Peace of Mind

Import a Word Document - Why?

2012-01-30T09:03:00.001Z

Many mind mapping software packages contain a Word import feature. I wonder how many have used it and why.

From experience, I have found a number of benefits from using this feature:

the map provides a summary of the document, making the content easier to assimilate
the document becomes much easier to navigate, it's contents are laid out on a single page
detail can be hidden where not required or expanded where of interest
the software provides alternative approaches to review and highlighting; ideas can be added; review comments; icons; highlighting
the document can be filtered, provide a cut down version containing only the content of interest
the document can be exported back to Word again, with filters, changes and mark ups added, providing a richer Word document for sharing.

I will use the rules to a complex game as an example. It's a 37 page document, with content in three columns per page. The table of contents runs to a page and a half, also in three densely packed columns. I've worked with business documents far larger this.

Now how would you get a quick impression of content and subject matter without printing and physically running over the document by eye?

Importing it into, say, MindManager or MindGenius, provides an instant overview. I am fortunate the document is well structured in terms of heading and sub-headings and makes good use of Word Styles (Heading 1, Heading 2 and so on).

MindGenius.

MindManager.

Once in this form, I can begin editing, marking, flagging and filtering.

When I've finished I can either publish the map or export to Word. When I export to Word I can use the same template used to format the original document, thus retaining continuity of appearance.

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Some of the images used in this post were created using MindGenius. If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount.

Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Technorati Tags: MS Word, import, MindManager, MindGenius, mind mapping software

Programme Blueprint - Contents and Dependencies

2012-01-16T12:01:00.001Z

Further to the last post, which introduced the Programme or Project Blueprint, I've made a few notes on some key aspects. These are:

Range of business models included
Dependencies with other documents
The life cycle actions on the Blueprint
Purpose and benefits of the approach.

The notes are presented as a series of slides created by MindGenius, each being a simple list of the points. Just click on the image and it will open full size in another window.

Range of Business Models Included:

Dependencies with Other Documents:

Life Cycle:

Purpose and Benefits:

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The images used in this post were created using MindGenius. If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Technorati Tags: programme management, programme blueprint, MindGenius

A Blueprint for Change - Detailing the Future

2012-01-03T11:13:00.002Z

When embarking upon a change programme or project, it is a good idea to know something about what the programme or project will put in place ... obviously. Some outputs are often available: the programme 'vision'; the business case; a high level programme brief. However these will mostly likely not contain sufficient detail of what the business will look like when the programme or project completes.

It can be invaluable to create and maintain a Blueprint. I stumbled across the concept of a Blueprint in the 'Managing Successful Programmes' guide produced by the UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC). Prepared as early as possible in the life of the programme or project, the Blueprint describes the business as it will be implemented to deliver the capability and benefits described in the vision and business case.

The Blueprint describes:

the business functions, processes and working practices in scope and how they will change
management and reporting and governance structures
new and amended services with statements of how the customer will perceive, experience and benefit from these
how people will be organised and skilled
information needs and technology enablers
other resources, capabilities, internal and external services
relationships with internal functions and new and existing suppliers.

The advantages of maintaining a Blueprint are that it provides:

a living summary of high level requirements expressed in terms of the end game
a reference to support the business case
the single, authoritative source for briefing all stakeholders, programme and project team members
a source of material for all communications events, ensuring continuity and consistency of messages.

At a very early stage the programme or project team will be able to better articulate what is being attempted. It will help those involved see for themselves how their worked might be affected. It supports the process that helps people respond to and manage their natural response to change.

The Blueprint may also be extended to include high level statements of the timeline and major milestones. It may include, where required, the 'end states' as they will be at key migration steps or stages. It may say something about how the change programme or project will be approached - providing high level direction for programme and project plans and initiation documents (PIDs).

Typical contents for an extended Blueprint are included in a MindGenius map that is available for download from Biggerplate - just click 'Programme and Project Blueprint'.

The map is also available as a MindView map by clicking here and a MindManager map on Biggerplate here.
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The images used in this post were created using MindGenius. If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Technorati Tags: programme management, project management, Blueprint, MindGenius

MindGenius Comes to Biggerplate

2011-11-10T18:21:00.001Z

Today Biggerplate added full support for maps created using MindGenius. Now you can add MindGenius maps to Biggerplate and access a library of maps available from today.

To see maps created by me, several of which have been featured on the Peace of Mind blog, click on this link to Biggerplate.

To find out more see: http://biggerplateblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/mindgenius-comes-to-biggerplate.html or visit www.biggerplate.com.

If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Risk Management - An Action Plan

2011-10-05T10:22:00.001+01:00

If a risk analysis exercise is to be meaningful, it needs to result in an action plan to mitigate the prioritised risks. Defining and implementing the action plan is the last of four steps introduced in the previous post - Risk Management - Analysis to Action.

Having identified, assessed and prioritised the risks, next consider and define a mitigation plan for each risk. Summarise the risk strategy (Reduce; Share; Accept; Avoid), what will be done and how it will be achieved. Guided by the mitigation plan now define, assign and schedule the actions necessary to deliver the plan.

This can be achieved using mapping software - always great for brainstorming and creativity.

List the risks as level 1 topics or branches. Attach key attributes of the risk to each of these topics or branches, using icons or category markers, for instance:

A marker for Likelihood and another for Impact
A marker for status or progress
Assign an owner using a label or task resource
Capture the mitigation plan summary as a sub-topic.

For each risk, next add the list of actions that will deliver the mitigation plan. Assign resources and dates to these and you have a simple plan.

To get an idea of what this might look like in practice, here is one approach using MindGenius. This illustration use as simple template map.

