Mindview vs xmind how to#
Mindview vs xmind full#

It places activities in a logical hierarchy and assigns unique numbers to them. The Power of Creating a WBS with a Mind MapĪ Work Breakdown Structure is a logical and rigorous tool for articulating your project scope.

Mindview vs xmind how to#

But I will leave comment until after I’ve discussed how to create a WBS with a Mind map, because that is going to be an important way to I distinguish competitors, for you as a Project manager. There are many vendors, each taking a different approach. It’ll come as no surprise to you to hear that there is a thriving market in Mind Mapping software. For you, especially if you want to create a WBS with a Mind Map, the words are what will matter most. His purpose is primarily to use Mind Maps for creativity and memory. Tony Buzan emphasises the value of using colour, shape, images, and a variety of line-types and fonts.

From the each of the associated themes, split off smaller sub-branches to capture subsidiary ideas and divisions of the subject.

From the centre, draw big branches to the main associated ideas or sub-themes.

Start with your theme or topic or, in our case, your project, in the middle.

Get a big piece of blank paper and some nice pens.

Here is my approach to doing an analogue (pen and paper) version: There are many descriptions of how to build a Mind Map. And there are many variants in use today, like Work Breakdown Structures, that have differing layouts and approaches. But the underlying idea of a concept map is very old. It was Tony Buzan who refined and popularised our current use of Mind Maps. This is vital, because your scope is a pivotal part of your project brief.

Mindview vs xmind full#

Whether you choose to plan your WBS in a top-down or bottom-up approach, the outcome is a full definition of your scope, at the bottom level of your WBS. Work Breakdown Structure gives you your Scope Indeed, in a world where sticky notes are starting to feel like the default approach to a facilitated session, a change of approach is refreshing. But there is another reason to create a WBS with a Mind Map: it also allows you to work collaboratively and engage your Project Team. We will see why this is shortly, once we’ve looked at what a Mind Map is. This is the approach you get when you create a WBS with a Mind Map. This is because, at each step, you can check: ‘have I missed anything?’ In principle, you should be more rigorous this way. And then, you break down each area into successively smaller and smaller activities, until you get to the simplest tasks. You start with the goal of the project and break it into big areas of work. Work Breakdown Structure Create a Top Down WBSįormal Project Management uses a ‘top-down’ approach to creating a WBS. It’s shortcoming is that it lacks rigour – one forgotten (or lost) sticky note leaves a gap in your project. It is especially good as a team exercise, to engage your Project Team early on. For small, simple projects, it is perfectly adequate. This is a ‘bottom-up’ approach to creating a WBS.

Continue until your project has from 3 to 9 big clusters (ideally no more than 7).

Rearrange the small clusters, so related clusters are nearby.

Start to cluster the notes so related tasks sit together.

Brainstorm every task and write it onto a sticky note.

How to Create a WBSĪ common approach to creating a simple WBS is this: If I were to choose an eleventh, it would be the Work Breakdown Structure. In an earlier article, How to Get Better Project Management Results, I listed ten valuable tools. A Gantt Chart without a WBS is like cooking a 4 course meal without ingredient list or recipe. Going straight to a Gantt Chart is like starting to cook a four course meal without an ingredient list or a recipe. And finally, you can put them into a logical sequence. Form there, you can estimate how long each task will take, and the resources it will need. Building a WBS with a mind Map makes this part especially easy. Once you have all of your tasks developed in your WBS, you can cluster them into logical groups. The Gantt Chart process puts together tasks, sequence and duration. It allows you to focus on one thing at a time: the tasks to be done. The reason to use a WBS before you create your Gantt Chart is focus. It literally does what its name suggests: it breaks your work down into a structure. The tool of choice for understanding what you need to do to complete your project is the Work Breakdown Structure.

Poor logic in the groping and logical flow between tasks.

But without first giving enough thought to what tasks you need to do, your Gantt Chart risks two big problems: This means that new Project Managers often rush to create a Gantt Chart.

Indeed, they are almost a symbol for Project Management. They have become the’ project planning tool. Create a WBS with a Mind Map The Value of a Work Breakdown StructureĮveryone seems to know about Gantt Charts, even if they don’t know the name.