Mastering MindManager for Projects is an online course that does an excellent job of teaching the average business person how to create a customized and practical visual dashboard to manage your projects more effectively.

Even if you’ve done some project management using your mind mapping software, you will find something of value in Warren Arbuckle’s 2.5-hour video e-course, which is based on the principles of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) and focuses on the project life cycle (initiation, planning, execution & close out) in detail.

I recently had an opportunity to review Mastering MindManager for Projects, and was very impressed with its well-organized and practical approach, as well as the wealth of advice and resources the author has included in it.

What does MindManager 4 Projects contain?

The course, which contains 22 video lessons, begins by walking you through the user interface of MindManager, with a special emphasis on those that are used in project management. It then walks you through a step-by-step process for building and managing a project dashboard map.

At the end of each lesson, the course provides exercises for you to do, based upon a case study. Each of the these exercises utilizes MindManager to build a project dashboard – which enables you to put into action what you have learned in the course. The project dashboard can then be used as a customizable template to set up and run your own projects. This connects what you learned during training directly to the workplace.

As I watched the videos, I was impressed with Arbuckle’s practical style and clear presentation of the course materials. He makes an excellent and engaging narrator. Each lesson is easy to follow and delivers “just enough” information to teach you what you need to know. There’s no fluff here, no getting lost in tangential information. Arbuckle manages to maintain a laser-sharp focus on the task at hand: To teach you how to create a project managment dashboard map, customized to meet your needs, through step-by-step “how-to” content and a well-designed case study.

Who can benefit from Mastering MindManager for Projects?

This excellent e-course appears to be aimed at people who haven’t previously managed projects. The PM Overview lesson, for example, walks you through basic concepts and definitions of terms. It also highlights some of the most common challenges that project managers face – which, not surprisingly, are “soft” issues, such as team communication and clear up-front project definition.

Experienced project managers can also benefit from Mastering MindManager for Projects, because will empower them to take what they know and integrate it into a project dashboard mind map. Arbuckle points out that you can find many project-related template maps online, but until now there hasn’t been anyone to teach you HOW to properly set up a project and manage it effectively within a visual map.

Mastering MindManager for Projects is especially recommended for virtual teams – where members of your team are geographically dispersed. Often, far-flung teams develop communication problems because they miss out on many of the nuances of face-to-face communication. The project dashboard map becomes a common visual reference point that everyone can use, regardless of their culture, to build consensus and shared understanding – which helps keep projects on track, on time and on budget.

Do you need to own MindManager to benefit from this e-course? It would help, but it’s not absolutely necessary. The principles and techniques that Arbuckle outlines in Mastering MindManager for Projects can adapted to most other high-end mind mapping software programs that have project management capabilities.

Why should you invest in this program?

Arbuckle’s credentials are impressive:

• He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
• His company, Focus Cubed Inc, is approved by the Project Management Institute to develop and deliver courses for product management professionals.
• He has been training people from various cultures and industries in project management, innovation and sales for over 25 years.
• In the 1990s, he was certified by Tony Buzan to teach mind mapping, and he has been using mind mapping software for over 8 years.

Mastering MindManager for Projects summarizes the best of what he has learned and experienced in training and managing global projects. In short, Arbuckle knows what he’s talking about – and, more importantly, he’s able to communicate it clearly and in a well-organized format to you (click here to read my interview with him).

This e-course is based upon techniques and processes developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBok), a global set of PM guidelines. In essence, it’s a common global “language” of best practices for managing projects. In other words, Mastering MindManager for Projects is based on a rock-solid pedigree. You’ll get excellent value for your investment in it.

Mastering MindManager for Projects is US$97 for the entire course (22 online videos plus 2 bonus videos); if you are a professional project manager and want 10 PDU points for certification, it will run you $147.

Videos can be viewed for up to 1 year using a Macintosh with OS X and QuickTime installed or a Windows PC running XP SP2 or later and Windows Media Player installed. I also noticed when I looked at the curriculum for this course that it is now available in an Apple iPad format – nice!

If your work involves managing projects of any kind, I urge you to invest in this worthwhile training program. You’ll be glad you did!

