Surprise! Surprise!

I started reading Bas De Baar’s book today, “Suprise! Now, you’re a software project manager! Bas is a contributor to PMLC. After listening to his interviews on Controlling Chaos, and The PM Podcast, I was inspired to grab this book.
Bas touches on many points that I can relate to and some that I am still not sure about in the introduction. Bas mentions several times early in the introduction how important it is for stakeholders to be involved in any project. Bas discusses the relationship between expectations, expectations, and requirements, which he calls “The Flow of Stakes”. This part was very interesting to me as my last post was about soliciting great requirements. A project I am currently involved in is having issues creating great requirements.
He also discusses the distinction between software development and project management. This was interesting to me as I currently work on small software development projects. I manage stakeholder requirements and simplify project management. My productivity dramatically increased after I began applying formal project management methods to all of my projects, as I shared with Cornelius in my interview on The PM Podcast. Bas’s assertions are a good parallel. I essentially split my role as a software developer into two roles. Even though I still have the same job, I am now a project manager and a software developer. I’ve become more proficient in both roles by forcing myself to seperate them. I am better able to focus on one role at a time and understand my expectations. (If you are wondering, I am not schizophrenic. I have just admitted the dual nature of my job and faced it!)
Bas uses simple, elegant figures to illustrate his points in the first chapter. These figures are extremely helpful in understanding Bas. This should be a great read, if the introduction is any indication. I’ll keep you updated!