To start, first add the risks at level 1 and add the attributes using Categories and Task markers.

Next add the summary of the mitigation plan.

Then add the actions with resources and dates assigned.

A simple example for a change management programme looks like this.

You now have several choices as to how to publish the plan and maintain it over time, for instance you may:

use the MindGenius map as is to review progress and maintain the actions
use the MindGenius Gantt feature
export the map to MS Project and integrate with the overall project schedule
export to MS Excel.

Here is the example map as a MindGenius Gantt chart ....

.... and here is a MS Project plan.

Exporting to Excel offers additional options, especially where communicating the plan to a project group not familiar with the other formats. First step is to select 'Export to Microsoft Excel' and choose your options. In the following example, the key options selected are:

'Apply MindGenius styles' (the text formatting on the map will be applied to Excel - great if you have a preferred MindGenius template style)
'Flat Export'.

With these options selected, the template produces a spreadsheet that looks like this:-

With a bit of formatting it looks even better ....

A general word of warning - if you use any of the export options and the plan or document you are working with is likely to go through many iterations, try to resist formatting the output beyond anything simple and easy to replicate - you'll have to format it again every time you regenerate it from MindGenius or whichever tool you are using.

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The images used in this post were created using MindGenius. If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Technorati Tags: MindGenius, action planning, risk management, project planning

Risk Management - Analysis to Action

2011-10-04T10:56:00.001+01:00

If you are new to risk analysis and risk management, the impact for your project can seem like a draw on resources with little benefit. However, if viewed as contributing to the identification of deliverables and the tasks that produce them, risk management begins to make sense. The key is take the analysis through to the end and identify actions to be addressed.

Risk management in this context can be seen simply as four steps, the:

Identification of risks
Assessment of their likelihood and impact
Prioritisation of the risks and the responses to them
Implementation of actions that address the prioritised risks.

Prioritisation of risks will involve looking at the overall context and strategy of the organisation, the objectives and constraints of the project and the desire and resources for action (the so called 'appetite for risk').

Actions to address risks will be determined by the approaches chosen for each, typically falling into one or more of:

Reduce - prevention, mitigation and/or contingency
Share - transfer risk via insurance or outsourcing
Accept - "live" with the risk because the likelihood is very low or the cost of reduction or sharing is too high
Avoid - stop doing the activity or action that carries the risk.

It is common practice to record the key attributes from this analysis, together with the initial decisions, in a risk register or log.

The register is the critical input into the final, action planning step. The resulting plans will contain a mix of deliverables that:

Prevent or reduce the likelihood of the risk arising
Mitigate the impact of the risk should it arise, including the planning of budget and resources to deal with the problem should it arise
Contingency plans that minimise the impact and restore the situation.

The deliverables and actions are then integrated within the overall project plan or, if appropriate, assigned to owners outside of the project for attention.

In the next post I will illustrate a simple approach using MindGenius to generate action plans to address individual risks.

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The images used in this post were created using MindGenius. If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Technorati Tags: MindGenius, action planning, risk management, project planning

SWOT Analysis - Brainstorming Ideas

2011-09-26T09:46:00.001+01:00

In previous posts on the subject of SWOT analysis, the initial steps in the process have been identified as:

Define the goal or objective
Brainstorm and review strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) in the context of the objective.

The key consideration before starting the analysis is to establish and agree the focus, whether you are working on your own or with a group in a meeting or workshop. Before any idea generation, determine what is the objective to be analysed and which feature(s) of the organisation, product or individual are to be examined in a given work session. In facilitation terms, we talk about identifying the focus question.

For a SWOT analysis this focus question will include reference to the objective and define the scope or context further, such as:

Given our objective, what is it about the situation of our organisation/products/staff that needs to be addressed by strategy.

An example of this is:

Use this focus throughout the SWOT analysis - keep coming back to the objective - there may be many internal and external factors that might be considered but not all will be relevant to achieving the objective.

Stay within the context of the analysis. For a given session, it might be decided to focus only on selected capabilities, resources, performance or assets. This might be driven by the need to define strategy for a given market or product or for operational improvements. The focus might be on people, processes or technology. Agree what this focus needs to be and then work with it.

It is also useful to think of a next level of focus questions to help with the idea generation and to help control the analysis session.

If you are using MindGenius to undertake the SWOT analysis, you can use the 'Question Set' feature to define the questions and to use the question set to help drive the initial idea generation and analysis. This can help:

Maintain the focus
Break the idea generation and analysis into more manageable chunks
Stimulate ideas
Sequence or group the ideas.

A very simple question set created in MindGenius looks like this:

The questions set may be used with the normal map creation/editing mode or with brainstorm mode.

In brainstorm mode, open the relevant question set, select each question in turn and add the ideas.

Each idea can be linked to the question it relates to - in this example it is useful to know whether an idea is a strength, weakness, opportunity or threat, for instance. If ideas come up that relate to questions reviewed previously, then move back to the relevant question, select it and then add the idea. However this is not critical as the ideas will be reviewed again later.

When complete, create a map from the brainstorm, selecting the option to create a 'Question-Centric Map'.

Use this new map to review the ideas generated thus far, expand on ideas or to add new ones.

Change the layout, amend the formatting, add notes and categories - whatever helps the review and refines the output.

More sophisticated question sets will provide further focus, segmentation and depth. Take a look at the default question set for SWOT analysis to see an example.

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The images and slides used in this post were created using MindGenius. If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Technorati Tags: SWOT analysis, brainstorming, MindGenius

SWOT Analysis - Getting from Ideas to Action

2011-09-13T10:36:00.001+01:00

In the last post - SWOT Analysis - So what? - I introduced the SWOT analysis tool and how it may be applied to the development of strategy and action plans.