Unless you’re a professional project manager, chances are that you feel overwhelmed when faced with a big, multi-faceted project. Even if you have mind mapping software, it’s hard to know how to set up your project within it for maximum efficiency, considering the volume of documents, spreadsheets, e-mails and other data a typical project can generate.

Warren Arbuckle, a certified project manager and trainer based in Asia, recognized this problem and has developed an online course called MindManager for Projects that does a great job of teaching the average business person how to create a customized and practical visual dashboard to make your life easier.

I recently conducted an e-mail interview with Warren to learn more about the thinking behind MindManager for Projects:

Frey: Why did you create the MindManager for Projects course?

Arbuckle: MindManager for Projects has evolved from a course I created a number of years ago called Project Mapping. Projects require continuous communication and updating. Mind mapping software makes that easy. While there are plenty of map templates for project and risk management, there is nothing out there to show you how to do it yourself. I want to help people to merge project management techniques with the functionalities of MindManager so they can quickly set up and run projects on their own with confidence.

Frey: What needs did you see that could be addressed with a course like this?

Arbuckle: There are quite a few. These are the main two: managing data and communicating with your team. management and your client. Projects can generate a lot of email and documents such as requirements, numerous ongoing reports, spreadsheets and so on. If these are at your fingertips in one place on your Project Dashboard, you can access them quickly when necessary. Communication is always a challenge no matter what your work is and makes or breaks projects. With a Project Dashboard you have a visual map of the project that greatly aids in communication, especially with multicultural teams or those in multiple locations, so common today.

Frey: It sounds like many people can get the front-end work done in a mind map without too much trouble, but then they get bogged down trying to understand how to manage project implementation from within their mind maps. Is that accurate? How does your template help?

Arbuckle: 71% of projects fail by going over budget, getting behind schedule or creating something different from the planned scope. 42% of those failed projects fail because they were not set up properly from the start. This is not a mapping issue but one of knowing how to set up a project. If you set it up right from the start, you will find it much easier to implement and manage. All I do is show you how to apply simple project management techniques using a map template that you customize to your needs. Once done, it’s your template so you have complete control from start to finish.

Frey: Certainly, many people have used mind mapping software for project management before. What does your course bring to the table that is different, better or saves project managers time and aggravation?

Arbuckle: First, as far as I know, there are no courses approved by the Project Management Institute or none, based on global guidelines, that teach how to do project management using mind mapping software. This course is presented online using short videos so your team members anywhere in the world can learn anytime. The biggest advantage is that you are learning how to do project management so the skills you learn are applicable to any project even if you don’t use mapping. MindManager is used in all of the exercises so you know how to apply project management techniques and processes with MindManager. That said, you could still take the course and use another mind mapping software by importing the template and mimicking what is done in the videos.

Frey: Who is the intended audience of this course? It looks to me like someone who hasn’t managed projects before, or only does so infrequently.

Arbuckle: On one hand, this is a course in project management fundamentals so it is for those new to project management. On the other, even if you are experienced with projects, you will learn how to apply what you know using MindManager and customizing the template to your specific needs. So it really depends on your particular needs.

Frey: I found it very interesting that each lesson has learning objectives. Is your background in training?

Arbuckle: Originally from Canada, I have been training across Asia for over 25 years. I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and my company, Focus Cubed Inc, is approved by the Project Management Institute (pmi.org) to develop and deliver courses for PMPs. I train people from various cultures and industries in project management, innovation, and sales. I was also certified by Tony Buzan, in the 90s, to teach mind mapping. I have been using mind mapping software for over 8 years. MindManager for Projects is culmination of what I have learned and experienced over the years of both training and managing global projects.

Frey: For those people who don’t know what PMBOK is, can you please briefly explain it in layman’s terms, and then address why it’s important that your course is based upon its methodologies?

Arbuckle: PMBOK is the Project Management Book of Knowledge and is the global standard or guideline. Using PMBOK as a base for MindManager for Projects means that you are learning the same concepts, techniques and processes as others who study other project management courses worldwide. The advantage being no matter where you are from or what language you speak, you can use the common global language of project management to communicate. The Project Dashboard template and project management techniques are based on proven techniques and processes developed by the Project Management Institute.

Frey: Why is this approach especially well-suited to virtual project teams?

