Luckily, FreeMind has a simple search function that can be used to find your Next Action. It searches from the current node down the hierarchy, so it can be easiest to just start at the root node of the mindmap. The shortcut for selecting the root node is the ‘Esc’ key. After selecting the root node, press ‘Ctrl+F’ to open the search dialog box, as illustrated below.

Click on the ‘OK’ button to go to the first instance matching the search string. The search function looks for an exact match within the node text string, so use the FreeMind|GTD Next Action list to help you make up the search string. A typical place where the simple search can trip you up is searching for ‘reports’ when the node text might be something like ‘Draft report’- the exact match will fail since report is singular rather than plural. Here’s the result for the above search:

So use the sequence ESC Ctrl-F to quickly find a Next Actions in large mindmaps.

Download

ProdDev_Template.zip

David Allen’s GTD methodology is a highly effective way to handle event driven work. At its core is creating a “trusted system” for collecting stuff, processing it, and organizing the decisions into the actions needed to get things done. Since it is a generic methodology, you can implement it in a variety of ways, from fully paper-based to all-digital. This article will focus on an implementation that uses mindmaps as a core tool for organizing the stuff you collect and process.

Collecting Stuff

The key goal of GTD is to get “stuff” out of your head and into a system you trust. This frees attention that is wasted mentally cycling through everything on your plate. My collection system is shown below:

Email can appear across laptops, desktops, and my smartphone. I tend to convert voicemails and audio notes from the recorder into written notes, rather than processing them directly. The recorder (Olympus VN-5200PC) is perfect for the car- it is a device designed for a single purpose so there is much less distraction than trying to fumble through smartphone functions or leave voicemails to yourself. Often something like an NPR story will trigger some idea you want to remember which is then easy to do with the recorder. The Note Jotter (M by Staples) holds 3″x5″ cards and a pen- essentially a Hipster PDA that works really well for capturing ideas and tasks. The In Basket holds the usual pile of papers, clippings, Post-It notes, etc. Taken together, these tools collectively form my GTD InBox. I trust that “stuff” I need to deal with will get captured by one of my InBox tools- a necessary condition for getting things out of your head.

Processing

Processing the “stuff” in the above InBox follows the standard GTD methodology:

As you process each item in the InBox (from whichever collection tool it resides), the first decision to make is whether it is actionable. Non-actionable items are either tossed, saved for future reference, or “incubated”. For example, you might store the datasheet for a new component in your reference file system and put a note on your Someday list about how it could be used.

If an item is actionable, you need to gauge whether this is really a multi-step project. You can add it to your project list if it is not there already. In either case, the key thing is to decide on the next action required. This is the heart of GTD- it is what breaks procrastination and keeps things moving forward. If the Next Action can be accomplished in a couple of minutes, then just do it! If it really belongs on someone else’s plate, then delegate it to them (even if it is your boss). Otherwise, the item must be deferred until you can work on at a specific time (schedule it on your calendar) or specific place (place it on a Next Action list sorted by place or context).

Organizing

OK, so where does the Mindmap come in?? Mindmaps are excellent organizing tools because they are hierarchal structures. Using FreeMind|GTD with a FreeMind mindmap allows you to combine all four lists (Projects, Waiting For, Next Actions, and Someday) into one place. This makes it easier to review and manage.

Begin by creating your GTD mindmap organized by your areas of focus (or roles):

Note that a Someday node was added for capturing non-actionable items that you may want to think about (incubate). For example:

The Someday category gives you a place to collect stuff that you are not going to deal with right now. It is important that you periodically review these items to decide on whether they will acted upon or dropped.

You may want to further breakdown areas of focus before including projects. For example, under Home a sub-category of Improvements holds the project to remodel the kitchen:

From this simple example, you can get a sense of how Project and Someday lists are capable of being captured in a mindmap. Next Actions are then captured under projects, for example:

Next Actions should be written as a complete, stand-alone actionable task. Note that the format includes the elements required for FreeMind|GTD to parse and compile a Next Action list.

