A lot of project managers are turning to Mind Mapping for their project planning needs.

There is detailed information on project planning using mind maps available on the NovaMind web site. The project planning page has just been updated with new mind maps to help explain the planning process.

Although standard project management packages such as MS Project and Merlin give you good tools to manage your projects, but they really have a strong tendency to get people focusing on the minute task levels of projects far too early in the inception phases of a project.

Others find it difficult to follow things like Gantt charts and the spreadsheet-like rows and columns of task data.

Often this leads to losing sight of the main objectives of the project, or getting so stuck in the details that you forget some important tasks or objectives. Or the attention of key people can wander off topic.

Using brainstorming techniques, you can put together a Mind Map of the project that shows everyone where they fit in, why each part of the project is important, and how it relates to the overall goals and objectives.

This makes it easy to make sure that there is nothing forgotten in the early planning and scoping exercises, as well as being a great tool for presenting to stakeholders in the project. If you are trying to get funding for a project, it makes it much easier when the project plan is drawn out as a Mind Map. Everyone can see what the objectives are for the project, how they are going to be achieved, the tasks that are required to achieve the tasks, as well as the resources that are required.

There are a number of articles on the NovaMind web site about project planning as well as other forms of planning using mind mapping techniques.

These techniques have saved millions of dollars in project costs, as well as helped win contracts, and ease the workload of project managers around the world.

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NovaMind is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the latest Mind Map Connection newsletter, which contains information about the latest developments in NovaMind, including:

Mind Manager import functions

MS Project import and export functions

Crossgrade discounts

New Mind Mapping tutorial videos and web pages about how to use Mind Mapping for various types of planning

The “back to school” site license sale starting on 3rd July with 50%+ off a limited number of site licenses. Although this was prompted by the tight funding within schools, it is also open to anyone who is feeling the pinch of tough economic times.

Here is the link to read the full newsletter:

http://www.novamind.com/mind-map-connection/mmc-2008-06-28.php

Enjoy!

Gideon

NovaMind is pleased to announce the first of a new series of tutorial videos on NovaMind for Mac. This first video shows you all the basics of creating your first mind map in NovaMind.

 

 Podcast Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Flash Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

NovaMind is pleased to announce the first of a new series of tutorial videos on NovaMind for Windows. This first video shows you all the basics of creating your first mind map in NovaMind.

 

 Podcast Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Flash Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Make your Mind Maps look even better using the new image reflections, branch image layout modes, glossy button look branches, new corner styling and new themes. This allows you to more effectively present the Mind Maps to other people and to recall information more easily.

Brisbane, Australia, June 2, 2008. NovaMind has long been recognized as the Mind Mapping program that produces the best looking Mind Maps. These new features take that even further, allowing you to create stunning looking Mind Maps that really grab your attention and make the Mind Maps even easier to remember.

These new capabilities are available immediately in both the Windows and Mac OS X versions of NovaMind.

The image reflections for attached images allow you to create stylish “Web 2.0” look images to enhance the look of your Mind Maps. You can now also apply both the chamfered and rounded corners to attached images, to further enhance the look of the images.

Using the new branch image layout modes, you can fit, fill, or stretch the images to suit your needs within the branches. This allows you to maintain the shape of the image where necessary, or to fill the branch with the image as required.

The glassy look branches give you a “Web 2.0” look for your branches. Whether they are rectangular, chamfered, rounded or oval, the glassy look can be applied to instantly add that extra visual pizzazz.

The existing themes have been updated, and new themes added to take advantage of the new visual styling that is available. This gives you professionally designed themes for your Mind Maps to make them look great by simply applying a theme.

About Mind Mapping

Mind Maps are diagrams that work the way you think – they organize the information in the same way your brain organizes information. They make it easy to understand, remember, and communicate complex information.

Our brains like thinking in pictures. The smooth curves and colorful pictures used in Mind Mapping create powerful images for your brain to remember.

Mind Maps cater to both logical left brain thinking and pictorial right brain thinking at the same time, which makes them a very good way of storing and recalling information, presenting things to other people, and brainstorming new ideas.

About NovaMind

NovaMind has been the top Mind Mapping program available on Mac computers for the last 6 years, and is rapidly gaining recognition in the Windows market. NovaMind makes Mind Mapping intuitive and fun.

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 Flash Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Podcast Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you’d like more information about NovaMind, please visit www.novamind.com or e-mail Gideon King at gideon@novamind.com. 

The new NovaMind web site is now live with many new features, easier navigation, and better articles about Mind Mapping.

New Mind Mapping Videos, Examples, Case Studies and Articles

As part of the new web site, we have a mass of new information by way of articles, blog postings, and case studies on how people us NovaMind, including:

• A powerful new video and article teaching people what Mind Mapping is and how you can use it (on the new home page)
• The case study about Stephen Feber winning the £22m contract using NovaMind (now including video and PDF report)
• Case study about how to use NovaMind for a Legal Practice (updated from our old web site)
• Case study about Jay Abraham’s marketing teachings and how to implement them using NovaMind
• Case study about how Marc Dussault uses NovaMind for setting up business mastermind groups, and has also included mind maps in his books
• A new article and example mind maps about Mind Mapping in general terms, explaining what they are and how you can use them
• A new article and example mind maps about mind mapping for businesses
• A new article and example mind maps about how teachers can use mind mapping
• A new article and example mind maps about how to use NovaMind for presentations
• A new article and example mind maps about how students can use mind mapping for their studies
• A new article and example mind maps about using NovaMind to enhance your personal effectiveness
• A new article and mind maps to help you work through the process of choosing your mind mapping software
• A new article about the cognitive aspects of Mind Mapping (example Mind Maps will be put in this article shortly)
• A new article about generating innovation using mind mapping
• A new article and example mind maps giving general information about using NovaMind for presentations
• A new article and showing how to prepare presentations using NovaMind
• A new article showing how to deliver a presentation effectively
• A new article with tips on giving great presentations
• A new article on business presentations using Mind Mapping
• A new article on presentations in the classroom using NovaMind

…and more on the way…

I will be continuing to add articles, tutorials, and case studies as well as enhancing these existing articles with videos, examples, and PDF reports where appropriate.

If you have any suggestions for enhancements or new articles or case studies that you would like to see, please let me know.

Easy Bookmarking

We have built in the ability to use your favorite social bookmarking site to link to pages on the NovaMind web site, whether it be blog pages, forum posts, or other pages on the NovaMind web site. You can click on the icon for Digg, Stumble Upon, del.icio.us, Technorati, or Reddit to use one of those services. If you use a different service, you can use the general Bookmark button to bookmark that page.

Easier Linking to NovaMind web pages

On each web page we also have the ability to easily create a link to that page. If you want to create blog posts or web pages that link to articles we have on the NovaMind web site, or just send links to your friends or business associates, this system makes it easy. All you need to do is click on the “Link to this page” hyperlink on the right side of the NovaMind web page, and copy the HTML code.

Better Affiliate and Reseller facilities

We have made the affiliate and reseller facilities easier to find and improved the application process, to make it even easier to become a NovaMind affiliate or reseller.

I hope you find the new web site useful.

Gideon

I have posted another article about Mind Mapping in your business on Squidoo.

In this article I explain how to use Mind Mapping for creating a company mission statement that everyone can “buy in” to, and then go on to discuss goal setting and achievement, planning a web site, and selling your ideas.

Mind Mapping provides a great tool to clarify what your business is all about, and strengthen your ability to deliver on your vision of the company.

Here is the URL of the article:  http://www.squidoo.com/Mind-Mapping-Clarifies-and-Strengthens-Your-Business