Linda Oestreich's Mindmap Your Way to Project Success

Mindmap Your Way to Project Success!

presented by

Linda OestreichSTC President, 2007-2008

San Diego STCDecember 12, 2007

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Who am I?• Manager, Hewlett-Packard Software• President, STC• Fellow, STC• Practitioner in techcomm since 1979• Occasional adjunct faculty member for

techcomm instruction• San Diegan• Profession’s self-proclaimed leading

cheerleader

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Overview• Introduction to mindmapping• Common visual techniques for project

management• Mindmapping helps project management• How to mindmap• Mindmap mini exercise• Online mindmapping tools review• Wrapup and questions

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Introduction to mindmapping• Popular brainstorming tool• Radial drawings used for centuries• Tony Buzan: psychologist and business

creativity guru• Right/left brain theory• Holistic learning• Harnesses full range of analytical and

creative skills

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Right

• Imagination• Metaphors• Perception• Intuition• Spontaneity• Holistic• Relational• Subjective• Time-free

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Left

• Verbal• Analytical• Sequential• Symbolic• Linear• Objective• Chronological• Procedural• Logical

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Common visuals in project management

• Work breakdown structures• Gantt charts• PERT/CPM charts• Balanced scorecards• Strategy maps• Process flowcharts• Radial charts• Mindmaps

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Work breakdown structure

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Gantt chart

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PERT/CPM chart

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Balanced scorecard

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Strategy maps

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Process flowcharts

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Radial charts

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Radiant thinking for entrepreneurs

http://www.businesscreditcards.com/bootstrapper/secrets-of-thinking-outside-the-box-27-ways-digital-entrepreneurs-can-use-mindmapping/

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Mindmap of project management process

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Exercise break: paperclip• Taken from Thinking Visually by Robert H. McKim

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Mindmap uses• Note-taking and reporting• Brainstorming: capture ideas; compare• Clarifying thoughts• Summarizing• Presenting ideas• Planning• Analyzing• Building teams and projects

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Strengths of mindmaps

• Simplicity• Associative—most ideas have many

links• Visual—easy to recall• Radial—easy to work in all directions• Big picture—easy to see full idea• Manage and refine extensive

information

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Mindmap of STC organization

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How to mindmap• Position main idea in the center • Use lots of space• Use colors and capitals as often as you can• Look for relationships• Create subentries for subthemes• Use simple phrases, images, and symbols• Use big, landscaped paper• Make main connections thicker than

subconnections• Experiment with curved rather than straight lines• Add humor, puns, pictures, metaphors, etc.• Open up your brain!

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Mindmap on goal-setting

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Mindmapping methods• Use emphasis

– Central image– 3+ colors– Variations of size and lines– Organized, appropriate spacing

• Use association– Arrows– Colors– Codes

• Be clear and concise– Print– Fewer words the better– Connect lines– Draw images

• Develop a personal style

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Mindmapping example

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Try it!Pick something of your own, or use these:• Cleaning a closet• Planning a vacation• Remodeling garage into granny flat• Designing garden• Painting bathroom• Hiring a nanny or a gardener or a

housekeeper

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Manual vs. online process• Handwork might enhance thinking and

creativity• Online tools make good companion to

initial scribblings• Online tools

–More options every week!–Better features all the time–Basic features usually free –More complex needs, better solution is

to buy product

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Online mindmapping tools:for thinking, collaborating, and research

• Bubbl.us => http://bubbl.us/• Comapping => http://comapping.com/• Deliciousmind =>

http://www.blainekendall.com/deliciousmind/• Gliffy => http://www.gliffy.com/• Kayuda => http://maps.kayuda.com/ (beta)• Literature-Map => http://www.literature-map.com/• Mindomo => http://www.literature-map.com/• MindMeister => http://www.literature-map.com/• Mind42.com => http://www.mind42.com/• WikiMindMap => http://www.wikimindmap.org/

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Feature Mindomo Comapping MindMeister Mind42.com In beta? No No No Yes Flash? Yes Yes No No Ajax? No No Yes Yes

Price $65 per year / $36 for 6 months; Ad-supported free option

$11.99 / 6 months (about $2 per month)

$4 per month; Free option available

Free (for now)

Free option? Yes. Ad supported No Yes. Reduced features

x

Publish maps online? Yes Yes Yes Yes

Publish maps on blogs / web sites? No Yes (as of 7/11)

Only with premium subscription.

Yes

Export to Freemind? No Yes (as of 7/11)

Only with premium subscription.

Yes

Export to Mindmanager? Only with premium subscription. Yes (Compatible XML)

Only with premium subscription.

Yes

Export to image? Yes (GIF, JPG, PNG) No Yes (GIF, JPG, PNG)

No

Export as text? Yes No No No Export as rich text? Yes Yes Yes Yes Export to PDF? Yes No No No Import from Freemind and Mindmanager Yes Yes (as of

7/11) Yes Yes

Collaboration and sharing? Yes Yes Yes Yes Managing maps? No apparent way to delete maps Good Great Good

Map limits?

Unlimited maps and sharing with subscription. Unlimited public maps and only 7 private maps with free option.

No

5 at any time for free plan; unlimited for paid plan

None at this point

Available as an enterprise solution? Yes Yes No No

Auto save? No Yes (as of 7/11)

Yes No

Manual save? Yes Yes No Yes

Four online mindmapping tools(compared at tiffanybbrown.com)

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Resources and references• Wall, Matthew. “The big picture,” Times Online, October 2, 2005

.http://business.timesonline.co.uk• Mayne, Brian. “Goal mapping,” www.liftinternational.com and

http://www.positivelymad.co.uk/pd/goalmap.htm• “7-Step Project Mapping with MindManager®,” Mindjet, LLC, July

2003.• Buzan, Tony. Use Both Sides of Your Brain, J.P. Dutton, New York,

1973.• Wycoff, Joyce. Mindmapping, The Berkeley Publishing Group, New

York, 1991.• Rico, Gabrielle, Writing the Natural Way, J.P. Tarcher, Inc., Los

Angeles, CA 1983.• http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/pm-models/the90s.htm• http://www.strategictransitions.com/basicprojectmanagementmind

map.htm• http://tiffanybbrown.com/2007/07/02/online-mind-map-services/• http://www.innovationtools.com/Resources/mindmapping.asp

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Happy mapping!