How do you use mind mapping software to manage projects?
Mar 18th, 2010 | By Chuck Frey | Category: Discussion
Managing projects is unquestionably one of the most popular applications of mind mapping software. Because of its ability to support gathering, organizing and displaying a lot of information in a compact, easy-to-understand visual form, mind mapping software is an awesome “front end” for scoping new projects – as well as managing existing ones.
I’d like to know more about how YOU are using mind mapping software for project management:
- What types of projects do you use it for?
- Is there a particular size of project that seems to be its “sweet spot?” What size of project is it not robust enough to handle or for which it’s overkill?
- HOW do you map out a project? What process do you follow? Do you create milestones in your maps? Do you create work breakdown structures (WBS)? Do you transfer your completed scope of work to Microsoft Project or other project management tools?
- Most importantly, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the mind mapping program you use for scoping and managing projects? Where could these programs be improved?
I look forward to your thoughts – please post them in the comments area below. Thanks!
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I tend not to use mind mapping to manage projects. Although I am a keen mind mapper, I have found that while mind mapping does have great uses (and I’m keen to advocate them!), managing a medium to large scale project is actually easier using dedicated project management applications and services.
I have been using mind mapping for years, to manage projects. Very recently though I made the switch to a hosted project management application that is very cheap but allows a great sense of interaction and collaboration with those I work with. Yes there have been leaps and bounds in sharing mind maps with remote members of your team but these aren’t cost effective enough for me at the moment to use.
Perhaps when the cost of services such as Mindjet Catalyst come down I might re-visit mind mapping as a tool for project management.
Although I don’t use mind mapping to manage a project, there are still plenty of opportunities within the project to use mind mapping! Generating ideas, analysing problems and identifying solutions and a project inbox mind map are all ways I use mind mapping to ensure my project is a success.
I have successfully used mind mapping to manage midsized training projects. Following the trainers’ ADDIE model (Assess, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate), I’ve helped facilitate a project management exercise with the trainer, starting with a mind map to brainstorm the five phases of the ADDIE model. We added content, ideas, obstacles and contingencies, and logistical details to each major node as soon as ideas pop into our heads.
We then refined and reorganized the nodes, then used the task information for each node to assign, schedule, plan, track, and report status to our stakeholders.
Upper management loved the high-level big picture we provided them, line-level management loved the detail found under each branch, and trainers loved the creativity and flexibility of using a software application for mind mapping and planning.
I can answer yes to all your questions, except for transferring the map to MS Project
Geewhiz.
The strengths of mind mapping software are its flexibility, exportability to different visual formats for sharing (text outline, .pdf, Word file), and simplicity/complexity.
geewhiz–Mindjet’s MindManager user since 2003
I use it to build a WBS, alone or with a team, then export it to MSP.
I tried to use it on one project as a dashboard with all related stuff in it, but that became unwieldy after a while so I dropped it.
I use MindManager, and in response to your other questions:
What types of projects do you use it for? – I use it for small to medium-sized projects, which is what I mostly do anyway
Is there a particular size of project that seems to be its “sweet spot?” – I think it is best suited to small to medium projects, though it also provides a great starting place for bigger ones which can later be exported to something else.
HOW do you map out a project? What process do you follow? – It depends on the type of project and whether I’m starting from a brief or request for tender and if so, how it is written. If there is a brief or RFT and if its available in (or can be converted to) Word, I import the document to creat an overall map of the project. I then attach supplementary documentation to the appropriate topics.
Then, either within this map or a supplementary map I separately identify both the tasks required for the brief response and those required for the project itself. This map forms the basis for a third map, which is the response itself and which contains a branch outlining my approach to the project tasks. If I get the contract, this branch is developed to become the project map itself.
If I am starting from scratch for a self-generated project or one with only a vague brief, I use MM to brainstorm my project approach and to identify issues which need to be addressed etc. Within this map I’ll have a branch which is the project tasks – this becomes the basis for the project map if I proceed.
Do you create milestones in your maps? Yes, though I tend to keep track of these through MM’s task management roll-up feature.
Do you create work breakdown structures (WBS)? Yes, though I’m not always very consistent about it!
