Podcast 7 Is Now Available

The seventh of our podcast series is now up and available. The audio portion can be found here as Podcast #7. The student maps, a syllabus, and other materials have been stored here as Supplemental Material .

The series assumes you have access to a computer that has Version 7 or Version 8 of Mind Manager installed, either the product or the trial version.

In this seventh episode we wrap up the meeting minutes discussion and example.

Icon Markers, Text Markers, and using the Filter capability are discussed.

I am interested in your opinions. I am also interested in what future topics would be of interest. We are at the half-way point of the series, give or take an episode. Write a comment to this blog post or drop us a note at Podcast =(at)= piqueroinc.com .

Mind Manager Basics Podcast #2 is Up

The second of the series of podcasts is now up and available. The audio portion can be found here as Podcast #2. The student maps and syllabus and other materials have been stored here as Supplemental Material .

The series assumes you have access to a computer that has Version 7 or Version 8 installed, either the product or the trial version. The trial is only good for 30 days. (So you may want to wait until additional podcasts are posted if you’re going the trial route.)

In this second episode I step back and look at the layout and structure of the user interface. Why are the functions arranged the way they are? What’s a Ribbon Interface? Where did my “File” commands go? And other mysteries of the universe.

I’m interested in your opinions. Write a comment to this blog post or drop us a note at Podcast =(at)= piqueroinc.com .

UPDATE (Oct 2009) Looks like my file names like Pod#1 cause problems with some applications, and in particular hyperlinks in Ver 8. All files have been changed to reflect this change (Pod#3NAICS.xls ==> Pod3NAICS.xls etc.). So when you “hear” Pod #2 in the podcast think Pod2 .

Mind Manager Basics Podcast #1 is Up

The first of a series of podcasts is now up and available. The audio portion can be found here as Podcast #1. The student maps and syllabus and other materials have been stored here as Supplemental Material .

The series assumes you have access to a computer that has Version 7 or Version 8 installed, either the product or the trial version. The trial is only good for 30 days. (So you may want to wait until additional podcasts are posted if you’re going the trial route.)

I’m trying to break the material up into 20 to 30 minute episodes. Sometimes less. I will also try to give the student an assignment, like finish the map we started. The actual time you spend on each episode will be more than the audio run time.

In the first episode we jump right in to build a simple business map. I walk you through step-by-step. Not a lot of tricky formatting (that comes later). I even tell you what the end result looks like (it’s in the supplemental material).

Why a podcast and not a video on YouTube? Well, the quick answer is I don’t have video capability. But whenever I watch video tutorials I’m watching and not doing. That means furious note taking and then going back and trying it myself. I’m hoping with a podcast that you can listen and perform the actions in the tool yourself. And as a result get a better learning experience.

I’m interested in your opinions. Write a comment to this blog post or drop us a note at Podcast =(at)= piqueroinc.com .

UPDATE (Oct 2009) Looks like my file names like Pod#1 cause problems with some applications, and in particular hyperlinks in Ver 8. All files have been changed to reflect this change (Pod#3NAICS.xls ==> Pod3NAICS.xls etc.). So when you “hear” Pod #2 in the podcast think Pod2 .

Podcast #1 Almost Complete

I’ve got the first Podcast complete, I think. The MP3 is 25.8 MB and runs a little over 27.5 minutes. I have to resolve my hosting strategy before I publish it.

Actually, I need to finish at least two more. Then the audience, if any, can have more than one episode to base their opinion on.

It took about 12+ hours to produce, but a lot of that was learning the tools and scripting the episode. I’m using Mind Manager to map/write the script. I create topics and sub-topics, much like the paragraphs in the instructor manual. Then as I read them or decide to modify the description, I can move the topics around. I found I was more comfortable reading them like cue cards.