The approach to using the tool might be summarised into 5 steps:

Define the goal or objective
Brainstorm and review strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) in the context of the objective
Review the SWOT and brainstorm strategies or high level actions to address each idea
Review each strategy or high level action, identify detailed actions to implement
Schedule the actions to complete the action plan.

Mapping software is ideal for this kind of planning and I'll take you through the 5 steps using MindGenius to illustrate one possible approach.

Having defined an objective, next complete the brainstorm of the SWOT attributes.

Capture high level strategies for action against each SWOT idea.

Using the 'Analyze' function of MindGenius, assign categories to each of the elements of the map: SWOT template; the brainstormed SWOT ideas; the high level strategies or actions. Filter the map to leave only the high level strategies or actions visible. Export these to a new map using the 'Create Category Map' function.

This gives a simple map listing only the high level strategies or actions.

This may be reviewed, refined and restructured or taken as is. Taking each strategy, add detailed actions to the map.

Next, schedule the detailed actions - actions with dates (and owners and resources) become more real.

In MindGenius, switch to the Gantt view. Schedule the actions, create dependencies, set durations and assign resources.

The resulting action plan may be managed using MindGenius or it can be exported to MS Project. The action plan may be refined further, more detail added and so on.

This simple example demonstrates what a simple yet powerful tool SWOT analysis is. The critical, creative part is the generation, review and evaluation of ideas and actions. Depending on the purpose of the exercise, the context (large or small company, for instance) and the level of governance needed, include in your plans time/effort for consultation, review and approval as well as for a number of iterations.

This example also illustrates how a mapping tool such as MindGenius can help you with each step of the process, creating strong visual documentation as you go.

In the next post I'll show how MindGenius can help with the initial brainstorming by the use of "Question Sets".

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The images and slides used in this post were created using MindGenius. If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Technorati Tags: SWOT, strategy planning, MindGenius

SWOT Analysis - So what?

2011-09-13T10:35:00.000+01:00

SWOT analysis is a useful tool for the development and evaluation of strategy and action plans. The acronym - SWOT - stands for: Strengths; Weaknesses; Opportunities; Threats.

The analysis is usually applied within a specific context, from the viewpoint of; an organisation or company; a product; a project; an individual. The time to use it is when a goal or objective has been set and you are defining the strategy or plan to achieve it.
Analysis of an organisation, project or individual might be interesting but to derive meaningful strategy a clear focus is needed. This is provided by a goal or objective, such as to expand the company, enter a new market, implement major changes or to gain promotion to the top level. With the context and goal as the focus, the analysis then considers:

What will help to achieve the goal
What will impede progress
What can be taken advantage of
What must be overcome.

The definitions of each element of SWOT are simple:

Strengths: positive advantages to the organisation, thing or person; internal factors that are within your control
Weaknesses: internal factors that will hinder the achievement of the goal and that are within your ability to influence
Opportunities: external factors, relevant to the achievement of the goal - providing motivation or an advantage, consider when these opportunities may be present and for how long
Threats: external factors, outside of your control which present risk to the achievement of the goal, identify their likelihood and possible impact.

From this, you can see that SWOT provides more than just a one dimensional analysis, it helps identify:

Positives and negatives that will impact achievement of the goal
Internal and external - within your control or not
Time frames - now and the future.

SWOT analysis provides a model for you to consider these dimensions together, as illustrated by the figure above.
The key thing to get across is that the analysis - listing the factors against each of the SWOT elements - is only part of the process.
Once you have done this first step, you will be ready to ask yourself, “Ok, I've made some lists - I sort of knew most of this already. But what do I do next to get some real value from this - how do I formulate a plan or strategy?”
The next step is to take the ideas and create an action plan or strategy:

Review the ideas captured - what strategies come to mind?
Maintain or build on strengths
Weaknesses to be fixed, changed or stopped
Opportunities to be grasped, when and how
Contingencies to overcome or mitigate threats
Review the actions - create one or more plans with timeframes
Review the plan(s) and evaluate alternatives
Ask the question, "How well does this help with achievement of the goal?"
Select the preferred strategy, assign ownership and start to act.

As always, click on the images to see full size.
In the next few posts I'll show how aspects of SWOT analysis and planning can be achieved in practice.

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The images and slides used in this post were created using MindGenius. If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.
Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.
To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Technorati Tags: SWOT, strategy planning, MindGenius

5 Reasons to Use MindGenius on Your Projects

2011-08-02T07:40:00.001+01:00

Over at TechRepublic, Andrew Makar lists five reasons to use MindGenius on your projects. These are:

Create maps faster with better usability
Better branch navigation and map organisation
Faster organisation of ideas
Ask better questions with Question Sets
All the other PM stuff you'd expect but better.

Click on this link to see the article in full at TechRepublic.

What's your experience?

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If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Technorati Tags: project management, MindGenius

Are Mind Map Topics Just Bullet Points by Another Name?

2011-07-31T09:33:00.001+01:00

Mind mapping applications such as MindManager and MindGenius are now coming with built in presentation tools that help you:

Create a presentation
Create visuals to support the presentation
Present the visuals you have prepared.

You may be familiar with how they work ... having created a map, these tools help you select topics and branches to include in your slides. They give you more or less control over which topics to include in each slide and what level of sub-topic or sub-branch they are drilled down to.

Having organised what you want to say using a map, it is possible to create slides from the topics very quickly - real advantage especially when pressed for time.

But beware! If all you do is build a set of slides presenting snap shots of the topics on your map you may end up with slides containing not much more than bullet points in disguise .....

To get around this ....

