According to the Project Management Institute, project managers aim to meet the requirements and milestones of business and team efforts. They plan, organize and execute the small and larger tasks required to turn an idea into a product or service. Therefore, given their wide expanse of responsibilities, successful project managers often have a range of useful tools and technologies at their disposal. However, it can be difficult to cut through the chaff in order to find the techniques most applicable to the project and team at hand.
A degree like the Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Project Management online program from Avila University empowers future project managers, team leaders and project directors to make informed decisions about matching strategies to projects in order to effectively achieve intended outcomes.
How Mind Mapping Can Help Streamline the Planning Process
Mind mapping is a highly effective tool that project managers can utilize across industries like international business, healthcare and construction. You may be familiar with the term “mind map” or even have created basic mind maps in school, but what does the term mean exactly and why is it such a useful tool for enhanced creativity and improved collaboration?
According to Mindmaps.com, “Mind maps provide a structured way to capture and organize ideas and information. They help users to understand concepts by breaking them down into their component parts. The technique is used to develop new ideas, or to break down and better understand existing information. Whether developing new ideas or organizing existing information, mind maps help you see how information fits together.”
Mind maps typically use a key central topic, with branches of other related topics and ideas building outwards around it. They usually use keywords rather than longer, more detailed blocks of text so that viewers can easily take in the information they are seeing and respond to it.
Mind Mapping: Applications for Project Planners
Visual Velocity (formerly known as the Mind Mapping Software Blog) is dedicated to all things mind mapping and software. In its article titled “10 ways mind maps can help you focus your strategic planning process,” editor Chuck Frey explains why mind mapping is a go-to tool for project planners.
Mind mapping is a process that engages groups for large brainstorming sessions, such as those needed during strategic planning. It allows all team members to feel involved and encourages collaborative rather than siloed thinking, since maps inherently show connections among many aspects of a project. This can be useful for demonstrating how one team member’s set of responsibilities relates to another’s. Plus, for the facilitator of such a group — such as a project director — mind maps allow for fast-paced recording of ideas. Users can note, group and organize keywords later.
Mind maps also allow for different types of thinking. Divergent thinkers and disruptors can let their imaginations run free with a mind map, while managers can consider ways to order them. All these form the building blocks that eventually become a project strategy.
Visualize and Communicate Ideas Effectively With Mind Maps
Content creator and host of the Startups’ Roundtable podcast Tony Hackett calls mind maps “a dynamic and creative tool for project managers.” He gives the example of a planning session in which professionals can use branches of the map to represent all aspects of a project, such as “risks, stakeholders, resources, and management processes.”
Mind maps help communicate complex information visually. Not only are mind maps useful in the initial planning phase of a project, but they also are a tool that teams can refer to during the process. These evolving documents help teams keep track of which milestones have been achieved and which remain throughout an entire project lifecycle.
The writer also points out that managers can seamlessly integrate mind maps with other types of planning technologies and tools, such as agile boards, checklists and process flow charts. The Practice of Project Management course and Tools and Technology of Project Management course in Avila’s online MBA with a concentration in Project Management program emphasize how to work with and select these integrations.
Whether you have not yet studied project management, are at the start of your new career in the field or have been working for some time, familiarizing yourself with a strategy like mind mapping can open new doors when working with complex teams and ideas. Avila’s program teaches students how to use mind mapping for brainstorming, note-taking, organizing objectives and presenting to stakeholders. In a world where businesses must allocate resources more efficiently, mind mapping can be a game changer for project managers and leaders alike.
Learn more about Avila University’s online MBA with a concentration in Project Management program.