I’m surprised at how much space the audio takes. I suspect it is a function of how many mistakes I make. “Audacity” is probably saving everything so I can “undo” edits. There are two components. (1) The project, an “.aup” file and (2) a project_data subdirectory. The subdirectory has a bunch of audio files. For the podcast, the .aup was 50 KB. The sub-directory, however, contained 308 objects and consumed 297 MB of space.

I’m guessing that podcast #2 will have less editing since I have the music bumps, intro and outro segments done. Those reuseable segments should just drop in for future projects.

I took the time to think about reuse before I started. I’m keeping MP3 segments for future podcasts. I also started a Mind Manager Map for Knowledge Management (KM). I keep track of each component, by name, and hyperlink to the MP3. The KM map also records and links to any student maps.

New Project

Been absent from these pages since the Houston gig. I got diverted by a trip to the Antarctic and getting a photo journal pulled together afterwards.(Hey, when you’re retired what’s a month or two?)

Starting a new project that will cause more frequent posts to this blog. I was inspired, I suppose, by a discussion with someone I hadn’t talked to in a few years. We were discussing MindManager Ver 8. The discussion lead to podcasts and training.

I have toyed with creating a series of podcasts that talk about Workshop Planning. But, never really had the motivation.

Last May I bought an MP3 player, for noise while I walk. I’ve been downloading a lot of Skeptical podcasts after reading about “The Skeptic’s Guide To The Universe” in Wired magazine. The variety of podcasts I’ve listened to since then have convinced me that “I can do that!”

So I was primed for the conversation.

A lot of decisions and resources to locate. I already teach MM Fundamentals, so content per se and structure isn’t an issue. I’ve got to solve and implement the following (not in priority order):

1. Audio Capture and Editing
2. Find music for (a) Free and (b) Useable for (marginally) commercial purposes
3. Podcast Hosting (other than piqueroinc.com [bandwidth])
4. Examples and Student Map hosting (maybe/maybe not piqueroinc.com)
5. Framework for a Series Syllabus ( segment topics/features covered)
6. Create a new company for series examples (Igor’s Baloon Factory)
7. Revise the Student Maps to reflect my objectives
8. Build a Knowledge Management Map to keep track of components
9. Script the episodes using Mind Manager (and save as Show Notes)
10. Record and edit the materials
11. Build a better references list of resources for follow-up information
12. Treat This As A FUN Thing to do, once I commit. (like now)

This is probably the tip of the iceberg, but gives me a current “mission” for Piqueroblog. Keep a diary of how it’s going. It is still business startup for low costs.

Finally Had The Class In Houston

Got home from Houston Tuesday night. Taught two full day classes on the Mind Manager Fundamentals. Had about 12 students in each class.

The sell/perform cycle on this one was longer than usual. The original contact had been in mid-May. After comparing schedules we looked at mid-Summer. Then it took an unexpected turn. Instead of 8-10 students, we were looking at the potential of 33. That had to be two days instead of one.

Now room scheduling became tricky, since we needed two consecutive days. We settled on Sept 15 & 16. Unfortunately, Hurricane Ike came ashore, at Houston, on Sept 12. So the class was cancelled.

We finally got the class scheduled for Nov 3 & 4. So, I drove over Sunday afternoon, conducted the two classes, and drove back Tuesday night.

In preparing for the class I found one change I wanted to make, since this was primarily a research organization. In the thinking styles section there is reference to the Idea Cycle. Typically this is a progression from Create – Organize – Present – Action

I modified the chart to have a more research oriented set of phases. Hypothesize – Filter – Plan – Propose – Test – Observe. It covers the same four larger steps but is more focus on experimentation. It is also consistent with the DMAIC cycle used in six sigma process improvements.

Meta Data

I mentioned in an earlier post that there are actually two maps in a process map, the meta data and the process steps.

What I was driving at is kind of a mixture of project management and six-sigma. The following map is an example of what I would consider meta data for a process. This is important information to have about the process that wouldn’t be in the steps of the process.