1. Design the presentation using mapping software - there are lots of advantages

2. Treat the map as both the story board and script for what you will say

3. Identify the key places in your script where you will support your words with a visual - a slide

4. Insert a topic at this point ... If the visual is ready, insert it ... If it isn't, leave a note or two to act as a place marker

5. When all the visuals are ready and included in the map, build your slides and include only the topics containing the images or pictures you have selected.

A final thought about bullet points ... or bullet topics ... there will be times where a list of headlines is a useful thing to present as a visual - an agenda for instance or a summary of the key topics presented at the end to help the audience remember what you have just told them.

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The images and slides used in this post were created using MindGenius. If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Technorati Tags: presentations, mind mapping applications, MindManager, MindGenius

Keyword Networks - The Bigger Picture

2011-07-26T10:51:00.001+01:00

In a previous post (Clickable Keywords from WikiSummarizer) I introduced the "clickable" keywords feature of WikiSummarizer.

This feature allows you to follow your train of thought from a review of an initial summarised article through a network of related articles. This is done by clicking on a keyword within a summary and WikiSummarizer will present a summary of a Wiki article for that keyword.

It would also be great to get a visual image of the resulting network of interrelated summaries, linked by the selected keywords. An application to do this is not available currently (is it?) but one approach that is reasonable for a small network of linked keywords is to use a mind mapping application.

The idea is to download each WikiSummarizer summary as it is found to the mind mapping application. Next copy and paste each summary into the initial map as floating main topics (that is, a floating topic that has child topics like the central main topic does). Once you have all the keyword summaries pasted in this way you can then connect the keywords using relationships.

Here is a finished example using summaries download directly into XMind. (You can achieve a similar result using MindManager). The keyword path is highlighted by icons (in this case, an unlocked padlock), shading in red and the links drawn as relationships. (Click on the image to see a full size version.)

In the example, we started with an article on "Carl Jung". One of the keywords in the returned summary is "psychology" so a summary was found, downloaded, copied and pasted onto the "Carl Jung" map. Interest was then aroused in the keyword "individuation" and a summary was found and added to the map as before. This led to a further summary for "personality" being added. A review of the resulting diagram showed shared keywords between summaries and these were linked with relationships.

This simple example shows how it is possible to build a visual network of the key topics associated with a subject, built up from a review of several (or many) summaries and the links between common keywords, resulting in a broader, deeper and richer picture.

Now wouldn't it be great if you could do all of this working with a single map and have the links made and highlighted for you as you go ..........

Technorati Tags: WikiSummarizer, keyword summaries, Xmind, MindManager

WikiSummarizer - Enhanced Support for Mind Mapping Applications

2011-07-23T08:57:00.001+01:00

WikiSummarizer is undergoing constant development and a new feature is the ability to download summaries to XMind and iThoughts, with a single click.

This adds to the direct download capability for mind mapping applications - providing alternatives to the original MindManager download.

Here is a summary of the Wikipedia article on "Wine" downloaded directly to XMind.

UPDATE:

The ability to load downloaded summaries into mind mapping applications other than Mind Manager was demonstrated using the Rich Text Format (RTF) file download option - see: Mapping with WikiSummarizer.

However there is of course a much simpler option - if your favourite mind mapping application is able to open/import a MindManager map then simply download the summary as a MindManager file, launch your application and open/import the file. It came to me in one of those Homer Simpson "Doh!" moments.....prompted by Henry Lewkowicz, naturally.

Here the "Wine" summary as opened with MindGenius 4.

Here, the MindView version.

The option to open a MindManager map is also available in IMindMap - image coming soon!

Technorati Tags: WikiSummarizer, mind mapping software, MindGenius, MindView, IMindMap, Xmind, MindManager

Presentation Design with MindGenius

2011-07-01T13:26:00.001+01:00

Continuing with the theme of presentations (see: Bad Presentations Are Not the Fault of PowerPoint) I want to give one or two simple illustrations of some of the points made. I'll do this in combination with a quick demonstration of how a tool like MindGenius might be used to plan and script the presentation and to create the supporting slides and handouts.

In the earlier post, several solutions were suggested to help improve presentations, these were:

Make a clear point
Analyse the audience
Separate the "script" from the supporting images
Less is more
Brief the audience beforehand
Anticipate the audience's lack of preparedness
Meet the need for detail or technical material.

To illustrate how these might be addressed, I'll use a scenario of the outcome of a study into the best location for an imaginary office relocation. Click on any of the images to see an expanded view.

The "clear point" to be made is a recommendation on the best location. "Audience analysis" of the Steering Group, to whom the recommendation is being made, identifies that the expectation is for the recommendation to be made on cost grounds alone. Supporting facts and figures will be needed to support the recommendation. The "hidden" objective is ensure the audience are confident the study was thorough and detailed.

The simple plan is:

lead with the recommendation (Manchester)
confirm that this is the cheapest option
remind the Steering Group of the selection criteria set by the Board
detail the costs of the options in line with each of these criteria
show the recommended option is the clear winner
ask the Steering Group to approve the recommendation and move to the next step.

The main ideas are easily set out in MindGenius.

Each of the ideas is then expanded to provide the "script".

Once we have the "spoken" part of the presentation, we decide which points need to be reinforced with a visual. These are created and added to the MindGenius map.

Using the MindGenius presentation builder, the next step is to create the slides needed to support the presentation.

The result is a handful of slides including a summary of the structure of the presentation and leading with the recommendation and how it was reached. The charts meet the audience's need for detail.

The presentation is now ready, we just need to learn the script and rehearse. We could present the slides using MindGenius or we can export them to PowerPoint.