Do you transfer your completed scope of work to Microsoft Project or other project management tools? No – I used to transfer them to JVCGantt but I find JCV to be a bit flaky plus I don’t like the fact that if you use JCV you lose the task management facility in MM, which is how I prefer to manage most projects. However, I still occasionally use a one-off transfer to JCV to produce a nice-looking gantt chart to go in response to a brief or RFT!
Most importantly, what are the strengths and weaknesses? – I think all mindmapping programs are great for the visual presentation of a project but there are practical limits to the size of a project that can be handled this way. As Andy said they offer great flexibility and the ability to export to orther formats. However, most of their task management facilities are quite limited and they also offer poor or no facilities for two-way synchronisation with Outlook (MindManager is the best of a bad bunch here).
Where could these programs be improved? – Relating specifically to MindManager:
- Update and improve JCV and fully integrate it with MM (but retain the latter’s task management facilities and allow these and JCV’s to operate at the same time
- Improve MM’s handling of and synchronisation with Outlook items
- Incorporate exporting to Excel (without using an add-on)
- Provide a timeline facility in MM
- Improve MM’s task management facilities and specifically, allow MM to handle durations of less than an hour
- allow exported Mm ,aps to have hyperlinks to local files as well as to pages/documents on the web. This way a a complete package could be zipped and exported to project collaborators who don’t have MM.
I have been using iMindMap recently to project manage curriculum development and planning in a large (1000 pupil school). It was been very useful and shown where there are pinch points and resourcing issues which we were not as aware of before.
The dynamic linking between the Mind Map and the chart was wonderful, easy to manage and update.
We will be trying this on further education development projects in the next few months.
I use it for work breakdowns, for mapping deliverables to task groups, for mapping resources to tasks and for building presentations. I also use mindmapping to manage personal task lists.
Project types are mostly consulting, software customization, database design, web design, instructional design and documentation. These are generally smaller projects — two to seven resources, six months to a year. I’ve not tried it on anything larger.
In my case, milestones correspond to deliverables, which are mapped as higher level nodes with tasks and subtasks below. I convert task lists to outlines and drop them into Project to build schedules and cost estimates.
I use an older version of mind manager. I like it’s simplicity and ease of use. Newer versions, I think, try to do too much and have become unwieldy.
I have been using MindManager for project work since 1996. The obvious task brainstorming, task structuring, relationship, ownership, dates, priority are handled well. There are good export or synching or add ins to MS Project, JCV Gantt, Excel and all mpx project managment tools. But this is only one slice of project management.
I have used it for:
- User requirements and other project documentaion including Prince 2.
- Communicating project status to a wide audience via web exports.
- Making project processes explicit
- Managing suppliers
- Analysing quotations (Import a Word document and start adding call outs, relationships to highlight those contradictory clauses etc.)
- Commissioning programmes
- Snag lists
- Meeting management and recording
No project is too big, they are just a collection of sub-projects.
How could MindManager be improved in this area?
- Access to the Outlook (and others) contact database for resource allocation (iMindMap does this)
- An HTML notes editor
- Improvements to the web export such as: Fixed image file names. Whenever an image is added to a note it will affect other image file names on that page.
- Smaller units for tasks: minutes and seconds. A project plan can be build a theatre set in one hour. Mind map a Formula 1 tyre change. Great for Kaizen and SMED (changeover) projects.
I would thoroughly recommend using MindManager for project management.
I use MindManager 8.0 on Firm-Fixed Priced Government Contracts. The projects range from $500K to $10M. We are following the PMBOK Planning processes and use mind mapping to brainstorm project requirements, define scope, create wbs, and identify risks. The map is exported into MS Word to create the scope statement and to develop procurement statements of work. Activities, resources, and durations are added to the wbs map and the map is exported to MS Project. We have also used mind mapping for project training. It is an excellent tool to reinforce key project processes. Links to a project SharePoint site provide a quick-launch to project information.
I have found that mind mapping is a more efficient approach to create project planning outputs. On May 15, 2010, I am presenting MindManager for Project Planning at the PMI San Diego Conference. I will post the presentation to Slide Share.
[...] Apr 1st, 2010 | By Chuck Frey | Category: Discussion I recently asked the readers of this blog to share the specifics of how they manage projects with mind mapping software. The responses were quite instructive, and pointed to the fact that there are many issues [...]
convert the mind maping into the WBS ? i need the answer please thanks