here, respectively.
IPA/ADAL 2024 Publication Plagiarized Scott M. Graffius 2019 Copyrighted Work and Violated His Intellectual Property Rights
Scott M. Graffius first introduced his intellectual property in 2008, and he periodically updates it. The 2019 edition was the version plagiarized and exploited in violation of his intellectual property rights. Details follow.
A visual from Graffius' copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" is below. It is also shown at https://x.com/ScottGraffius/status/1126788452295401474?s=20, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8kubFUC79k&t=2789s, and other locations. Focus on the text within it.

As shown, Graffius’ copyright ownership details and permission request information are integrated into and appear on his 2019 "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property. It reads: "Copyright © 2008-2019 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. For permission requests, contact scott@scottgraffius.com."
There was no request to use Graffius' copyrighted property nor did Graffius provide permission.
Nevertheless, IPA/ADAL’s 2024 publication, "Leading Talent and Developing Teams - Session 2 - Teams Life Cycle," plagiarized Scott M. Graffius' copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" property and violated his intellectual property rights.
Excerpts from IPA/ADAL’s 2024 infringing publication are shown below.

The infringing publication is marked with:
- The Institute of Public Administration (IPA)
- IPA's The Academy for Developing Administrative Leaders (ADAL)
- Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY)
- National University of Singapore (NAS)
Comparing Graffius' copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" with the IPA/ADAL's 2024 publication reveals IPA/ADAL's blatant plagiarism and violation of intellectual property rights. The infringing publication used Graffius’ copyrighted property on the characteristics and strategies for the phases of team development. Here are some examples:
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Forming:
"Questioning"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Forming:
"Questioning"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Forming:
"Socializing"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Forming:
"Socializing"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Forming:
"Displaying eagerness"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Forming:
"Display eagerness"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Forming:
"Focusing on group identity & purpose"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Forming:
"Focusing on group identity & purpose"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Forming:
"Taking the ‘lead’"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Forming:
"Taking the ‘lead’"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Forming:
"Providing clear expectations and consistent instructions"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Forming:
"Providing clear expectations & consistent instructions"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Storming:
"Resistance"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Storming:
"Resistance"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Storming:
"Lack of participation"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Storming:
"Lack of participation"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Storming:
"Conflict"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Storming:
"Conflict"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Storming:
"Competition"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Storming:
"Competition"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Storming:
"High emotions"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Storming:
"High emotions"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Storming:
"Normalizing matters"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Storming:
"Normalizing matters"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Storming:
"Encouraging leadership"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Storming:
"Encouraging leadership"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Norming:
"Reconciliation"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Norming:
"Reconciliation"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Norming:
"Relief, lowered anxiety"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Norming:
"Relief, lowered anxiety"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Norming:
"Members are engaged & supportive"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Norming:
"Members are engaged & supportive"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Norming:
"Recognizing individual and group efforts"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Norming:
"Recognizing individual & group efforts"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Norming:
"Providing learning opportunities and feedback"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Norming:
"Providing learning opportunities & feedback"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Performing:
"Demonstrations of interdependence"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Performing:
"Demonstrations of interdependence"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Performing:
"Healthy system"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Performing:
"Healthy system"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Performing:
"Ability to effectively produce as a team"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Performing:
"Ability to effectively produce as a team"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Performing:
"Celebrating"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Performing:
"Celebrating"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Performing:
"’Guide from the side’ (minimal intervention)"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Performing:
"’guide from the side’ (minimal intervention)"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Adjourning:
"Shift to process orientation"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Adjourning:
"Shift to process orientation"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Adjourning:
"Sadness"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Adjourning:
"Sadness"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Adjourning:
"Recognizing change"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Adjourning:
"Recognizing change"
๐ข Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" specifies this for Adjourning:
"Providing an opportunity for summative team evaluations"
๐ด IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 "Leading Talent and Developing …." has this for Adjourning:
"Providing an opportunity for summative team evaluations"
In further evidence of apparent knowing and willful violation, in addition to word-for-word copying, the authors seemed to attempt to conceal the deceit by slightly altering certain words. For example, “Displaying eagerness” was changed to “Display eagerness.” In full context, IPA/ADAL's use was still plagiarism and infringement.
IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 publication used a material amount, including the heart of, Graffius’ 2019 copyrighted property.
IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 publication failed to acknowledge Graffius' ownership of his content. It did not quote, cite, or otherwise credit Graffius. By doing so, its authors/owners misled others into falsely believing that the authors/owners of the IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 publication are the owners of Graffius' respective intellectual property.
IPA/ADAL's infringing publication has damaged the marketability and value of Graffius’ intellectual property.
IPA/ADAL's infringing publication's use of Graffius’ copyrighted property was not "fair use" nor "fair dealing" nor otherwise allowed.
IPA/ADAL's infringing publication violated Graffius' intellectual property rights.
The infringement is disgraceful, unprofessional, unethical, immoral, and unlawful.
Evidence was preserved.
Notes on the Violation
Scott M. Graffius’ copyright ownership details and permission request information are integrated into and appear on his 2019 "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property. It reads: "Copyright © 2008-2019 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. For permission requests, contact scott@scottgraffius.com."
There was no request to use Graffius' copyrighted property nor did Graffius provide permission.
Nevertheless, IPA/ADAL’s 2024 publication, "Leading Talent and Developing Teams - Session 2 - Teams Life Cycle," plagiarized Scott M. Graffius' copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" property and violated his intellectual property rights.
IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 publication used a material amount, including the heart of, Graffius’ 2019 copyrighted property.
IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 publication failed to acknowledge Graffius' ownership of his content. It did not quote, cite, or otherwise credit Graffius. By doing so, its authors/owners misled others into falsely believing that the authors/owners of the IPA/ADAL's infringing 2024 publication are the owners of Graffius' respective intellectual property.
IPA/ADAL's infringing publication has damaged the marketability and value of Graffius’ intellectual property.
IPA/ADAL's infringing publication's use of Graffius’ copyrighted property was not "fair use" nor "fair dealing" nor otherwise allowed.
IPA/ADAL's infringing publication violated Graffius' intellectual property rights.
The infringement is disgraceful, unprofessional, unethical, immoral, and unlawful.
Demand, Including Notice
The infringing publication is marked with:
- The Institute of Public Administration (IPA)
- IPA's The Academy for Developing Administrative Leaders (ADAL)
- Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY)
- National University of Singapore (NAS)
In advance of this article, the following parties were notified via email about the violation and the demand for resolution. Some details are redacted.
The Institute of Public Administration (IPA) and the IPA's The Academy for Developing Administrative Leaders (ADAL)
- alqudahโโ @ipa.edu.sa
- alshehriโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- alyouseโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- anziโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- banafeโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- bassaโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- contaโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- customeโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- elayaโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- ismaiโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- journโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- legโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- majrashโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- sajjaโโ@ipa.edu.sa
- suppoโโ@innovgov-ipa.com
- tami.monoโโ@ipa.edu.sa
National University of Singapore (NAS) and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY)
- globโโ@nus.edu.sg
- ips.updaโโ@nus.edu.sg
- legโโ@nus.edu.sg
- lkysfโโ@nus.edu.sg
- lkysppexecโโ@nus.edu.sg
- nus.comโโ@nus.edu.sg
- whistleblโโ@nus.edu.sg
Additionally, the following were subsequently notified via email.
Saudi Government - Saudi Vision 2030 - Saudi CEDA
- FSโโ@ceda.cm.gov.sa
- HCโโ@ceda.cm.gov.sa
Secretariat-General, Board of Directors, Institute of Public Administration (IPA)
- amanโโ@ipa.edu.sa
President, National University of Singapore (NUS)
- uprsโโ@nus.edu.sg
Copyright Applicability
Scott M. Graffius resides in the United States and The Institute of Public Administration/The Academy of Developing Administrative Leaders and National University of Singapore/Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy are in or based in Saudi Arabia and Singapore, respectively.
However, Saudi Arabia and the United States have copyright treaties: UCC Geneva July 13, 1994; UCC Paris July 13, 1994; Berne (Paris) Mar. 11, 2004; WTO Dec. 11, 2005; VIP Feb. 21, 2019; Phonograms July 4, 2023.
And Saudi Arabia has strong copyright laws. Singapore and the United States also have copyright treaties: Bilateral May 18, 1987; WTO Jan. 1, 1995; Berne (Paris) Dec. 21, 1998; FTA Jan. 1, 200432; WCT Apr. 17, 2005; WPPT Apr. 17, 2005; SAT Apr. 27, 2005; VIP Sept. 30, 2016. And Singapore has robust copyright laws.
Accordingly, copyright laws apply to this case.
Status
This case is not yet resolved.
Conclusion
The IPA/ADAL emphasizes integrity and ethical leadership. However, IPA/ADAL’s 2024 publication, "Leading Talent and Developing Teams - Session 2 - Teams Life Cycle," plagiarized Scott M. Graffius' copyrighted 2019 "Phases of Team Development" property and violated his intellectual property rights. IPA/ADAL's conduct contradicts its own principles. Their violation is disgraceful, unprofessional, unethical, immoral, and unlawful.
This case is not yet resolved.
Intellectual property rights grant creators exclusivity, attribution, and control over their use. These protections are fundamental to innovation. Graffius presented the details of the violation to uphold his intellectual property rights, hold IPA/ADAL accountable, and deter future violations.
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear in the Post-Publication Notes section at the end of this piece.
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 Scott M. Graffius