For the script, we can use a print out of the MindGenius map or we can export it to Word to give us a more linear document to work from. Exporting to Word also gives us a handout we can give to the audience at the start of the meeting.

We know it will be useful to "brief the audience beforehand" by issuing a short report containing the detailed facts and figures. This is quickly prepared from our script via a Word export and with a few changes in wording appropriate to a report style.

If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the web site and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Technorati Tags: presentations, MindGenius, MS PowerPoint

Bad Presentations Are Not the Fault of PowerPoint

2011-06-27T11:46:00.001+01:00

Ever sat through a bad presentation? Not sure what it was what about? Couldn't remember much about it when it was over?

Have you ever found your thoughts wandering ... maybe something like this ....

After the third slide, "His slides are just bulleted lists ..."
After the fourth slide, "He's just reading from the slides ...."
After the fifth slide, "There are a lot of words on each slide for him to read out ..."
By the sixth slide, "Oh no! I've just spotted that this is slide 6 of 45 ....argh!"
"Ok I got the message three slides ago, can we stop now? Please?"

Why does this happen? It's long been commonplace, almost fashionable, to blame it on PowerPoint. Whilst PowerPoint has it's drawbacks, a bad presentation is really the fault of the person who plans it, designs it and delivers it.

Typical problems

What is this about?

Presenters sometimes tell the audience everything they know on a given subject but without making any clear points, reaching a conclusion or identifying a call to action

Death by bullet points

The audience is taken through a series of slides containing little more than bulleted lists (this blog post makes use of bullet points as a reading aid, naturally)

Death by slides

There are just too many slides

The slides are the presenter's script

The presenter uses the slides as their auto cue - the content and format reflect this. The audience are probably reading the slides and not listening. Some don't even do this and just ask for the slides at the end

Failure to manage audience expectations

Some are so familiar with the bulleted list style of presentation that other approaches don't satisfy them
Some judge the value of the presentation by the scale and depth of the detail it contains

The audience is poorly prepared

Some have not had time (or not made time) to read the briefing document and want a presentation where the presenter "reads it out loud" for them

Poor visual design, themes and layout

Use of standard or garish and distracting templates and transitions

Some Solutions

Make a clear point

What is the purpose of the presentation and what is the value to the audience - what do you want them to think do or say at the end?
Based on your analysis (see below) plan to tell them only those facts that help them get the point, understand the conclusion or know what is being asked of them

Analyse the audience

Before starting to plan the presentation, consider the audience:

What do they already know about the subject?
What is their need for detail, facts, figures, drawings?
What do they want - if they've read the report they may just want 10 minutes to ask questions so why prepare a 30 minute presentation?
What impression do you want to leave them with - of you and your credibility
What would make them want to sit through your presentation twice - or at least recommend it to others?

Separate the "script" from the supporting images

Plan the presentation, write the story board or script - then choose images and key words that reinforce what will be said, make these your slides
I've seen some excellent presentations that used a single visual aid

Less is more

Fewer slides with one or two messages per slide with strong visuals that help the audience get the point you are making and to remember it afterwards
If you use a slide it must support what you are saying at the point you say it

Brief the audience beforehand

Send a summary of the theme and key ideas together with the purpose and value of the presentation or meeting
Help the audience understand what they will get from the presentation and what they might be expected to do as a result

Anticipate the audience's lack of preparedness

Don't ask "Has everyone read the briefing the paper?", those who haven't won't embarrass themselves by saying no .... instead offer to run through the main ideas of the paper before starting the presentation

Meet the need for detail or technical material

Issue a paper or report beforehand, refer to it during the presentation
Hand out the paper or report at the start of the meeting or presentation - give people 5 or 10 minutes to review it, then reference it throughout the presentation

Do you really need PowerPoint at all?

And finally - having identified your objectives, analysed the audience's needs and planned what needs to be covered - and how, you might consider holding a different kind of meeting and maybe, just maybe, not even using technology at all .... just a thought.......

There is a lot of material on this subject on the web.

A good place to start is Edward Tufte's web site.

Technorati Tags: presentations, effective meetings, PowerPoint

What is Facilitation?

2011-06-17T11:54:00.001+01:00

Despite having been one for many years, I still occasionally struggle to give a succinct explanation of what a facilitator does. I was very pleased (relieved?) to see an article by Gordon Wylie this week on the subject of facilitation. Before introducing an approach to group facilitation, Gordon begins by giving an excellent summary of the role of the facilitator:

"The purpose of a facilitator is to make an activity much more productive and easier to perform. It's about helping groups, or individuals to identify and agree an outcome. The group or individual come up with their own ideas/answers, not the facilitator."

Gordon goes on to explain how a facilitator should and shouldn't lead, before giving an excellent example of how this is put into practice.

The presentation is supported by examples from Gordon's work using MindGenius.

Read the article in full here.

If you would like to know more about facilitation why not visit the web site of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF).

If you would like to know more about MindGenius, do visit the website and try the product free for 30 days.

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

Thank you MindGenius... and thank you Gordon.

Technorati Tags: MindGenius, facilitation, group facilitation, workshop

Clickable Keywords from WikiSummarizer

2011-06-15T09:50:00.001+01:00

A new feature just added to WikiSummarizer (see: Read Less, Learn More from WikiSummarizer and Mapping with WikiSummarizer) is the ability to follow your train of thought from keyword to keyword.

Now, clicking on a keyword presented in a summary in your browser will automatically search Wikipedia and present a summary of the article that matches that keyword.

For example, I stumble across the word "archetype" and I'm not sure what that means. Using WikiSummarizer, I search for that word amongst the Wikipedia summaries (click on the images below to see a readable image).

