Mind Mapping - Visualize meeting notes

Everybody has their unique way of understanding projects they are introduced to.

Some of us go into a read-only mode, others take the act-on-it mode and a few more takes on the manage mode.

I take the map-it mode to begin with and then take a call whether I should be in the act-on-it or manage.

By employing mind mapping of projects during the project initiation phase, helps get a picture of how things would look from the fourth dimension.

I found mind mapping to help:

• Doodle the flow of project from initiation to sustenance
• Visualise the ‘blocks’ or challenges
• Colour the sponsors, supporters and resisters
• Pin down the slowing down milestones
• Get an overview in visual than in words

How will a mind mapped project doc look?

• It can look chaotic in the beginning
• Draw the mapped image on a page as you listen and visualise the project briefing
• Mark the challenges, break in integration which you visualise with red
• Mark the spots in the flow diagram you see resistors blocking progress with yellow
• Mark the areas you will need help from sponsors, management and PMO with blue
• Mark the junctions where projects moves from a phase to next for communications with green

Likewise, you will create your own way of doodling the entire project lifespan in mind first, followed by drawing it on paper. It could be just separate cloud, bubbles later connected with number system or dotted lines... Else it could be a pipe-flow diagram through which you flow the project from start till sustenance.

How does it help?

• Helps you live through the life cycle of project at an early stage
• Helps you to ask relevant and project life cycle related questions to PM or PMO during briefing stage
• Helps to get a comprehensive view of a large project
• Helps you to put your initial action plan with a view of immediate future needs
• Helps you place your role in the project and plan accordingly

Note: (https://qz.com/64539/complete-guide-to-taking-notes-effectively-at-work/) “The British Journal of Educational Technology found mind-mapping to be significantly more effective than just writing out notes. Mind-mapping brings visual structure to notes, usually involving writing one word in the center and drawing offshoots from it with related ideas and phrases. Researchers studying two groups of note-takers, those using the SmartWisdom method (a popular alternative mind-mapping system) and those writing traditional notes found that although there was no difference in the accuracy of the notes, the mind-mappers were able to present the information back with more clarity and coherence than their counterparts.”