Munich Personal RePEc Archive
Mind mapping management
Pugalendhi, Subburethina Bharathi and Nakkeeran, Senthil
kumar
M.A.M College of Engineering and
Technology(MAMCET),Tiruchirappalli-621 105. Tamilnadu, India,
Anna University Chennai
1 August 2011
Online at
https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/33366/
MIND-MAPPING MANAGEMENT
Dr. P. Subburethina Bharathi1 & Dr. N. Senthil Kumar2 Introduction
A mind map is a diagram used t o represent words, ideas, t asks, or ot her it ems l inked t o and arranged around a cent ral key word or idea. Mind maps are used t o generat e, visual ize, st ruct ure, and cl assif y ideas, and as an aid t o st udying and organizing inf ormat ion, solving probl ems, making decisions, and writ ing. The f undament als of mind map are arranged nat ural ly according t o t he import ance of t he concept s, and are cl assif ied int o groupings, branches, or areas, wit h t he goal of represent ing semant ic or ot her connect ions bet ween port ions of inf ormat ion. Mind maps may al so aid recall of exist ing memories.
Tony Buzan is widely credit ed wit h coining t he t erm mind map. Mind maps are a means of organizing inf ormat ion visuall y, showing how l arge ideas are made of big pieces, which in t urn are composed of smal l er pieces. Pict orial met hods f or recording knowl edge and model ing syst ems have been used f or cent uries in l earning, brainst orming, memory, visual t hinking, and probl em solving by educat ors, engineers, psychol ogist s, and ot hers. Brit ish popul ar psychology aut hor Tony Buzan cl aims t o have invent ed modern mind mapping. The mind map cont inues t o be used in various f orms, and f or various appl icat ions including l earning and educat ion (where it is of t en t aught as "webs", "mind webs", or "webbing"), pl anning, and in engineering diagramming. Mind maps hel p peopl e connect inf ormat ion quickl y. Using t he mind mapping t echnique in proj ect management al l ows a proj ect manager t o draw simpl e pict ures t hat ref l ect compl ex ideas. Drawing a mind map t ypicall y st art s by writ ing t he t it l e of a t opic in t he cent er of a whit eboard, piece of paper or sof t ware t ool. The next st ep is t o writ e down subt opics and draw l ines out f rom t he circl e so t he proj ect manager can show t he connect ions.
Mind-Mapping Guidelines:
Tony Buzan suggest s using t he f oll owing guidel ines f or creat ing mind maps: 1. St art in t he cent er wit h an image of t he t opic, using at l east 3 colors. 2. Use images, symbol s, codes, and dimensions t hroughout your mind map. 3. Sel ect key words and print using upper or l ower case l et t ers.
4. Each word/ image is best al one and sit t ing on it s own l ine.
5. The l ines should be connect ed, st art ing f rom t he cent ral image. The cent ral l ines are t hicker, organic and t hinner as t hey radiat e out f rom t he cent re.
6. Make t he l ines t he same l engt h as t he word/ image t hey support .
7. Use mul t ipl e colors t hroughout t he mind map, f or visual st imul at ion and al so t o group. 8. Devel op your own personal st yl e of mind mapping.
9. Use emphasis and show associat ions in your mind map.
10.Keep t he mind map cl ear by using radial hierarchy, numerical order or out l ines t o embrace your branches.
Start in the center with an image of the topic, using at least 3 colors.
The ideas are document ed in a mind map radiat e f rom t he cent er of diagram, simil ar t he branches or root syst em of a t ree. The colors are import ant because t hey provide an ext ra dimension of inf ormat ion t o hel p your brain int erpret t he dat a more ef f ect ively.
1
Associate Professor, Department of Management Studies, M.A.M College of Engineering and Technology (MAMCET),Tiruchirappalli-621 105. Tamilnadu, India.
2
Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your Mind Map.
Words are import ant , but pict ures make it easier and f ast er t o communicat e inf ormat ion visual ly. Simil arl y, symbol s, codes and dimensions provide a ment al short hand t o speed up t he communicat ion process.
Select key words and print using upper or lower case letters.
Key words work wel l wit h images t o convey inf ormat ion, simil ar t o t he way sl ides work in present at ions. Print ing makes t hem l egibl e.
Each word/ image is best alone and sitting on its own line.
This is t o make t he mind map easy t o int erpret . Too many uncoordinat ed l ines makes f or a conf using mind map.
The lines should be connected, starting from the central image. The central lines are thicker, organic and flowing, becoming thinner as they radiate out from the centre.
The idea here is t o give t he reader a visual guide as t o t he l evel of det ail t hey’ re at wit hin a mind map. Obviousl y, if you f oll ow t he l ines t hrough t he map, you’ l l see how everyt hing is connect ed. Varying t hicknesses wil l make t he mind map l ook l ike a syst em of branches or root s.
Make the lines the same length as the word/ image they support. Again, readabil it y is t he key.
Use multiple colors throughout the Mind Map, for visual stimulation and also to encode or group.
Much l ike bus rout es and subway maps use color t o dist inguish bet ween rout es, use of col or in a mind map will make it easier t o f oll ow t he inf ormat ion.
