As a project manager, you need to utilize great tools that allow you to manage your project and your team effectively. Mind Mapping is one such tool. You can develop your project management skills, problem-solve, and lead a team much more efficiently by integrating mind maps into your business projects.

What is mind mapping?

A mind map is a graphing technique that allows you to brainstorm organically and outline concepts relating to a central idea. The mind map image shows relationships between the individual pieces and the whole idea. Mind mapping provides a simple depiction in which you can get ideas across and address problems. A mind map diagram can represent tasks, concepts, and other items in a colorful, memorable, and highly-organized way, which means the information is much more easily-digestible than reams of facts and figures.

How do you create a mind map?

You can create mind maps yourself with paper and pen, but if you’re serious about utilizing mind mapping for your projects, invest in mind mapping Software. You can use a mind map as a simplified content management system to store your data in a centralized location, you can attach files to various branches for flexibility, and you can change viewing orders.

Whatever type of mind mapping software you use, it will have numerous advantages for project management, as well as other elements of your business. For instance, you could use a mind map to decide which candidate to hire after an interview process by placing their resume objectives onto a diagram. These snapshots of the candidates’ experience, skills, and achievements can help you decide who is the best one for the job. A mind map can also allow you to have an overview of the applicants’ qualifications at a glance. For instance, rather than wading through mountains of paperwork, a mind map instantly informs you whether an applicant has passed a Project Management Professional exam, like the Brain Sensei PMP Exam Review Course or the Sybex PMP Online Training Course.

Steps to Create a Mind Map

Whether you use software or a pen and flipchart, structuring a mind map is a relatively simple process. Simply follow these four steps:

1. Once you have a central idea that you want to focus on, draw the concept in the middle of the page.

2. Create branches coming out of the central idea to show core ideas derived from your main concept.

3. Create smaller secondary and tertiary branches stemming from the core ideas.

4. Connect different branches that are relevant to one another.

What to Look for in Mind Mapping Software

When choosing mind mapping software as a project manager, you must select a program that has integrated project management software. It is also best to get software that has collaboration features, image management, and excellent aesthetics for communicating ideas.

You also need to consider which platforms you use. Your software of choice will depend on whether you most frequently use platforms like Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android. However, many mind mapping software creators have made their tools available to use on a variety of platforms so that you can mind map on a PC, a tablet, and an iPhone, for example. The good thing is you can test drive many mind mapping software programs’ premium features for up to a month, so you can determine which software is best suited to your projects and way of working.

How to Use Mind Maps for Project Management

You can use mind mapping for project management in a variety of ways. Here are some helpful ideas.

Defining a Project’s Scope

Mind mapping allows a team to flesh out project deliverables, prerequisites, conditions, and assumptions. It is particularly useful to do that while a client is talking about his or her needs. Clients and the team working on the project will be able to understand the scope of a project much more efficiently via a colorful diagram rather than with paragraphs of black and white text.

Breaking Down the Scope into Detailed Tasks

You can easily extend a mind map as you and your team begin breaking down the scope of the project into individual tasks. You can also attach deadlines to each component.

Running Meetings

If you are a project manager, you will know you have to juggle project management tasks with other duties like administration. If you’re currently taking lots of notes during meetings, you can use a mind map to highlight the minutes instead. That will save you a lot of time.

Effective Presentation

Mind maps are ideal for use in presentations. Instead of using text-heavy slides that can easily bore your audience, mind maps will engage your team more. Indeed, studies have shown that people attending presentations that use mind maps have a 15% improvement in recall. So, you are sure to make presentations more valuable by using mind maps.

Team Management

Mind mapping allows you to manage your team more effectively. For instance, you can delegate different tasks to different members of your team and create an organizational structure. You can also use a mind map to identify who team members need to report to.

Resource Repository

You and your team will need to refer to various resources during any project. Depending on how complex your project is, the number of resources you use can run into hundreds or even thousands. When those resources are interlinked, the complexity can increase. Mind maps make it much easier to organize and reference resources during all phases of your project. Instead of uploading a massive number of documents and other resources in a folder, you can attach those resources, or links to resources, to your mind map. Each resource will be easily searchable, so mind maps make it much easier to access each element.

Problem-Solving

As every project manager knows, problems are sure to arise with any project. Using a mind map can help you to address and fix these problems when they crop up. Place the problem in the middle of the page and use branches to ask questions. The simplification of issues in a diagram form allows you and your team to find solutions more effectively.

Decision-Making

Project management involves making decisions daily. By using a mind map, you can understand problems and collect relevant information more easily so that you can make informed decisions.

Conclusion

Mind maps allow you to effectively brainstorm and outline concepts around a central idea for any business project. By using a mind map diagram, you can include tasks, concepts, and resources in a highly-organized and easily-digestible way. Mind maps also allow you to define a project’s scope, create detailed tasks, solve problems, make decisions, and manage your team more effectively. There are a variety of mind mapping software programs you can use to help manage projects. It is best to select a program that has integrated project management software that includes features and functions like image management and collaboration features. So, explore the different types of software available to find out which is best suited to your business before you proceed in purchasing a program. Once you start using mind maps, you will never look back.

Author Bio: Bryce Welker is an active speaker, blogger, and tutor on accounting and finance. As the founder of Crush The CPA Exam, he has helped thousands of candidates pass the CPA exam on their first attempt.

Mind Mapping for Effective Project Management was originally published in ProofHub Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.