Many project managers use MindManager to develop detailed project plans. It provides an easy way to build out a detailed ‘work breakdown structure’ both individually and collaboratively. Andrew Wilcox, consultant & trainer, illustrates this concept nicely in his blog post, Using MindManager 8 for Task Planning. The same technique could be applied to drill down into complex problems, creating progressively smaller issues.
Let’s take a look at an example of how to break down a problem using a MindManager map.
Here’s an example where a restaurant owner wants to investigate why there has been a significant drop in revenue. Since there can be many causes, the owner decides to break it down into smaller parts to have greater focus.
The map’s growth settings were adjusted to be a ‘right-facing’ map and the main problem was entered as the central topic. The next level of the map contains factors that contribute to the problem, information relating to it or questions raised by it. Information is added into the map, repeating this process until all of the problem’s components and contributing factors to the problem are understood. At this point, there will be a much deeper understanding and holistic view of the larger issue which should ultimately lead to better resolutions.
By breaking down the problem into smaller parts, Mindjet can help you focus more specifically on the real problems, understand their causes and develop appropriate resolutions.
Feel free to leave a comment or tips you’d like to share with the larger Mindjet community!