Choosing mind mapping software for planning and managing projects

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After its early introduction as a learning aid in schools, mind mapping made the move into project management. That was when it came of age.

Click the images below to see a larger version. To go to the site of the software mentioned, click the caption below its image.

For planning projects and managing projects[edit]

MindManager works well for project management and has planning-related functions like the ability to specify task dependencies and produce Gantt charts. Recent updates have made it even more useful in budget control as projects progress. MindManager established itself early on as business oriented software, and made inroads into the corporate market. As you might expect from that background, this is not a low-cost solution, but for professional managers, the return is great and it is value for money.

A lower-cost alternative is Xmind Pro – it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that MindManager boasts, but is still a very capable tool. I have, and use, both. Even the free version of Xmind is suitable for business mapping. Xmind users get access to an online facility where you can share your maps, and with the Pro version, you can work on maps collaboratively on a local network (LAN).

Here’s a link to several more mind mapping tools that can produce Gantt charts and are therefore useful to project managers.

If you have a lot of project information to organize, then use 3D Topicscape Pro – it can import a MindManager map, so as a project grows, the 2D map can also provide a framework for the 3D map to hold collected information and research materials.

MindManager.jpg Xmind2.png Topicscape-project-information-organizer.jpg
MindManager Xmind Pro Topicscape Pro
A typical Gantt chart
Space.png


Next: Choosing mind mapping software to spark ideas and facilitate brainstorming[edit]
Back to: The best mind mapping software[edit]


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