MindManager Adds GPS to Your Maps

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Currently I'm the beta fish for MindManager; beta testing solo for use by our team here, and then fighting for it.

For 30+ years I've been using 'mind mapping' techniques, starting while at UW, then progressing through
various versions of the software. Incredibly happy with what v2018 offers today (have maintenance package for the 2019 upgrade but yet to install). Much an analog man for early brainstorming on sketchbooks or whiteboards, all ends up in the software.

MM allows for simply moving a branch of a map onto its own. As I hold various roles I need to link maps as I get more granular... I find sharing a map a few levels down is simpler for me than fiddling with a large map, but I haven't tried the new HTML exporting, so I could be behind the bus on that.

MM also has an intense, immense and impressive ability for me to CODE AND SORT tasks for whatever I need. Beyond the obvious who/what/when the ability to code and sort tasks by font/color/icons/etc/etc/etc means allows for an
insane amount of control. Implementing dashboards is next, so that specific people look at specific things. GANTT I believe will become my new best friend.

Looking forward to sharing via the html functionality with non-MM users. Brilliant strategy to get power users work out there and give a taste to the uninitiated.

Mindjet partner Olympic Limited sells an add-on that makes the above easier. Kudos to Mindjet for their partners.

Regarding Corel, I'm glad they purchased Mindjet! I fondly recall how 30 years ago utterly intuitive Wordperfect on the NeXT platform was daily, as I struggle with MSO. Good on the folks at Corel to pick up these gems.

Common Applications for MindManager

Strategic Planning
Brainstorming
Process Mapping
Knowledge Management
Task and Project Management
Project Planning

Pros and Cons

Super easy to use; everyone gets the basics and the power behind mind mapping.
Incredible flexibility to grow/expand on ideas and then to link them.
Dashboards and Gantt charts are polished.

Multi-monitor support...could be my setup here but I struggle with super large maps and I find using a set of linked smaller maps to be less grief than scrolling around a large map but I would highly prefer seeing the bigger picture. That or some hotkeys to improve using a super large map.

Number of Users

1 to 10

Return on Investment

$400 for the ability to do a project mapped out or hierarchical.
Ability to lay out all the tasks and Gantt them - included.
Ability to share maps with anyone with a browser - included.

Information Visualization Benefits

I'll keep it simple: the ability to easily, intuitively add/move topics and tasks around so fluidly isn't possible in Word or Excel

Alternatives Considered

First looks showed how inferior other mind mapping software was to MM.

Likelihood to Recommend

Brainstorming or ad-hoc meetings.

Complex projects and tasking.

Want to use more for knowledge base and training.

Users and Roles

1 -

Currently I'm still the only user (see my previous review) BUT I'm board chair of a charitable organization about to undertake a huge project and my intent is to roll out MindManager for that.

Support Headcount Required

Gosh, with the ease of use, youtube and the great tech support, not required. I will say that I'm a visual-auditory guy so reading through help files isn't as quick/easy as videos. I will say that I rely on the videos/webinars to really get into functionality...something that I recommend new users do asap as there are SO MANY things MindManager has built-in that you really need to see them in action to appreciate them. Easy after that AND most likely you'll get a better idea as to how YOU would want to use the software. And kudos to Corel/Mindjet for fixing bugs and rolling out upgrades.

Business Processes Supported

Brainstorming and then prioritizing
Project Management and Tracking
Knowledge Base - Storage
Knowledge Base - Dissemination

Innovative Uses

Publishing Maps and sending as HTML
Embedding multiple maps in HTML and sent as one big (non-editable) map
Integrating Tasks with Outlook is on the docket

Future Planned Uses

Resource allocation
Integrating with office and committees
Custom filtering to dashboards (eg for office, committee, even down to the person level)

Likelihood to Renew

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!

Other Software Used

Microsoft Office 365, Snagit, Dropbox

Products Replaced

Key Differentiators

Price
Product Features
Product Usability
Product Reputation
Prior Experience with the Product
Vendor Reputation
Existing Relationship with the Vendor
Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
Analyst Reports
Third-party Reviews

MindManager is still on top, IMO, as no other products offer anything
close to it (either freestanding or SaaS) and I know this as I just did a
decent due diligence into MindManager vs the competitors from an
unbiased viewpoint.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

Perhaps present the top 3 options to a user group, but I'll be presenting to the board so not really a change in the evaluation process but the next step.

Implementation

Implementation Details / Implementation Partner

Implemented in-house

Implementation Phases

Yes - We also licensed an Olympic product...so staged installation which got a bit delayed getting the Olympic software to work through TrendMicro AV as work laptops managed by IT department.

Change Management Lessons

Change management was minimal

Implementation Issues

None with MindManager
Some issues getting Olympic product to work with TrendMicro AV but my understanding is that was due to an IT managed platform

Training Types Used

Online training
Self-taught

In-Person Training

Online Training

The videos are not well categorized...I had to do a bit of digging to get what I wanted and many videos on older versions. If Mindjet was to improve the titles used that would help.

Ease of MindManager Training

Yes and no. Sure you can plug away but watching a 30-60 min video helped me greatly.

Product Configurability

Unlimited flexibility for formatting, icons, etc. forced me to stop and define my information methodology...how to use icons, colours, tags, etc.

Configuration Lessons

Take the time to consider your information/project classification and methodology!

MindManager can handle anything you throw at it, so don't throw garbage.

Once established, it's super easy to throw down info/brainstorming/etc against either an existing map or create a new one via templates and link it where necessary. That way easy to enter and find whatever you need to do.

UI Customization

Yes - we have customized the interface extensively - See previous. Spend the time to learn tricks via online videos.

Extensibility and Customization

No - we have not done any custom code

Additional Customization Considerations

Nothing done.

Support

Occasionally I do have a bit of a back and forth via email...WHEREAS a quick POTC (plain old telephone call) would probably be best all concerned.

Perhaps a telephone-based Super premium support service (might be there but I might not know about it).

MindManager Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response	None