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Mind Mapping as a Project Management tool
PMI TPSIG Newsletter, June 2007
Mind Mapping as a Project Management tool
PMI TBC Newsletter, June 2007
Mind Mapping: an Invaluable Tool for Scheduling
by Stephen Orr, AMD Software

Gantt Charts

To visualize complex project information and effectively collaborate with your team, start by brainstorming your project plan or Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in the Mind Map view; then add scheduling information, and simply switch to the built-in Gantt chart view to refine your plan. Faster and easier than traditional white board exercises, OpenMind Business enables you to capture project scopes, schedules, and risk scenarios and display them in an easy to understand visual format.

Harness the usability, power and flexibility of Mind Mapping to:

• Brainstorm, visualize and organize tasks
• Create Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)
• Simplify complex projects
• Collaborate and innovate
• Grasp connections and obstacles
• Take notes and attach relevant files
• Display and apply task information – duration, completion levels, resources and priorities, all within the Mind Map

Whether you initiate planning in the Mind Map view or begin your project in the Gantt chart, OpenMind Business is the perfect Gantt chart software to manage task information from start to finish. Build schedules, allocate resources, manage schedule and scope changes to keep your projects on time and on budget – all in a visually appealing interface. Define and modify all the following task data quickly and easily within the Gantt chart:

• Dependencies
• Constraints
• Completion values
• Resources
• Duration
• Lead/Lag times
• Critical Path
• Milestones
• Deadlines
• Priorities

Once your schedule is established, OpenMind Business enables you track the status of your project as it progresses by allowing you to view the critical path, assign priorities, set completion values, check deadlines and milestones and avoid scheduling conflicts.

Take notes and attach files

Eliminate the need for white board exercises by simply adding notes to each task. Keep project data organized by linking or attaching all files associated with each task or work stream. Easily access these files and make additional notes - all within the Gantt chart!

Define and adjust project calendars

Effectively manage default calendars and specific project settings as defaults for each project with these powerful scheduling controls:

• Set schedule from start date or end date
• Define working time and days off
• Import calendars from Microsoft Project
• Import and export OpenMind Business calendars

Assign resources

OpenMind Business allows you to create or reuse resource lists and assign resources to each task within your project plans. Assign as many resources as necessary to each task.

• Create a global resources list
• Assign multiple resources to each task
• Import resources from Microsoft Outlook
• Import/Export resources from/to Microsoft Project
• Import resources from Windows Active Directory database

Communicate effectively with Project Reports

Instantly generate reports to provide an overview of project status, including:

• Project Summary
• Critical Tasks
• Who Does What
• Tasks in Progress
• Completed Tasks
• Unstarted Tasks
• Top Level Tasks
• Calendar
• Milestones

Project export

OpenMind Business enables you to export your project plans to Microsoft Project for further development.

Project Import

Take full advantage of the visual overview, collaboration and timeline capabilities of OpenMind Business by importing existing project schedules from Microsoft Project or XML into OpenMind Business.

OpenMind Business XML Import feature allows you to convert third-party file formats to the OpenMind file format, even if you don’t own these third-party software applications. Conversely, the XML Export feature lets you integrate OpenMind Business documents with other applications by simply implementing a transformation file.

Print your project plan as a Gantt chart, Mind Map, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) or Project Timeline on any office printer; no need for a fancy plotter. The OpenMind Business print function enables you to spread your plan over as many pages as you choose and print it as a large poster- an easy and effective way to present your professional Gantt chart at your next meeting!

Present your Gantt Charts in the following ways:

Project Timeline View

Import/Export to Word

Import/Export to PowerPoint

Import/Export to Excel

Synchronize tasks with Outlook

Share with the Free OpenMind Business Viewer

What is a Gantt Chart?

A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart used to illustrate a project plan and to coordinate and track the progress of the individual tasks required to bring the project to completion. It is constructed of a horizontal axis representing the time line (divided into hours, days, weeks, etc.) and a vertical axis listing the various tasks. Gantt charts can also provide a clear picture of the interdependency between tasks, required resources, task assignments, task durations, start and finish dates, activity calendars, etc. OpenMind Business Gantt chart software is the perfect solution for all of your project and task management needs!