Using MindManager as dashboard for SAP

I have seen screen shots from Mindjet and been asked if an MindManager dashboard for SAP exists but I have not found much evidence of it on the web. Today an article appeared in Google Alerts:

Extract from a longer article about SAP developments titled:

The Smart Knowledge Worker

IcMAP, a project of SAP INSPIRE – the SAP unit responsible for implementing selected employees’ ideas – complements the investment of SAP Research in lightweight composition. It enables users to compose information from SAP internal and external sources within Mindjet’s mapping tool MindManager. It also provides a sophisticated middleware so that a technical user can, without programming, plug in any Web or enterprise service.

I have emailed the article author to find out more and I have received a PDF outlining the tool. In summary the tool is still a research project and is being used by a restricted number of participants under NDA in test not live situations. Looks like it is wait a bit longer.

Using MindManager to write a script and be the teleprompter (Part 2)

The second phase was to convert the script in to keywords or prompts.

I used Insert > Parent Topic to add a dummy topic before each of the script topics. I marked each script topic with an map marker and then started to add keyword or prompt topics. I emphasised the key benefit keywords with a blue backgrounds.

This is the final map.



Then I filtered it with the Power Filter to hide all the script topics. This was the map I used to make the final recording which is viewable below.

The next stage is just to learn the script and not have the prompt. Perhaps I should do shorter videos or do them in scenes and bolt them together afterwards. From a video process viewpoint I will also turn off the autofocus and the auto white balance, and wear a darker shirt.

Using MindManager to write a script and be the teleprompter

Today I wrote a script for a short web video about an event I am trying to attract people to. Using MindManager to write the script was a pretty obvious thing to do. I added paragraphs and sentences as topics. Then edited and rearranged them as necessary.




The next part was one of those moments of inspiration. In my first take on the video I had the webcam to one side of the monitor. My eyes obviously wandered over there and it looked rather odd. Then I had the moment of inspiration.

I have just bought a Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks and I am very impressed. Picture quality is excellent. Good enough for weblogs. The auto focus camera tracks you as you move and zooms automatically.

I bought it from Amazon for £44.74. Logitech QuickCam Pro for Laptops

And it comes with a stand for mounting the camera on. This allows me to position the webcam in the middle of the map.

My second trial video was better and you can watch it. It's not the finished product. First it was made using YouTube's Quick Capture. This records your webcam directly to a browser app and then uploads to the YouTube site. It is quick, 2 minutes after you save it is visible on the web but picture quality is low.



My next improvement is to convert the maps to keywords, so I do not spend so much time with my eyes trying to read the script. Second to record using the high quality recorder that comes with the webcam, editing in Windows Movie Maker to add titles and cut off the beginning and the end. You do not need to see me fumbling for the stop button.

Using MindManager to manage your Social Network

This is an old rant of mine prompted by a recent posting in the MindMapping Software Blog on A challenge to developers of mind mapping software. One of the links in this post goes back to September 2006.

There are huge opportunities in the area of social networking. Here are some examples from my favourite social network Ecademy.

Whenever I attend an Ecademy meeting I copy and paste the attendees list to a MindManager map. During the meeting I add notes and actions (Topic Alerts are great for this) on my Tablet PC in ink. The following day I ink to text and review the meeting.

That sounds great doesn't it?

But you get a different result depending on whether you cut and paste from Firefox (my preferred browser) or IE (currently producing the best paste result). But the paste is still a mess. I end up with one topic per attendee containing their name, company, membership level, Skype status, & location.

I would like a topic with their name linked to their Ecademy profile plus subtopics for each of the previous items with a filter option not to include country or Skype status for instance.

I can use a two step process: paste to Excel, delete columns, search and replace unwanted text, paste in to MindManager. With the correct add in I could probably get the cells inserted as sub-topics.



Now Ecademy does have a FOAF file which is an XML file listing all your contacts and some other data e.g. how many messages you have exchanged.

You can open this XML file with MindManager and it is readable but includes all the field names as well as the data. With this data you could imply other information and add it to the map. For instance their profile photo and then you would get a map like this:

Can MindManager cope with my 1251 contacts and all their associated data?

How can I keep the map up to date with new contacts and contacts whose data has changed? Possibly 10 per day.








If it could then I would use MindManager to overlay information on my social network. For instance marking up my inner circle, my collaborators, my service providers, the good guys, the bad guys, the people I know I should be talking to expand and strengthen our relationship. See this post in Ecademy about CAN.

