From Brainstorm to Gantt Chart in One Step

I started mindmapping too long ago to admit, but I found it cumbersome when using paper.  I used to find that thinking about the organisation of the mind map either got in the way, or conversely – and at different times – it inspired further thoughts.  I wanted to be able to be able to get the ideas down in a blaze of creativity, and then use structures to fill-in the gaps.

These days I love mindmapping with software because it de-couples idea generation from idea organisation.  Now I can quickly re-structure the map as many times as I like, I get the best of both worlds.

For seven years I’ve been using versions of Mindmanager from MindJet, which is probably the market leading tool.  There seems to be no end of uses for this software, but one really clever extension application is

JCVGanttPro 2.  With it you can move from brainstorming project tasks and sub-tasks in the mindmap through to the Gantt Chart seamlessly.  It integrates so tightly with the Mindmanger database that if you make changes in one view, they appear immediately in the other.  I like to run the combined application on two screens so that I can see the mind map on one and the Gantt chart on the other.

If you’re familiar and competent with MS Project, this may sound like technology for technology’s sake, but it isn’t. The makers of JVCGanttPro have taken the hard decision to keep the application quite simple, recognising that planning has a large degree of subjective estimation.  The combined effect of the tight integration and process simplification is to return your thinking to the content of the project – the important stuff – back from the mechanics of Gantt charting.

Philip Greenwood

Tags: JCVGanttPro, Mindmanager, Software, Gantt, Project+Management, Mindmapping, Creativity

Comments

[Gaelen]

Hey Philip,

I work for Mindjet, makers of MindManager, and just came across your posting. I'd love to contact you but can't find your email address. Can you send it over to me?

Thanks,
gaelen