Arbuckle: Your Project Dashboard can be shown online using any of the web conferencing tools such as WebEx or GoToMeeting, and even Skype. By doing so you can show all or as much of the project as you wish. Your team can watch and participate as you update your Project Dashboard in real time. You add their comments, following up on issues and assigning new tasks on the fly. So much can be lost or misunderstood with teams spread out in different locations and it’s especially so for non native speakers. Having a visual of the project that can be updated in real time is a huge saver of time, effort and, in the end, cost in both money and stress.

Frey: Why is the Project Dashboard especially useful if you manage projects infrequently?

Arbuckle: Projects are risky because they differ from your routine work. To lower risk of failure when you are faced with infrequent projects, use your Project Dashboard as your template. All you have to do is delete documents and data from an older project and then add the new details. This also acts as a review of what you did previously. By repeatedly using the same template and the same project management techniques, your experience and confidence with managing projects grows, reducing your risk of failure.

Frey: If not for this dashboard template, how do project managers typically handle the mountain of information that the typical project generates? What are the shortcomings of those approaches?

Arbuckle: With the Project Dashboard, you add all emails, other documents, plans, any type of information. Typically, most project information is in multiple locations, emails are kept in your email program, other files are kept in folders on your PC. This works fine until you need to access them right away. If you’re a really organized person, you may be OK. If you are like me, you’ll find that it’s easier to have everything in one place so you can access critical documents quickly during meetings. Also you can save your Project Dashboard as a complete zip-file package of your project with just three simple steps.

Frey: How easy is it for people to customize the project management dashboard template to meet their company’s project management needs? What are some ways that people have already done so?

Arbuckle: The whole course is designed for you to customize the Project Dashboard to your particular needs. That’s what makes it valuable to you. Many people add documents that are formatted to their company’s specific requirements to topic notes. This can be done quickly and easily with MindManger. You’ll also learn to set up your team and key stakeholders contact information so you can even email directly from your project Dashboard. Another great time saver is learning how to filter out unneeded detail or data so you can focus your meetings. You can set alerts or alarms that will remind you to contact someone, check on progress, or almost any task. Just set it and forget it.

Frey: Why invest in this course? Why not just use MindManager to create your own project management dashboard?

Arbuckle: Yes, you can create your own Project Dashboard. That’s what I did! And I’m not the first. My Project Dashboard is based on the globally accepted project management guidelines and my own years of experience with both projects and mind mapping. That’s what you’re investing in. You gain from my and others mistakes, successes and insights so you can learn quickly and then get on with your own projects.

+ + +

I’m now in the process of writing a review of MindManager for Projects. I’m very impressed with the videos I’ve viewed so far. The content is well organized and clearly presented. It makes extensive use of a fictitious project and includes a customizable project dashboard template. This helps you to see how Warren’s recommendations work in an actual project, plus the dashboard is an excellent starting point for creating one that works for you.

Click here to learn more about MindManager for Projects.

Andy uses mind mapping with a popular training model to develop effective projects: “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.”

“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.” – Jake March

Andrew Wilcox reminds us that mind mapping can be used for other tasks that are related to the project: “I have used it for user requirements and other project documentation, communicating project status to a wide audience via web exports, making project processes explicit, managing suppliers, analyzing quotations (import a Word document and start adding call outs, relationships to highlight those contradictory clauses etc.), snag lists and meeting management and recording.”

Jim March also uses mind mapping software within the broader context beyond the project itself: “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 Microsoft 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.”

Alex uses mind mapping software for managing many of his projects, but with some reservations: “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. 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. They offer great flexibility and the ability to export to other formats. However, most of their task management facilities are quite limited and they also offer poor or no facilities for two-way synchronization with Outlook.”

I recently interviewed Wallace about the challenges facing information managers today, and how a VMBOK can help to meet them:

Frey: What are the challenges facing visual mapping today?

Tait: Before I address this question, I’d like to clarify the definition of visual mapping, because that will frame our discussion. Visual mapping includes but is not limited to mind mapping, concept mapping, flow charting, argument mapping and many newer approaches to information management. It may be a single or multiple graphical formats used to create, manage and exchange information.