MindManager is already the hub of my CRM system. I would like it to be the hub of my SNM system!

p.s. It also needs to do this for Xing, Ning, LinkedIn, FaceBook, and Myspace

Using MindManager to enable others to understand your business

One of my services is to produce maps which make understanding a business easy for a client, supplier, partner or investor. Here are a few examples. Click the pictures to see a full size version. Another click will take you to the web site.

First a toolkit from the acting profession for business people to use produced for The Performance Business




The second one describing the place of BetXTech in the betting supply chain.



And thirdly a map describing the process of buying equipment at auction.



I have also prepared maps for directors of one business to use at a presentation to the directors of another business. They took two large maps on A2 sheets one which described the values and aspirations of their business, and the second which should how the two organisations could partner effectively. Which reminds me I must ask if their offer was accepted.

Preparing Quotations with MindManager

I use MindManager to write my quotations for Cabre's customer's because its easy to assemble new quotes from old ones and a template.

I took one of my quotations as the basis for a new map. To this I added other useful clauses I had in previous quotes and saved it as a template. Each of the topics has a note. This note contains the paragraphs for the clause. For instance the clause Application Workshop contains:

"Duration 3 hours

This session is driven by the participant's requests. It is a master class with some time for participants to explore what they have seen. The intent is to raise awareness of the opportunities MindManager gives its users to allow the participants to make an informed choice of where MindManager can be applied to the greatest affect on their business.

It can cover but is not limited to:"

The topics following this clause are then filtered (hidden) to make them relevant to the client.

To save it as a template in MindManager 7 Pro -
Tools > Map Templates > Select the folder > Add New Map Template > Rename (If necessary) > Close.

Here is my template:



The price for the session is arbitrary not actual!

To use it to create a quote. Open a New Map using this template. Delete the clauses that are not needed for the quote and edit those that remain. Save as new quotation.

I use a MindManager spreadsheet topic to do the adding up and to show the VAT. For more elaborate quotations you can link to an Excel spreadsheet range and include parts of it where required in the quotation.

My original map was already associated with a Word template which adds branding to the header and has a footer with dates, copyright etc. For all quotations, I include the map in the Word export (close it down to a suitable level first) and it becomes the cover sheet. I often have other maps included in the notes. For larger quotations you can also enable the table of contents. The Word template will determine fonts, margins etc.

Check the document in Word, paginate where necessary and then print to PDF prior to emailing to the client. Office 2007 has a free PDF printer but I have used pdfFactory Pro for many years. In pdfFactory Pro you can secure the document against editing.

Of course this process will also work for any documents you have to produce that repeatedly use the same information.

MindManager Customer Vignettes describe many applications

The Mindjet Customer Vignettes gives 52 customer stories of how they have used MindManager.

Here are few examples of what MindManager users say they are using it for:

• sales and marketing strategy,
  
• to outline Web content and functionality,
  
• project planning,
  
• podcast preparation,
  
• the Getting Things Done process for task management,
• mapping consultancy/client relationships.

If you have a few minutes it is worth a look.

What are your favourite applications of Mind Mapping software and why?

I recently posed this question to my friends and to the general membership on LinkedIn.

A friend replied:

I use MindManager for the following:

1) Project management planning: I create templates for projects that are re-usable, this means I save time on subsequent projects. I also like the fact that an incredibly complex project can be managed from one dashboard. With the ability to link every conceivable form of document and media in one source I don't know how I could plan and manage projects without MM.

2) Client workshops and problem discovery sessions: Clients find MM a great tool when I use it for workshops as it helps us brainstorm but always in a focused framework, it also means that nothing gets lost. I always record brainstorming sessions with a dictaphone and attach the audio file to the MM file for a complete record of the session.

3) Website design & planning: I now run 3 websites so it really helps to design, plan and administer my sites using MM as I can store all my images, pages, content and updates in one place.

4) Presentation planning: MM is fantastic for designing a presentation as you can create a basic template and then build out from that based on the specific requirements. I find it provides a more creative medium than just relying on powerpoint templates. I frequently save time by just using MM as the presentation tool, clients appear to prefer it to PowerPoint etc.

5) Knowledge management: Part of our core service is providing detailed audits and reports to clients. One of the deliverables we now provide is a MM of all the findings. It provides a much richer and simpler way of navigating through all of our results as opposed to a bland, one-dimensional Word document or printed report.

This is from Dylan Jones at IQ Solutions Online and his recently launched Data Migration Pro a global professional community.

You can see other answers at LinkedIn at What are your favourite applications of Mind Mapping software and why?