Develop your own personal style of Mind Mapping.
Personal st yl e al lows you t o creat e mind maps more ef f icient ly and ef f ect ivel y. Use emphasis and show associations in your Mind Map.
This all ows you t o f ocus at t ent ion on key t opics in t he mind map.
Mind mapping can be used for:
probl em sol ving
out l ine/ f ramework design
st ruct ure/ rel at ionship represent at ions
anonymous col l aborat ion
marriage of words and visuals
individual expression of creat ivit y
condensing mat erial int o a concise and memorable f ormat
t eam buil ding or synergy creat ing act ivit y
enhancing work moral e
Conceptual frame work of Mind-Mapping
Mind Mapping is a pict orial way of t ransf erring ideas f rom our brains ont o paper very quickl y and easil y. Wit h pract ice you wil l f ind t hat your brain can produce ideas f ast er t hat your pencil can writ e t hem ont o paper. Ideas are normall y produced by our brain in a random sequence - cert ain t hings t end t o t rigger of f ot her ideas t hat l ead t o suggest ions, images and concept s.
Mind Mapping - Basic Rules
The rul es f or producing Mind Maps are very simpl e and can be adapt ed t o suit your personal pref erence.
Take a piece of paper and draw a rect angl e in t he cent re of t he page.
Inside t he rect angl e writ e t he name of t he t opic t hat you want t o mind map.
As each maj or idea or t heme emerges f rom your brain draw a l ine radiat ing f rom t he rect angl e.
Writ e t he name of t he maj or idea above each l ine.
As each idea mat erial izes, quickl y check whet her t he idea is an ext ension of an exist ing idea.
If t he idea is somet hing t ot all y new, t hen draw a brand new l ine f rom t he rect angl e in t he cent er of t he page.
Wit hin a short space of t ime out Mind Map will begin t o t ake shape. Don't be t oo al armed if it looks as if a spider, wit h ink on it s f eet has crawl ed across t he page.
Mind Maps are personal records of t hought processes and are normal ly PRIVATE.
Once you have f inished generat ing ideas and const ruct ing t he Mind Map you can st art anal ysing t he inf ormat ion shown on t he mind map.
Mind Mapping - Applications
Mind Maps can be used in many dif f erent sit uat ions f or pl anning purposes or sequencing of event s. It is appl ied in t he process of creat ive t hinking, wit h l inks being made bet ween t hemes or st at ement s in real t ime as t he writ e out is going on. Adapt at ion could be achieved f ar more easily by l ist ening t o t he int erview numerous t imes t han by wait ing f or t yped t ranscript s appl ied in t radit ional research appl icat ions.
Mind Mapping Technique in Proj ect Management
Using t he mind mapping t echnique in proj ect management t ypical ly invol ves anal yzing a t opic, f iguring out how pieces of inf ormat ion f it t oget her, and generat ing concl usions.
Defining Proj ect Obj ectives
A proj ect manager can use a mind map t o draw a l ist of t he st rat egic goal s associat ed wit h t he ef f ort .
Scheduling Proj ect Tasks
Using t he mind mapping t echnique f or proj ect schedul ing involves writ ing down each proj ect t ask and est imat ing how l ong each act ivit y t akes t o compl et e. By breaking each t ask int o subt asks, a proj ect manager can more accurat el y draw a pict ure t hat ref l ect s t he precise act ions and how l ong each t ask act ual ly t akes. Proj ect managers can use mind maps t o schedul e t asks and al low f or cont ingencies.
Solving Problems
Proj ect managers and t eams f requent l y encount er compl ex probl ems. Team buil ding exercises involving generat ing mind maps can hel p generat e t roubl eshoot ing procedures make decisions based on avail abl e dat a or det ermine t he root cause of a product ion issue. For exampl e, a proj ect t eam f aced wit h t he chal l enge of budget reduct ions can l ist t he remaining act ivit ies and propose l ess expensive al t ernat ives.
Documenting Meetings
Proj ect managers act ing as meet ing f acil it at ors can draw a mind map t o document all t opics discussed in t eam meet ings. The resul t ing visual image of t en t riggers creat ive t hinking. For exampl e, l ist ing quest ions about t he scope of t he proj ect , unresolved probl ems or expert ise l acking t o compl et e a proj ect t ask can serve as an ef f ect ive visual st at us report .
Structuring Proj ect Archives
Faced wit h inf ormat ion overload, many proj ect managers l ose t rack of proj ect document s, such as f unct ional requirement s, proj ect pl ans and risk regist ers.
Conclusion
The mind mapping t echnique can be used as a aut horit at ive, creat ive and dynamic way t o administ er proj ect s, st ruct ure and cl assif y mul t if acet ed inf ormat ion, and provide mot ivat ing report s t hat grasp peopl e’ s at t ent ion. By minimizing words and f ocusing on associat ions, mind maps all ow proj ect managers and t eam members t o rapidl y see dependencies and probl ems, saving t ime and money. Using mind maps can not abl y improve a proj ect t eam’ s product ivit y.
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