John England of MindSystems recently stated, “Mind mapping is not the center of the universe as some would have us believe… The center of the universe is ‘data’ which becomes ‘information’ which then can become knowledge.”

I fully agree with John’s statement and would further state that knowledge is only significant by the relevancy of contextual information. The overwhelming challenge facing visual mapping products today is the contextual management of relevant information that builds knowledge.

For further information relating to contextual information management, I suggest you visit www.contextdiscovery.com. There you’ll find Context Organizer, a stand alone information management product that’s also an add-in for Mind Manager. This excellent product will open up a whole new understanding of contextual information management to you.

There are other challenges of course, but I have merely focused in on the contextual issue, and I know we’ll see some very interesting developments regarding the integration of contextual engines to future information management products.

The challenge is no longer all about mind mapping; it’s much more about information management.  A few of the mainstream mapping products such as Knowledge Link, Personal Brain and MindManager have moved in the direction of visual mapping, breaking away from the constraints of forced non-linear formats. Visual mappers need more than a mind map view. These products have come a long way in developing a user environment where information can be expressed in multiple graphical formats.

Integrating linear and non-linear formats enables these two opposites to be a part of a whole-brained approach to information management.  I have found that data, information and knowledge can embody both linear and non-linear characteristics. Those who have grasped the fundamentals of information management within a visual mapping environment acknowledge the need to converge the linear and non-linear perspectives.

At the time of this article, Mindsystems is completing the initial development phase of a new software program named Amode which represents a revolutionary approach to the future of visual information handling. Mindsystems is actively seeking serious beta testers up until the end of March, so if you’re interested, please contact John England, Executive Director of Mindsystems at jce@mindsystems.com.au.

Frey: You’re a big fan of author Dan Pink’s emphasis on “whole brained” thinking. Why is that important today?

Tait: Dan Pink’s book, A Whole New Mind, gave me many “a-ha” moments, as well as moments where I felt like slapping myself on the forehead and saying to myself, “You dummy, didn’t you realize this, too?”

The book explains how we’ve been dumbed down by corporate decisions to outsource left-brained activities. Pink’s premise is that we are becoming either left- or right-oriented in regard to information and knowledge, and that we need to become whole-brained thinkers again to be more successful in the future. He really has an informed angle on the lack of whole-brained thinking within academia and business.

I believe whole-brained thinking is on its way to being realized, in part through the growth of visual mapping.

Frey: You’ve identified a problem with recent college graduates and the ways in which they’re taught to think. What’s missing, and how does that put them at a disadvantage in today’s business world?

Tait: Industry and corporate business must see the bigger picture regarding graduates released into the world of industry and business.

Have you ever been in this situation? You’ve just hired new graduates, and you then have to spend a small fortune to train them to understand your business operating system?  Graduates present themselves to industry and corporate business, thinking they are fully able to grasp business systems, as if one size fits all, and they’re so wrong in many cases. Graduates are not necessarily falling short; academia just hasn’t prepared them to fully grasp the reality of integrated linear/non-linear information management.

There are always exceptions to the rule, but I have found that a majority of graduates are ill-equipped to handle non-linear systems, or even understand the implications of integrating linear and non-linear regarding business processes and systems.

Frey: What are some examples of non-linear systems?

Tait: Two examples are software development (SD) and quality management systems (QMS).  SD programmers are those who understand the integration of linear and non-linear. While a software product is being developed; data, codes and algorithms are commonly expressed in graphical formats that look and act like mind maps and concept maps. The end product in most cases is expressed as a linear software product in relation to the user interface, but all or most of the actions taken to execute the functions of the software, are performed below the surface as non-linear associations and actions.

QMS is similar to the SD example.  Business systems function with the use of processes (what’s) and procedures (how’s). Process maps, value stream maps and flow charts are very linear, but it is clear to business management that a QMS is made up of independent and interdependent links, associations and process that are non-linear in their operation, expression and nature.

Frey: How will developing a Visual Mapping Body of Knowledge (VMBOK) help to solve this problem?

Tait: The development of a VMBOK would help to initially define the mindset of visual mapping. It can be a place where businesspeople can find relevant academic information and knowledge about the expanding arena of visual mapping.

