Mind Mapping for Anyone Who Manages Projects
Mind Mapping is an ideal resource for people managing projects; full-time project managers and line managers. In this article we’ll provide some helpful advice on how it can be applied to these roles and how Mind Mapping software adds another dimension.
Most of us have to manage projects at some point during our business lives. Whether we are actual project managers or in another role. Sometimes this task can be daunting, especially if the project needs the input and co-operation of many different people from across different teams and parts of the organisation.
We all know that ‘project management’ is a specialisation brimming with models and methods. Most project managers have successfully taken professional qualifications like PRINCE2. Whether you are qualified or not, most projects are thought of in linear terms. There are many challenges involved in projects where a different form of thinking, what we might call a radiant from of thinking, is required, including:
Project planning – From the initial planning assessment (before compiling a more complex project plan). Using project milestones as your main branches and building tasks from these you will be able to highlight the dependencies between the milestones and/or tasks by creating links. These dependencies will then help you when compiling the comprehensive project plan.
Business cases and papers – Mind Maps® will allow you to detail the main points for the business case (purpose, benefits, costs, conditions for success, etc). The map provides a one page overview that allows you to easily transfer the whole thing to Microsoft® Word® where you can then add a more detailed commentary at a later date.
Requirement gathering workshops – Mind Maps provide a visual focus, allowing your attendees to concentrate on the key areas as much as possible. It is also a very clear way for this audience to see how you are tracking their contribution.
Stakeholder presentations – You can use a Mind Map to detail the content of the presentation. You’ll see the whole story in front of you and if interrupted you’ll be able to easily find your place (unlike using a linear set of notes to prompt you). Mind Maps drawn using Mind Mapping Software are easy to present from or can be transferred to presentation software. Using a Mind Map in your presentation also takes your presentation to a new level and offers your audience a more visual representation of the project.
Project wrap up – All of these Mind Maps will help you to structure any project completion reports that you may have to collate, report on or even present.
In essence a Mind Map provides a visual representation of the way that we think. We don’t think in lists – we think in images and key words, shapes and patterns, all connected one to another.
- Mind Map outlining a basic project plan – areas can be added and omitted to tailor to the specifics of the project
In the planning phase of projects a Mind Map will help you to see things better and ensure that you focus on the areas that are most appropriate for the available skills and resources. It will highlight any areas in which you may be struggling or any skills gaps. Finding this during the planning phase will allowing time and budget changes to take place earlier in the process rather than be a constricting factor in the future.
Let’s take an example. If you consider for a moment your last project a number of associated thoughts will spring to mind – the purpose of the project, the project team, the timescale, the obstacles you had to overcome, implementation and so on. And as you think of each of these key themes you will have many more associated thoughts. Mind Mapping reflects this natural process. It’s a graphic technique which focuses on a central issue, radiates out into related key areas, and allows you to generate a full range of thoughts and ideas relevant to that issue.
If you are managing a project this is extremely relevant. For instance how do you consolidate all the information you want to consider at the start of a project? For planning you want something that is non-linear and which aids big picture thinking. Mind Mapping allows you to gather all the key facts on one page. It lets you see connections between different aspects of the project and provides a bird’s eye view of the territory you are about to enter.
- Mind Map outlining a basic re-organisation project plan
Here is another example. In a major re-organisation there are so many different elements and streams of activity that involves (directly and indirectly) many different people at differing levels.
Throughout all of this it is important that the project manager continually sees, but is not dragged down by, the bigger picture. Having regular access to a visual representation of the bigger picture will enable you to extend your thought processes so that you can identify duplication, risk and any impending routes to failure.
The two Mind Maps (above) are basic starting points for the Mind Maps that cover our examples. These were initially created on paper and then transferred to Mind Mapping Software. Mind Mapping Software allows the Mind Maps to be duplicated and modified easily and be used by other team members – with certain elements remaining confidential and only for use by the project manager.
So how do you create a Mind Map?
Consider for a moment the last course that you attended. As you think about it, be aware of the associated thoughts that instantly spring to mind: what the topic was; who was there; where it was; how long it lasted; what the venue was like and so on.
These first thoughts are what are called Basic Ordering Ideas (BOIs) and each of these will, in turn, stimulate more associations. For example if you take the BOI theme of ‘venue’ you might then break it down into room, food, accommodation, location and staff. And each of these headings will have further associations. And this is why this approach is called ‘radiant’ thinking. It all radiates from one central theme.