WikiSummarizer presents me with a list of matching/near matching summaries, together with a few key phrases and a clickable link to the full summary.

I click on the "Link summary" hyperlink for the summary of "Archetype". This brings up the summary of the Wiki article in a new browser window.

One of the keywords in this summary is "Jung", whom I have heard of.

Wanting to know how Jung is connected to archetypes I click on the "Jung" keyword in the summary.

A new browser window opens to display the article summary for "Jung". At the bottom of the summary I see the keyword "Freud" and click this ...... and so on it goes.

This approach returns us to one of the key ideas behind the invention of hyper links - the ability to follow threads in much the same way our brain works.

Now we can do it from keyword to keyword - making best use of the benefits of summarising.

Going back to the original summary on "Archetype", I decide I want to keep this and select the "Export to: Rich Text Format" option. This let's me open or save an RTF version of the summary on/to my PC, which I can open with MS Word or similar word processor.

The new format of the RTF file download that was introduced in the earlier post Mapping with WikiSummarizer is now available. It's a tidy presentation and has the advantage that many mapping software applications can import it.

Technorati Tags: WikiSummarizer, Wikipedia, Context Discovery

MindGenius Free Trial and Discount on Purchases

2011-06-14T11:33:00.001+01:00

If some of the recent posts have sparked your interest in MindGenius, why not give it a try and download the free trial - click here or on the image (right).

Should you decide to buy MindGenius, Peace of Mind Blog can offer a 10% discount. Just use the discount code at the checkout on the MindGenius web site or quote the code in any correspondence with MindGenius.

To claim the 10% discount please use the code: MGELST

This is a discount to readers of the Peace of Mind blog - thanks MindGenius.

For further information on the features of MindGenius 4 please visit the MindGenius web site.

I hope you enjoy using the mapping, brainstorming and analysis features of MindGenius. MindGenius also supports presentations and task and project management, there will be more on these features soon on this blog.

Technorati Tags: MindGenius

Mapping with WikiSummarizer

2011-06-07T08:49:00.001+01:00

WikiSummarizer will create a summary in your browser. If you want to work with the summary using mind mapping software there is the option to download a summary direct to MindManager .... but what if you want to work with other mapping software?

The alternative summary download option is the Rich Text File format and this is due to be updated in the very near future. The first benefit is that the RTF file is now improved in terms of layout and presentation. The second benefit, and the one of most interest to mind mappers, is that the RTF file has been tagged with document styles that make import more straightforward into mind mapping software other than MindManager.

The RTF file is now structured using Word styles - Title, Heading1, Heading 2 - and when this is imported by a mapping tool it creates a corresponding branch structure - Central Topic, Level 1, Level 2.

There are four main steps to getting the Wiki summary into your mind mapping application:

Create the summary using WikiSummarizer
Download the RTF version of the summary
Open the file using MS Word 2007 or 2010 and then save as 2007-10 file format (.docx) or the older 97-2003 format (.doc), depending on what your mind mapping software will work with
Open your mind mapping application and import the Word file.

The examples that follow use a summary of the Wiki article, "Fermentation (wine)".

Here is the summary of the Wiki article as it appears in the browser.

Here is the RTF file downloaded and opened with MS Word.

Once saved in the latest Word format and imported into a mind mapping application, the summary becomes available for further and more visual analysis and refinement.

Here, the file imported into MindView.

Here, the same file with iMindMap (this using version 4.1 and Word 97-2003 format).

And finally, here is the MindGenius version (note the summary of the summary in the "Map Explorer" window top right).

For more on WikiSummarizer see Read Less, Learn More - WikiSummarizer or the Context Discovery blog.

Technorati Tags: wikisummarizer, mind mapping software, MindView, IMindMap, MindGenius

Questions, 6 Thinking Hats and MindGenius

2011-06-06T09:34:00.001+01:00

Most techniques or workshop tools that involve creativity or lateral thinking are driven by questions. There is the overall focus question that scopes the problem to be considered - and there are detailed questions that help bring out the ideas.

A set of questions for use with De Bono's "6 Thinking Hats" will reinforce the differing perspective of each "Thinking Hat".

This helps you and the audience stay with the theme of the hat, as well as providing stimulation of thoughts and ideas.

Summary level questions for each hat might look like this:

White hat: What are the facts?
Red hat: How do you feel about this?
Black hat: What are the challenges and risks?
Yellow hat: What are the advantages?
Green hat: What new things might be possible?
Blue hat: What process shall we follow?

As part of the workshop design or as just part of the process that is followed, additional supporting questions can be asked that keep the thinking going and ensure the full scope is covered.

One way to approach this is to use a MindGenius Question Set. The questions are displayed in a window alongside the map being worked on and help the process as described above. We'll use the "Edit Question Sets" feature to create on for "6 Thinking Hats".

From the "Tools" menu, select "Edit Question Sets". Click on the left-most icon in the dialogue window, which will highlight as "New Question Set".

Enter the name of the new question set, "6 Thinking Hats" in "Question Set Name" and click "Create".

Now, working in the right hand pane of the dialogue window, under "Manage Question Set", highlight the question set title and click the "Add New Question" icon. In this example, we've created the "Thinking Hats" as level one questions .

Next, highlight each level one "Thinking Hat" and add questions relevant to that hat. If you make a mistake, you can edit the question, delete it or change it's sequence.

A completed question set looks like this.

Click "OK" to save the "6 Thinking Hats" question set. Open a new map, click the "Home" tab and then click "Question Sets". The "6 Thinking Hats" set appears under "Custom Question Sets".

Click this and the question set is loaded into the question set window, normally at the bottom left of your MindGenius workspace.