Reviewing

During the course of the week, I periodically run FreeMind|GTD to generate a Next Action list from my GTD mindmap. I find it useful to print the Next Action list so it can be consulted in different contexts to help decide which item to work on next. In the above example, the Next Action list would have a task to contact contractors for quotes when you are working on your email. The Next Action list (and Calendar) are reviewed many times daily.

The mindmap is a really useful for weekly reviews- you can look across several levels of hierarchy to determine if there are any other “stuff” that needs to be captured or removed. These things may come from longer term goals, for example.

Executing

At the end of the day, nothing happens unless you actually execute on your next actions. There is a definite satisfaction crossing off a completed next action from the printed list (I use a Sharpie marker to really cross it off!). When you are “in flow” and moving forward rapidly on next actions, it is better to physically cross of completed items on the printed list- you should use a review to update the mindmap, rather than trying to do it real-time. Often completing a next action will put the ball in someone else’s court. In these cases, just make a note of what you are waiting for this person to do right on the printed Next Action list. Later, during a review, you can update the mindmap to reflect that the context for the new next action is with someone else. In the remodeling example, after you solicit quotes via email, the next actions will be to review quotes you are waiting for from contractors. The mindmap becomes:

Running FreeMind|GTD will then list these next actions under the contractor context- which is a Waiting For list. Thus, the mindmap has also combined the Waiting For and Next Action lists.

Conclusion

I have found the above system very helpful for getting things done- hopefully you will too.

]]> http://auxilus.com/blog/2009/10/24/using-mindmaps-in-a-gtd-system/feed/ 2 http://auxilus.com/blog/2009/10/15/managing-a-transformation-across-functions/ http://auxilus.com/blog/2009/10/15/managing-a-transformation-across-functions/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:48:12 +0000 JVS http://auxilus.com/blog/?p=72 Projects that have a goal of transforming some aspect of an organization need to be managed across various functional groups. Despite the importance of the transformation, inertia and competing priorities will require extra effort to move the project forward (since the transformation is often viewed as just another task on the list…). It is not enough to have an overall project plan; daily follow-up is often required to ensure next actions happen. This article shows how mind maps can be used to help connect the project plan with next actions from each of the functional groups.

Building the Mind Map

Start by creating a mind map that has the transformational goal on the left side and each involved functional group on the right:

You’ll spend most of the time working with the nodes representing the functional groups, but it can be handy to have a reminder of the goals right in the mind map.

Next, add the immediate projects (i.e., tasks requiring multiple steps to complete) for each functional group:

Use your overall project plan (typically a Gantt chart) to determine which current projects to include- there is no need to add projects that won’t start for the next few weeks. Remember that the point of the mind map is to link current projects in the overall plan to their next actions.

Once you have captured all the current projects (and perhaps relevant supporting tasks), add the next actions required for each of these:

Note that each next action starts with ‘*’ and has it’s owning functional group name after the ‘@’, following FreeMind|GTD conventions. Capture all the next actions for each group and then run FreeMind|GTD to generate the list of next actions sorted by functional group:

This table can form the basis for group reviews. In the above example, due date were not assigned, but would be in practice by adding ‘[<date due>]‘ to the next action text. You should also identify an owner for each next action within a functional group. Normally, this would come after the ‘@’, but since functional groups are using this already, simply add the owner’s name in parenthesis (don’t use square brackets which are reserved for due date).

Over the course of the overall transformational project, functional projects will dropped off the mind map as they are completed and new ones added as required. The mind map helps you to translate the timeline-driven Gantt chart plan into next actions that can be reviewed for follow-up.

Here is an example mind map. Give it a try!