This radiant structure provides us with our foundation for Mind Mapping. You simply start with a core idea and then you draw thick lines representing the BOIs radiating out from your central word or image. Have a look at the Mind Map below on ‘the uses of Mind Maps’. It’s a classic map which depicts the issue at the centre, includes the BOIs branching out and then outlines a variety of other ideas associated with these branches.
There are all sorts of applications for Mind Mapping – project planning, presentations, team working, performance appraisals, but the application we will focus on here is that of information recall, an issue of relevance for all project managers who are juggling projects, teams and customers.
To help you remember and recall data, Mind Mapping uses your creativity and associative memory. And here are some of the key techniques on which it is founded:
1. Mind Maps use a lot of colour.
This is deliberate. When you start to Mind Map you will find that colour helps you to separate out the BOIs. This isn’t a huge departure from what goes on all around us in our everyday life. Red for stop, green for go is an obvious example. We live in a world of colour and the use of colour simply reflects and reinforces the natural process of thinking, making it easier for us to remember whatever it is we are trying to learn.
2. Mind Mapping uses a great deal of imagery.
In effect a picture speaks a thousand words but it is important to remember that the meaning we attach to an image is personal. The images will mean something specific to you, the Mind Mapper. You will associate particular thoughts with them and they will add impact to the map. However, if you have other people inputting to your Mind Map it’s worth remembering that for the same information you may use a different image to everyone else.
3. The thickness of lines radiating out from the central image vary.
The reason for this is that the thickness of the line denotes its relative importance. The BOIs on this Mind Map are like chapter headings and therefore they have most weight. The less central, associated ideas have correspondingly smaller lines.
Single or few words above each line is also important because every word has thousands of possible associations. One or two words per line helps clarity and comprehension and also enables better recall.
4. It’s a personal process.
People Mind Map their ideas in different ways and this is important, there is no one ‘right’ way. You will have your own associations, your own graphic style and phrases and images that are meaningful to you. The guiding principle is to use image, colour, dimension and spacing in a way that appeals to you. That is what will make your Mind Map and the information coded within it powerful and memorable.
For people who are used to making notes it can of course be something of a stretch to put their trust in such colourful maps. Mind Maps are a much more effective way of capturing both meaning and detail. After all just how many people read the notes they have made during courses and even if they do, will that information stick, even if you read it several times? The chances are that it won’t. Lists of words simply are not memorable; they do not stimulate our minds.
In contrast Mind Maps complement the notion of sticky learning i.e. learning that sticks. And in an age where knowledge is the fuel for business success this has to be of great value.
Getting leverage with software
This issue of consolidating information is one of particular note to project teams who have to capture all the issues and manage all the data coming their way. And not surprisingly people who are used to working with technology, and who like Mind Mapping as a concept, want Mind Mapping software.
In this respect there are a number of dedicated Mind Mapping packages to choose from, all of which are ideal for project teams who want to streamline their thinking activity (see www.mind-mapping.co.uk/software). Using software is increasingly useful when facilitating large groups of people and collaborating between remote teams.
So what do project managers who are interested in Mind Mapping have to do to get started? The first step is to grasp the concepts so that they can recognise the new type of thinking that is required. Although it is an approach that mirrors the way our brain thinks, it can still take people who are used to other thinking strategies a little time to adjust. A one day course is probably enough here. Following that, they will want to consider its applications for their project activity and see exactly how it can help people to manage all their daily information needs.
Illumine Training are the world’s leading trainers in Mind Mapping for Business. We offer a number of training options through our practical training courses and seminars.
Illumine Business Mapping offers a comprehensive one day workshop in London. This is also available in-house if you are looking to train a team or group. Find out more at www.illumine.co.uk/bmap
Learn in a more flexible way with our award winning online Introduction to Mind Mapping. Our e-learning course that’s not as comprehensive as our training courses, but will give you the skills you need to Mind Map in your workplace. Find out more at www.illumine.co.uk/mmel
Find out more about Mind Mapping Software here.
Mind Map® and Mind Maps® are trademarks of the Buzan Organisation.
Tags: marketing professionals, mind mapping, mind mapping software, project management, project working