You are now ready to go and can use the question set to prompt the development of a map or it can be used in conjunction with the "Brainstorm" mode.

To download a free trial of MindGenius 4 to try these features for yourself, click on this link or the image (right).

To find out more about 6 Thinking Hats try De Bono's original book.

Technorati Tags: 6 Thinking Hats, MindGenius, workshops mindjet, creativity, group facilitation

Adding 6 Thinking Hats Categories to MindGenius

2011-06-03T08:03:00.001+01:00

In a previous post (see: 6 Thinking Hats and MindGenius) we saw how De Bono's famous thinking tool can be combined with the powerful brainstorming, analysis and mapping functions of MindGenius 4.

Here is a quick tutorial on how to load 6 Thinking Hats (or indeed any other) icons and create the categories needed.

Assuming you have a set of icons to use, open MindGenius and select "Tools > Options" and then click on the "Categories" tab within the "Options" dialogue.

Taking this route ensures that any categories/icons added will be available to all maps as well as the currently open map.

The first step is to add a new "Category Group" - in this case it will be called "6 Thinking Hats".

Then, add a new "Category" to this group - here we are adding "White Hat". With this category highlighted, click "Add Icon". The file selection dialogue will open, go to the folder containing your icons.

Select the relevant icon, click on "Open" and the icon is added to the MindGenius list

Keep adding "Thinking Hats" as categories to the "6 Thinking Hats" category group in this way.

Click "OK" when finished.

Now go to either the "Analyse" or start a "Brainstorm" view and click on the drop down arrow to the right of the displayed categories. To get the new "6 Thinking Hats" category group to display in the list, click "More Categories" and click on the "6 Thinking Hats" title in the list that appears lower right. The category group is added to the list and is now ready to go.

Please refer to the earlier post 6 Thinking Hats and MindGenius to see how this is applied to individual and group working.

To get a copy of the 6 Hats icons seen here, click this link or the image (left) to download a zip file, then extract the files to a folder on your PC.

To download a free trial of MindGenius 4 to try these features for yourself, click on this link or the image (right).

To find out more about 6 Thinking Hats try De Bono's original book.

Technorati Tags: 6 Thinking Hats, MindGenius, brainstorming

6 Thinking Hats and MindGenius

2011-05-31T10:10:00.001+01:00

De Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats - different coloured hats each symbolising a specific perspective - provide a structured way of looking at a problem or idea from all angles. It's a great workshop tool.

With the brainstorming and analysis tools included within MindGenius 4 it is possible to step through a process of: generating ideas using the Thinking Hats; reviewing the ideas, again with the Thinking Hats; then creating a final integrated view of all the ideas, categorised by Thinking Hat.

In summary, the 6 Thinking Hats are:

White hat: neutral; fact or information driven; trends; no opinions; gaps in knowledge

Red hat: intuition or gut reactions; feelings; emotional responses

Black hat: defensive thinking; risks; constraints; impact for other initiatives

Yellow hat: positive thinking; opportunities; benefits

Green hat: creativity; new ways of seeing things; new associations; insights

Blue hat: process control – worn by the meeting chair; summaries; actions; decisions.

The hats can be created as MindGenius categories ahead of the workshop. Click the image (left) to see an enlarged view.

Depending on how the workshop is planned, you might first begin with a brainstorm and collect all the ideas in MindGenius.

The 6 Thinking Hats icons can be applied as the process is stepped through or as part of a second pass where the audience is asked to categorise the ideas.

To create some order from this brainstorm and initial categorisation, select the " Create Map from Brainstorm" option and "Create Category-Centric Map".

MindGenius will create a new map with branches based on each of the 6 Thinking Hats and the categorised ideas attached under the appropriate branch.

Reformat the map to a preferred style and you are ready to move on to the next stage of the workshop.

In the next post I'll show how to create the 6 Thinking Hats Category Group in MindGenius.

If you want to try MindGenius please click on this link or the "trial" image here.

For more on De Bono's 6 Thinking Hats try his book:

Technorati Tags: 6 Thinking Hats, MindGenius, workshop

MindGenius Version 4 - New Release

2011-05-27T11:00:00.001+01:00

Just released is the newest version of MindGenius, Version 4. This version contains significant additions and enhancements and is well worth a look.
Two new functions added are:

Brainstorming
Presentations.

Major enhancements have been made to:

Project Management
Task Management.

Brainstorming
A well thought out approach to providing support for brainstorming that leads to finished products where information has been sorted, filtered and/or categorised - ready for input into action planning.
The brainstorming view captures ideas in an unstructured format that removes the risk of channeling ideas down pre-determined or emerging paths. The brainstorm can be seeded by the use of a MindGenius question set, great for prompting ideas and getting things started. Users can select from a range of question set templates supplied with MindGenius or create their own. If desired, ideas can be captured linked to the question that prompted them - useful for subsequent review and analysis. when ready, MindGenius can create new structured maps from the unstructured ideas, either organised by question or by categories applied to the ideas.
See a tutorial video on the Brainstorming feature

Presentations
Also new in MindGenius 4 is a presentation feature. Taking a map as a starting point, the new tools allow a set of slides to be created interactively.
The user has great control over the content, layout, additional text and graphics appearing in each slide. To create a slide, a portion of the map - typically a branch - is selected and forms the basis of the slide. Additional text can be added, together with graphics to embellish the slide.
Once created a set of slide can be edited to change sequence or remove unwanted slides. A background can be applied together transitions between slides. Throughout the link with the original map is maintained so that any edits to the slide content and reflected in the map. This is a great feature as it let's the material be edited on the fly during the presentation - great for capturing feedback and new ideas. The presentation can be exported either as a PDF or PowerPoint file.
See a tutorial video on the Presentation feature

Project and Task Management

Improvements include:

New Gantt link types - F-F; S-F; S-S
Task constraint types - ASAP; Must Start On; Must Finish On; Start No earlier Than
New dynamic date filters - Today; On; Before
Branch symbol linked to status and % complete.

