Mind Maps as Forms

You've probably used mind maps to do your own planning or creative thinking.  What about giving a mind map template to those you work with to help them think about a problem?

When you are thinking of a conversation you will be having with a colleague you might generate a list of the questions you want to discuss.  Try putting these down as mind map and leave space for the responses or notes from the discussion.  Encourage your colleague to "fill in" the template as you talk.

If you want to focus people on a specific output, give them a template of the structure of that output but with space left for them to complete the content. They can think about their ideas with the eventual structure in mind, prepare "tidy" responses and then complete the form.

Maybe you want a group to have a completely free hand to think about a problem.  You could give them a blank mind map template and let them label the branches and add new ones.   When working with a group you could even collect these together, have the group find the common ground and recurring themes across their maps and then produce a synthesis of their ideas on a new map.

 

Technorati Tags: mind maps, group facilitation, workshops

Fast and Frugal Decision Trees

Many processes involve decision makings. Often making these decisions involves searching for, considering and making judgments on a wide range and large volume of data. Having found all the information, and being assured of the relevance of every item it, somehow making the decision doesn’t seem any easier. In fact the sheer volume of information may just be hiding the wood from the trees.

One helpful approach is to stand back from all the information and try to identify which few elements actually “feel” to be key to making the decision. This may involve tapping into your intuition or, if you prefer, your “gut feelings”. Next express these elements as closed questions – is the answer either “Yes” or “No”. Then add the outcome associated with the “Yes” answer and with the “No” – typically this will be the action that the decision maker needs to take next. Assemble the questions into a decision tree.

In some instances, reaching a decision may involve answering several questions, trying to find an overall “Yes” or “No”. If time is a priority – perhaps you have to review many cases per day and need to spend as little time on each as possible – try to rank or sequence the questions to increase the chances of getting to the answer high up the decision tree. Review the questions and amend them – aim to draft the questions so that should you achieve the desired answer at any point you can stop the whole process. What you are aiming to do is to reach a decision as early as possible and not have to pose every question to get to the answer. In the example decision tree below, developed using bCisive, achieving a “Yes” answer at any point achieves the goal of the decision tree and stops the process.

This is all explained in an entertaining and enlightening fashion by Gerd Gigerenzer in his book, “Gut Feelings: Short Cuts to Better Decision Making”. If you are involved in decision making or are preparing procedures or decision trees this book will be of great help in developing your analysis of the problem and the design of the procedure.

Technorati Tags: decision making, decision trees, bCisive

Big Savings on MindManager Bundle

 

Packed with the best of Mindjet, this affordable collection is ideal for anyone who manages projects and wants to streamline work flow start to finish. You get:

New! MindManager 8 for Windows
Our flagship visualization tool users call a “game changer”, a “giant leap forward” and a “must-have” upgrade.

New! MindManager 8 Fundamentals
Jump start your productivity with self-paced, Web-based training developed exclusively for MindManager.

New! JCVGantt^® Pro 3
View dependencies in simple timelines, track costs and manage resources. Integrates seamlessly with MindManager 8.

New! Project Management Jetpack
Benefit from dozens of pro maps, templates and best practices.

Click here for details

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: MindJet, MindManager 8

Intriguing Project Management Tool

There is a flush of new software versions at the moment and the most recent is MindSystems Amode.  The tool promises to combine visual planning, information handling and project management into one application.

I've been using the trial system for some days now.  For a quick start I took advantage of Amode's import function and brought in an MS Project plan.  This was smooth and quick and brought in all the detail. 

 

Amode presents the project information through many different views and panels.  It lets you slice and dice a a project into many sub-projects - this is great for keeping track of things in streams or stages.

 

Using the Briefcase feature you can create several "stacks" of these sub-projects so that you scan across more than one at a time.  Next to be explored was personal task management. 

 

 

Again, for a quick start, I imported a MindManager 8 map that holds some of my current to-dos.  As before, the import was easy, quick and complete.  My to-dos are presented in a tree structure - the main branches of each tree being the main topics from my MM map.  Here I'm able to set and update task/time data, view notes, link to files and web pages, manage relationships and more. 