Scott M. Graffius is a strategic transformation leader who drives AI, Agile, and broader business and technology initiatives to deliver measurable value across projects, programs, portfolios, and PMOs. He is an expert in the teamwork tradecraft of both human and human-AI teams, including the “exotic team dynamics” that emerge. He is also an authority on the temporal patterns of social media, including the half-life of audience engagement.
He’s a practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and keynote speaker who’s taken the stage at 98 conferences and other events across 25 countries.
He’s delivered over $2.51 billion in value for Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in technology, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, and beyond.
Businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities use Graffius and feature his work. Examples include Adobe, Bayer, Boston University, Ford, Gartner, Harvard Medical School, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, MSN, National Academy of Sciences, Oracle, Pinterest Inc., Project Management Institute, UC San Diego, Verizon, Yale University, and others.
The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.
Experience
Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.
Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.
He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.
Award-Winning Author
Graffius has authored three books.
- Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
- Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
- Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.
International Public Speaker
Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. Graffius has conducted 98 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.
With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.
The speaker engagement request form is here.
Thought Leadership and Influence
Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:
- Adobe,
- American Management Association,
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
- Bayer,
- BMC Software,
- Boston University,
- Broadcom,
- Cisco,
- Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
- Computer Weekly,
- Constructor University - Germany,
- Data Governance Success,
- Deimos Aerospace,
- DevOps Institute,
- Dropbox,
- EU's European Commission,
- Ford Motor Company,
- Gartner,
- GoDaddy,
- Harvard Medical School,
- Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
- IEEE,
- Innovation Project Management,
- Johns Hopkins University,
- Journal of Neurosurgery,
- Lam Research (Semiconductors),
- Leadership Worthy,
- Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
- London South Bank University,
- Microsoft,
- MSN,
- NASSCOM,
- National Academy of Sciences,
- New Zealand Government,
- Oracle,
- Pinterest Inc.,
- Project Management Institute,
- Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
- SANS Institute,
- SBG Neumark - Germany,
- Singapore Institute of Technology,
- Torrens University - Australia,
- TBS Switzerland,
- Tufts University,
- UC San Diego,
- UK Sports Institute,
- University of Galway - Ireland,
- US Department of Energy,
- US National Park Service,
- US Soccer,
- US Tennis Association,
- Verizon,
- Wrike,
- Yale University,
- and many others.
Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:
- The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program, and Project Management
- Agile Practice Guide – Second Edition
- A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Eighth Edition
- A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Sixth Edition
- The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition
- Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures – Second Edition
- The Practice Standard for Project Estimating – Second Edition
He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.
Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft

Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 150 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence. In 2026, Graffius added human-AI teamwork—including the "exotic team dynamics" which emerge when advanced AI collaborates as a teammate—to his "Phases of Team Development."
The 2026 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.
Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms

Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities—such as Fast Company, GoDaddy, Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), Ministère de la Culture (French Ministry of Culture), Pinterest Inc., PNAS, and Telecommunications Policy, among others—his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.
The 2026 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.
Education and Professional Certifications
Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:
- Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
- Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
- Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
- Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
- Project Management Professional (PMP),
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
- IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).
He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management
Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.
Discover Scott’s Books
- 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, June 25). IPA / ADAL Publication Plagiarized Another’s Copyrighted Work and Violated Intellectual Property Rights. ScottGraffius.com. https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/ipa-adal-plagiarized-and-violated-intellectual-property.html

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
DOI coming soon.

Content Acknowledgements
IPA/ADAL’s infringing 2024 publication, "Leading Talent and Developing Teams - Session 2 - Teams Life Cycle," is marked with several organizations: the Institute of Public Administration (IPA), IPA's The Academy for Developing Administrative Leaders (ADAL), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY), and National University of Singapore (NUS). The infringing 2024 publication uses Scott M. Graffius’ copyrighted 2019 work, “Phases of Team Development.” Names and marks are the property of their respective owners. “Leading Talent and Developing Teams - Session 2 - Teams Life Cycle," except for material plagiarized from Graffius’ copyrighted work and used in violation of his intellectual property rights, is the property of its authors/owners. Graffius' article on this case includes limited excerpts from “Leading Talent and Developing Teams - Session 2 - Teams Life Cycle," attributed and used under the fair use doctrine for purposes of news reporting, commentary, and analysis. Graffius’ “Phases of Team Development” is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

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

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