Initial overall impressions are that this version adds significant new function - function that is immediately useful for all kinds of idea creation, evaluation, planning and communication.
In particular, the Brainstorming and Analysis tools, when used in combination, offer powerful tools for facilitating 1-1 sessions, meetings and workshops.

Technorati Tags: MindGenius, brainstorming, presentations, project management, facilitation

MindGenius and the Consensus Workshop Method

2011-05-27T10:43:00.001+01:00

One of the unique features of MindGenius mind mapping software is it's ability to analyse ideas according to categories and to restructure maps or views of those ideas automatically. This feature is a great way of implementing the consensus workshop method electronically (see previous post on the consensus workshop method).

The five steps of the consensus workshop (as developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs) method are:

Set the context - introduce the focus question
Brainstorm the ideas
Cluster the ideas
Name the idea clusters
Review and action.

Using MindGenius, the focus question become the central topic or idea.

The ideas are brainstormed, collected and consolidated as they are added to the map.

The ideas are clustered using categories feature, available from the "Analyze" tab - you can use a default set provided or create your own category group.

From here, create a new map with the ideas clustered by selecting the "Create Category Map".

Using this new map as a basis you can work to name the clusters. Add the names by editing the level one topics.

As an alternative, once the cluster names are agreed, return to the original map - the one with the brainstormed ideas. From the "Analyze" tab, now select "Edit Categories". Amend the categories used in your map, replacing the original identifiers with the cluster names. Once completed, select "Create Category Map" and this time the resulting cluster map contains the cluster names in the level one topics.

You could now go on to assign dates and resources to the ideas, creating a simple action plan.

As part of the documentation step, you can export the map to Excel or Word to provide an additional record of the workshop or to provide the basis for further definition.

You can try this for yourself using MindGenius by clicking this text or the image below and downloading a free trial.

Technorati Tags: consensus workshop, MindGenius

Internal Controls - Documenting with MS Visio

2011-05-20T11:08:00.001+01:00

The last post (Process Mapping with Internal Controls)introduced the idea of integrating internal controls definitions with/within the map of the process that they apply to. Using Visio the properties of each internal control can be recorded using the "Shape Data" feature.

For this example, the shape object used to represent an internal control is the "Control transfer" object that comes as part of the Visio "Basic Flowchart Shapes" stencil.

This shape, transposed and coloured red, has been used to add four controls to a Purchase to Pay (P2P) process model (see below).

The properties of each control have been added using the "Shape Data" feature, using a custom data set defining the properties and values needed.

The properties and typical values for defining an internal control are illustrated in this example.

Having recorded the data on the map, how can it be accessed and used? Visio has a "Report" feature ("Data > Reports") that can be used to list the controls and their properties. We'll work with a report that creates an Excel spreadsheet.

Selecting "Reports" from the "Data" menu brings up the list of available reports.

We'll look at the "ControlReport".

To view or modify this report, click "Modify".

We want to report on only the controls on the current page.

Click "Next >".

Now we can select the properties we want to include in the report.

Click "Next >".

Next, give the report a title and set the sort criteria. In this example we'll sort by a Visio default field - "Shape ID". This will order the report rows according to the order in which they were created on the drawing. Click "Next >".

Next, save the report. If it is saved as file then it can be loaded and used by any other or new drawing we create.

Click "Finish".

Now click "Run" to run the report.

Select "Excel" and "OK".

An Excel spreadsheet is created which requires a minimum of formatting to produce a pleasing and usable result.

If at the Visio "Run Report" dialogue we select "Visio shape", Visio will create the Excel report and include it within the process map drawing as an object.

Technorati Tags: internal controls, process mapping, MS Visio

Process Mapping with Internal Controls

2011-05-19T10:27:00.001+01:00

An approach to defining an internal control regime was outlined in a previous post (see: Defining Internal Controls). When it comes to documenting the control strategy, typically a list is made for each process or process area.

A simple list of controls will include:

Control objectives
Risks to be managed
The internal controls themselves.

Such a list for a Purchase to Pay process (P2P) might look like the Excel example below.

A further step is to map the controls to the process steps, showing where the controls are applied. This is easily done by adding a column and entering details of the process steps.

Where the process has been mapped, it is straightforward to annotate the diagram with the controls, linking them to the process steps where they are applied, as in the example below.

Software such as Visio can used to map the process, and contains ready-defined objects to represent internal controls (in Visio, use the object called "Control transfer").

Add these objects to the process map wherever a control is to be applied. Change the format such as colour and size to help the controls stand out. The controls may be added as a separate layer or overlay to an existing or new map.

To add details of the control, edit the fields to capture the details (in Visio first create a custom set of such details as part of the "Shape Data").

The advantage of this approach is the tight integration of the controls with the process definition and mapping. When considering implementation or process improvement, one can be sure that all details relevant to the process are contained within a single source, in this case the process map.

With software like Visio, it's possible to "report" from the map to create lists of the controls, taking the place of the simple lists illustrated at the start of this post.

Technorati Tags: internal controls, process mapping, MS Visio

MindGenius and the Consensus Workshop Method

2011-05-12T09:02:00.000+01:00

The five steps of the consensus workshop (as developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs) method are:

Set the context - introduce the focus question
Brainstorm the ideas
Cluster the ideas
Name the idea clusters
Review and action.