Accelerate your ideation through execution!
The KSU SBDC asked me to present “mind mapping techniques” to their Fast Track© Growth Venture business owners.
What is mind mapping? It is a visual way of capturing thoughts ( random ) and recording them in a structure ( other than linear ). I call it “note taking on steroids”. ( alternate definition here ). Traditional note taking assumes a linear order as if the speaker is working from an outline that you are merely translating to paper.
I use mind maps to record conversations with clients. Once a client opens up about her business there is usually a deluge of ideas, problems, stories, goals, and other important details that can get lost if I don’t record them. Using the mind map I can prep my partners when it is time to hand off the client to them.
Mind maps are great as an idea recording tool during brainstorming sessions. You can add nodes, hyperlinks, images, spreadsheets, and links to other maps while folks watch on an overhead or a second monitor. At this point you don’t want to impose an artificial structure so you may want to just add the ideas un an unlinked way. Later on you can group the ideas, deleting the duplicates.
Mind maps can accelerate the phases of ideation, planning, execution, and critiquing.
In the ideation stage we brainstorm for raw ideas out of our heads and the heads of others. Once the raw ideas are out, we can use them as fodder for a second round of brainstorming. I create large printouts ( 11 x 17 or 13 x 19 ) with ideas, pictures, drawings ( anything to communicate ) and I show these to anyone who will listen ( clients, employees, advistors, my dogs). By talking through the map with someone else you are guaraneteed to get an “ahah”. And this isn’t just a popularity club, I’m looking to find ways to fail this idea as well as mature it to the next stage.
Now on to planning. In years past I’ve worked in software teams which have produced 3ft by 8 ft complex project plans and inch thick requirements documents. This is beyond the needs or ability of a small businesss. What you need is a 1 page picture that can change every day but it’s purpose is to remind of you of your goal and keep you on track.
For my plan I create a minmmap with notes of everything that is going on in my small business life. I’ll have nodes such as customers with current work, website revamp, design a moodle course, networking events, etc. As I learned in my own Fast Track experience there is always the brutal truth of the day and that deserves its own node. The plan contains the complete picture of WHAT I and my team are going to accomplish. Using this technique from David Allen’s book Getting Things Done I can plan what I’m NOT going to do.
Now that I have the WHAT I’m supposed to do I can now prioritize the activities of myself and others.
Now let me insert here a pet peeve of mine. Team gathers for a kumbaya meeting. Heads nod and assignments are handed out left and right. A week later I hear “oh, was I supposed to do that?” Argh! Yes! And it should be done by now.
Using any sort of mindmapping software you should be able to put names ( resources ) next to a task. Using MindJet’s MindManager software you can actually create a task entry in Microsoft Outlook that you can track. It even has the ability to import/export date to Outlook as well as Microsoft Project. The MS Project integration is overkill for most, but the Outlook integration is most powerful. Now every team member has their todo’s assigned to them in the meeting trackable on your computer and theirs ( assuming you are using Exchange with Outlook ). I can create some short reports and nag people mid-week on the progress of their task. Don’t laugh but even my husband and I use this to track tasks between us.
You can also insert Outlook appointment ( calendar events ) and contact information. Make a mind map as a part of your sales process. Visually describe your potential client’s organization, decision makers, problems, opportunities, as well as the nitty gritty details of dates and phone numbers. Salesforce.com even has a MindJet plug-in but you can have similar functionality on the cheap.
I find mind mapping helps with one last thing. Lessons learned, post project critique, did I make any money? - whatever you call the process of analyzing your business or projects afterwords to see if you’d do it the same way again. Learn from your experience and create a starter map for the next project. You can create a template map with good starter questions for your next client interview or for the next time you plan with your team. We all have those questions that are now embedded into our psyche ( oh yes our US data is in just the same format as our Candadian data said that customer to me ) and we want to improve our whole team with our experience.
These are just a few ideas on the uses of mind mapping. Drop a comment if you’ve found a good use for mind maps in your own business.
Just to keep you going, here is a good blog on mindmaping ( mindmapblog.wordpress.com )
Souce: http://www.carolshepherd.us/?p=31
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