Microsoft Planner vs. MindManager

Microsoft Planner is a user-friendly visual tool for organizing tasks and workflows. It’s great for team collaboration, integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 tools like Teams and Outlook, and offers flexibility for projects of all sizes. Additionally, it provides mobile and web access for seamless productivity on the go. That’s a big plus right there.

Incentivized

It is well suited for a quick prototype of product/development planning to show relationships amongst the APIs used. This helps developers understand the impact of the product changes and identifies the need to update integration components to avoid erroneous deployments. I have not personally experienced a less appropriate scenario at the moment.

Incentivized

• I love the ability to tag and untag others as needed
• I love the ability to customize the tag labels and that there are so many options
• I love the ability to add comments and it notifies the others tagged in the task
• I love that the task description can be changed as needed without notification to others assigned to the task

Incentivized

• Mapping content, user flows and customer journeys.
• It enables us to rapidly reconfigure maps in MindManager to inform new information architectures, navigational systems, and content strategies.
• Connect User Research and analytics precisely to screens.
• Dissect flows and screens into their component parts and research them.

Incentivized

• Does not allow you to view all tasks and sub-tasks (checklist) in a nested view.
• Comments have character limits that can make it harder for teams to communicate exactly what they want to share.
• There is no way to mention a teammate in a comment and share files and documents in the conversation (collaborative tool???).

• There should be some more functionality in the Notes window, such as a "Paste Special " Icon in the notes area to maintain format control.
• Although I create many of my own Web export templates, an add-on for web export design would be great, as I regularly create Interactive Electronic Technical Publications (IETP) in HTML export format.
• The ability to sync Map shortcuts between devices would also be welcome. I use MM on three devices, and I have to add or amend the Map list individually. My maps are on OneDrive, so using them should not be that hard if they are cloud-based.

Incentivized

It is a very useful tool that brings teams in sync with one another. The integration with other Microsoft products makes it an obvious choice because you don't have to purchase a license for a completely different tool that doesn't have cross-functional capabilities with the software you already use on a daily basis.

Incentivized

I feel the main issues of the old Mindjet seem to be gone with the
Corel purchase. With the huge advance of sharing via browser HTML even 1
user can affect many. And, actually, using MM kind of forced my rigid
brain to rethink how I categorize and classify information/projects.

The
idea of paying $69USD for an annual cost is more than fair and a great
model for Corel/Mindjet to keep rolling out improvements!

Incentivized

The tool is easy to use, but it is just as easy to set up. No specific skills are required, but its usefulness in our work is immediately apparent. Colors are very helpful in creating a clear interface and providing a very precise overview of the tasks to be performed.

Incentivized

MindManager is very intuitive. The user interface is not cluttered and the ribbon icons are easy to understand. Several excellent "how-to" videos are available on the MindManager site as well as on YouTube. MindManager starts quickly and the user interface is very responsive. Launching other programs from MindManager such as Excel is very fast and issue free. The browsing feature is lightning fast. The drag-and-drop capability is also very fast and reliable.

Incentivized

We have had no issues with the application's availability

Incentivized

The application is quick and responsive. We are able to produce mindmaps and reports with ease. The program is not complicated at all and integrates well with software and programs like Microsoft Outlook and Teams, which we truly appreciate.

Incentivized

I have called technical support a few times. During the COVID Crisis, I called a few times repeatedly due to a rush request. The technical support guy called me back in minutes. He somehow knew that I had called repeatedly and wanted to make sure my issue was resolved immediately

Incentivized

There is a wide range of online training through webinars led by expert users. They are particularly useful for explaining how to use new features and using MindManager 'in the real world' for projects, tasks etc.

Incentivized

better backup and exporting functions

Incentivized

Our organization chose MS Planner because it is an included tool in the MS Suite, and since we are unfortunately replacing our current and much better project management tool due to a consolidation of the tech stack. However, it doesn't appear that any of the teams using the current program intend to use MS Planner due to its poor functionality. We will likely be pivoting to Jira instead.

Incentivized

MindManager stands out for its wide range of export options, customization and how they have enriched the format over time. As a constantly evolving tool, and having tried others, I consider it superior for the abovementioned reasons. Its cross-platform nature has been decisive, and although there are many alternatives in the form of web applications or the like, MindManager presents itself as a more complete and robust option.

Incentivized

A team can collaborate on the same project but cannot create a shared project file. It would be helpful for that feature to be added.

Incentivized

• Saved over $1000 each year by not having to purchase a third party tool for our content planning
• Not sure that I can provide a hard number to this, but having the oversight to see when something is coming due and making sure everything gets executed in time

Incentivized

• MindManager allowed me to impress my audience by presenting complex cyber-security and information security concepts in a different and straightforward way. It meant income as instructor since I got the same diploma engagement three times in a row with the Mexico City government.
• In March 2021, the CEO of GSB Solutions, a former employer, invited me to design an innovation program for the company. I used MindManager to create the program, explain the concepts, and the implementation plan. All in one mind map. After presenting it to the CEO, I was promoted from Operations Coordinator —a part-time position— to Innovation Manager —a full-time position— earning four times my initial salary. The same mind map served to visually manage the program for 18 months.

Incentivized