I updated the status of several tasks to "complete" and then viewed these using the filter function.  I like to keep my completed tasks for a few weeks but don't like them cluttering up the "active" task list.  Amode allows me to create a separate project for the "done" items whilst retaining these within the overall file [Amode calls a collection of projects held in a single file a "solution"]. 

This maintains a nice separation between completed and active tasks.  I'm now thinking that I'll create a new sub-project for done items each week, which should help weekly reporting and give me an audit trail or sorts.  If I want to view several "done" projects at once or compare them with the active project(s) I can do this through the Briefcase mode.

There is also a Gantt view where I cans see the tasks scheduled over time and also a Calendar view, much as for Outlook.  Indeed I could export the tasks to MS Outlook if I so wished however Amode has a task alarm feature that may mean I miss out the Outlook part of my personal management system in future.  I can of course also export to MS Project or MindManager as well as Word, Excel and Open Office Writer or Calc.

I am impressed with the way MindSystems Amode brings together lots of information created in different project management tools.  I think it's going to be a powerful tool for anyone managing projects and tasks.  See more at the MindSystems web site or download a free 21-day trial.

Technorati Tags: MindSystems Amode, project planning, project management, MS Office, MindManager 8

Exporting Mind Maps to MS Excel

Another great feature of MindView 3 Business Edition is its ability to export mind maps to MS Excel spreadsheets.

In an earlier post I demonstrated a mind map where I had attached values and calculations to the branch topics (see Performing Calculations in Mind Maps).

 

Taking the same map I used the MS Excel export function to create a spreadsheet from the same map and using the same data. MindView allowed me to select from one of several spreadsheet templates and a spreadsheet was created at the click of mouse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How powerful is that?! See more on MindView integration with MS Office here.

Technorati Tags: MindView 3 Business Edition, MindView, MS Excel, mindmapping software

Outlook Task Linking with MindView 3

For ease of use it’s hard to beat the simple yet powerful Outlook Task linker that comes with MindView 3 Business Edition.  First create and edit a task list. Next select Export > Microsoft Outlook > Export as New Tasks. You will be prompted to include/exclude tasks with no task data and also to select or create an Outlook Task folder to export to. The tasks are then added to the folder.

MindView also has the option to synchronise a map previously exported to Outlook. Select Export > Microsoft Outlook > Synchronize. An options box pops up giving you control as to how the synchronisation will deal with items that have been modified in either Outlook or Mindview and how to handle tasks that may exist only in Outlook or only in MindView. This way you can update you map with changes/updates made in Outlook or vice-versa. MindView makes this all very simple.

Find out more at the MindView website.

Readers might want to compare the MindView approach with that of Outlook EasyTask - see posting here.

Technorati Tags: MindView, mind mapping software, Outlook EasyTask, MS Outlook Tasks, task management

Buzan’s iMindMap V4.0

iMindMap produces stunning, beautiful maps that are true to Tony Buzan’s rules for mind mapping. The maps produced are organic, colourful and memorable – as close to the hand drawn item as may be possible using a computer.

The benefits of iMindMap are that these organic-looking maps can easily be put to other uses and are easy to share. Using the export features you can export the maps to Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Project as well as other file formats, HTML and print.

New in version 4.0 is an animated presentation mode. There are two animation options: to expand the map branch by branch; to expand the map by main branch. The first option allows you to reveal each branch and it’s sub branches one click at a time, which is great for a measured or controlled delivery. The real beauty of this feature is, however, the expand by main branch option. This takes one branch at a time and in smooth, flowing movement reveals each sub-branch in turn before pausing. There is a speed control that allows you to match the pace of this animation to your narrative.

Furthermore any links included in the map, such as to files, web pages or other maps, can be opened and displayed from within the presentation by simply clicking on the link. When you have finished with the link you can return to and continue with the presentation.

To find out more, visit the iMindMap website.

Technorati Tags: Tony Buzan, iMindMap, mind mapping software, presentations