Academia, in general, does a great job of teaching the regulated curriculums.  The issues are that the teaching facilities such as colleges and universities are constrained by established linear practices relating to information, knowledge, process and system.

I believe there is a great gap between what academia produces and what industry and corporations require. I firmly believe that corporations should be proactively involved and supportive of the academic systems that produce the next generation of information managers. Working closely with each other is the key to creating curriculums that speak to the issues and needs of today’s businesses.

Organizations such as Motorola, IBM, GE, Toyota and others recognize the importance of integrating linear and non-linear processes into their management systems. Add in contextual relevancy and you have a sound foundation of definitions, processes, systems and practices that produce next-generation thought leaders.

Frey: How can the Body of Knowledge help people who are already in the workplace and are struggling with today’s business challenges?

Tait: I believe the tools and techniques of visual mapping can benefit any user exponentially. The challenge is to provide a knowledgebase of best practices that will help users to realize bottom-line results – which is what matters to businesses, now more than ever. I firmly believe that the database of information contained within a visual mapping BOK will help individuals and companies to realize tangible results with it and therefore will help to drive greater acceptance of it in business applications.

Frey: What are the benefits of having a body of knowledge in place? How can that lead to certification, for example?

Tait: The information and practices submitted to a BOK may be vetted by recognized thought leaders and other contributors such as, professional consultants who work within the information management fields. This helps to ensure that it  contains high-quality information and best practices that are agreed upon by experts in that field. That’s where its value comes from.

Those who are interested in obtaining a recognized and standardized certification to the VMBOK would benefit by way of membership to a Visual Mapping Institute (VMI).  We have PhD’s, MBA’s, and other professional bodies that offer industry and corporate graduates the academic recognition they require to move forward with validated professional certification.  There’s no reason why a BOK existing within a VMI shouldn’t work with academia and corporate to certify graduates who are required to be integrated thinkers and information managers with the skills to handle process and system more effectively.

The role of a VMI would be similar to the roles of organizations such as the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the American Society of Quality (ASQ). These institutions interact with colleges and universities in offering a knowledge base contained within their respective BOKs. The information contained within a BOK is in and of itself a training and knowledge database, offering a potential self-directed teaching and learning process for graduates.

Frey: Ultimately, how will a BOK help to drive change at the academic level?

Tait: Such a BOK would be invaluable to academia and corporations when they see the bigger picture of integrated thinking, and decide to collaborate and contribute to the BOK and VMI. The drive for responsible change is equally divided between academia and business. Both groups need to work together to fully realize the benefits of whole-brained thinking that Dan Pink’s book, A Whole New Mind, envisions.

Frey: How does the process work to create such a body of knowledge? What elements are needed?

Tait: A Visual mapping Body of Knowledge (VMBOK), modelled on the Project Management (PM) BOK and American Society of Quality (ASQ) BOK may be ideal models for the framework of a VMBOK.

I have recently viewed an excellent Wiki developed by Roy Grubb, who has vision to see that a BOK is indeed useful and needed to standardise for future use.  IMO, I don’t see a Wiki (free for all approach) being the answer to the creation and further development of a VMBOK, Roy’s work shows us that it’s already being done in the Wiki sense.

For best results, I believe that the proposed Visual Mapping Body of Knowlede (VMBOK) should mirror the previously mentioned models of the PMBOK and ASQBOK.

The information submission process to a VMBOK hasn’t been clearly defined and agreed upon by my colleagues and peers. I do, however, see this process as being confirmed by consensus, and I recommend that we benchmark the two institutions I mentioned earlier to standardize the submission process.

Frey: Why do we need to do this now?

Tait: If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. I firmly believe a VMBOK and VMI is a winner for academia, industry and corporate business. There’s absolutely no loss in creating opportunities for visual thinkers to be formally recognized as whole-brained thinkers. They will become the thought leaders and motivators of the future.

I believe it’s critical that we get moving on this BOK now. Many of my professional colleagues are already supporting me on this initiative, especially Patrick Baker of Mindlogik and John England of Mindsystems, who are are being equally involved with me in getting the VM BOK off the ground. Let’s get this done!

For more information or questions about the Visual Mapping Body of Knowledge. Please contact Wallace at visualmapper@gmail.com.