]]> http://auxilus.com/blog/2009/10/15/managing-a-transformation-across-functions/feed/ 0 http://auxilus.com/blog/2009/09/27/prioritization-using-swap-sorting/ http://auxilus.com/blog/2009/09/27/prioritization-using-swap-sorting/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:12:33 +0000 JVS http://auxilus.com/blog/?p=48 Prioritizing a list of objectives can be difficult when you’re the only decision maker. It is much hard when doing it in a team. Using a technique like the ‘Swap Sort’ can help put some structure around decision making- something often needed to move things forward.

Getting Started

After brainstorming objectives with the team, work to get concensus on a short list. Use quick polling of the group to get a rough ordering of the priorities in order to speed up the final result. Before moving on to the final ordering, get concensus on the criteria for setting the priorities.

You can use Post-It Notes to capture the list of objectives and do the swap sorting. Better yet…

Swap Sort with a Mind Map

Capture the objective list in a mindmap, along with a note to remind everyone of the criteria for prioritization.

Initial list

Swap sorting is a simple process:

• Start with the first two items in the list and swap their order if  required by the prioritization criteria.
• Move to the next two items and repeat.
• Continue until reaching the end of the list.
• If any items were swapped, repeat the entire process until no further swaps are required.

Really simple, but it can help break through disagreement and move the team forward.

In the following example, after selecting a node the CTRL+UpArrow or CTRL+DownArrow shortcuts were used to quickly do the swap.

First swap

Second swap

Third swap (start 2nd pass through list)

Final swap

Give it a try if you get stuck!

Because Ishikawa diagrams are hierarchial, they are well-suited for capturing in a mindmap. In fact, it is easier to draw and manipulate the relationships with a mindmap than applications like MS PowerPoint. More importantly, mindmaps can provide a better tool for reviewing and documenting progress towards proving which branch is the real root cause of a problem (or effect). In addition, you can use tools like FreeMind|GTD to follow-up on the next actions to validate potential root causes.

Building a Diagram

Start by brainstorming possible causes for the problem along with possible categories (the main bones). Depending on the problem domain, the top level causes may differ. The diagram below uses the ‘6M’ template (often useful for business problems): Method, Man, Management, Measurement, Material, and Machine.

Ishikawa diagram

Under each major cause, add the next level of categories until you have homes for the potential root causes you have brainstormed. Notice that your brainstorming starts at the ‘leaf’ end of the hierarchy (bottoms-up) while the Ishikawa diagram builds branches from the problem statement (top-down). The structure of the diagram gives both a stimulus for new ideas and places to collect them.

For complex problems, Ishikawa diagrams can get large as bones are added. If you use a whiteboard for initial brainstorming, take a picture with your phone to help document the work and later recapture it in an application. Better still…

Mindmap Instead

Here is the same example captured in a FreeMind mindmap:

There are a number of advantages to capturing an Ishikawa diagram this way:

• More readable end product
• Can be captured while brainstorming (only do this if you are very comfortable with FreeMind and can move quickly; nothing kills brainstorming like waiting for someone to figure out how to use software…)
• Folding of nodes can be used to focus on a particular category and drive deeper

In addition to these ‘format’ related advantages, there are some really important operational advantages to using a mindmap when meeting with your team to discuss investigations and next steps. For example, focusing on the ‘Man’ branch (click on picture to enlarge):

The team has added two potential root causes to the diagram, along with some related Next Actions (indicated by the * symbol) assigned to some resources (indicated by the @ symbol). This is the notation used by FreeMind|GTD to generate a GTD-style list of Next Actions, which is ideal for using in the team meeting:

After the action items were carried out, the team found these were not valid root causes. Here is where the flexibility of a mindmap is useful; the conclusions and data are documented right in the diagram. Also notice that the just these causes have been closed for investigation. If further brainstorming comes up with a training issue, it can be added to this active branch.

Conclusion

Mindmaps can really extend the usefulness of Ishikawa diagrams in both capturing ideas and following-up and documenting the results. Give them a try!