I remarked to my audience that this map is more suitable to upper management discussions about the process. If you can’t articulate a value to the customer, why have the process at all.

You would normally attach or hyperlink important documents to this map. In this example I have hyperlinked to the process map for Approve Invoice. That’s why there is a little icon in the lower right of the central topic.

I uploaded the map to Flickr. Click the map to go there and see a better image, many sizes are available.

A Flowchart Map

The second example demonstrates the same idea of a process description. This one is more on the order of a clockwise map. The first step is at the one o’clock position.

This map is a rewrite of a flowchart in a whitepaper put out by Saferpak. The paper discusses how to construct a process flowchart. I wanted to show the steps for constructing a process description.

Notice the decision step in the lower left-hand corner. I’m using relationship arrows to make the flow explicit.

My real reason for constructing this map was to think about how MindManager could be used to contruct a process flow. The little red checkmarks are steps that can take advantage of MindManager’s capabilities. (On second thought, you can also use MindManager to brainstorm "who to invite to the meeting.")

I uploaded the map to Flickr. Click the map to go there and see a better image, many sizes are available.

An Example Of A Process Description

A comment asked if I had any examples. I do, though some are more complex than I care to share. Some examples have company information. Instead I'll use two of the maps I used during my class. They are simple examples but make the point.

In James L. Riggs’ textbook Production Systems: Planning, Analysis, and Control (1970) there is a section on process charts. These are more the standard industrial engineering approaches, but the "process" on page 251 is simple and easy to identify with.

This map has been color coded to indicate who is doing the step. I’ve used a callout to indicate that a step is actually a process itself, this would link to another process map.

I uploaded the map to Flickr. Click the map to go there and see a better image, many sizes are available.

Process Mapping

Had the class and a constructive discussion about using MindManager for process definition and discussion. Once you get past the clockwise layout of most maps it gets easier.

I wanted to emphasize a couple of key points:

• Each process has two or more maps. One is meta data about the process. The second and other maps describe the steps of the process.
• The use of color, putting borders around groups of topics, and using callouts help you explain key points.
• Colors and icons can be filtered. I can reduce a complex map to just the topics of interest, i.e. the ones that need attention or elimination.
• Data gathering is a two person task. One person builds the map and the other facilitates the meeting.
• Keep it under 10 steps. A complicated map is probably hard to follow, and probably describe collections of steps that could be their own "process map"

There is a lot of power to using a hierarchy of maps and taaking advantage of hyperlinks to other documents. That becomes second nature after a while. It getting started that is the challenge.

Web Maintenance

Spent this afternoon reworking a web page. Pointed out two important lessons, or at least reinforced something I already knew.

1. Your local PC back-up copy of the web site may not reflect your actual web site content.
2. Files transferred to a new laptop may not contain all the versions of the web site.

These become important considerations when you're 1100 miles from home and can't fire up the old laptop.

The site has evolved over the last 6 years. Some changes were experimental, but some were important at the moment. Then, having solved the project at hand, that section was left alone. You sometimes forget which files were the active versions. That's the case at hand. My "new laptop" version has files from 2004 but I made some additions in 2006.

What initiated this effort was the work about a month ago when I installed Google Analytics. I checked it yesterday and found that most search referrals are for "Brainstorming Examples" and the common entry is page PiqueroHome-181.The text on PH-181 is a little longer than I'd like. And, Brainstorming is only one example of many of the sample maps on the page.

I decided to rewrite the page and make sure the Brainstorming example was within the initial view. That's when I realized I didn't have the "master" of the current page.

Got it done. So if you're interested, here's the new page.

Opportunity Knocks

Got a call from Houston. Possible class this Summer. Still in the very preliminary stages but she didn’t seem put-off by my answers as far as cost & time. Her principal currently uses Version 6, has upgraded to 7. There’s been some promotional offers of late that has him interested in getting the staff trained.

For the most part, I’m more economic if you have more than 5 people you want trained. One person’t travel and living for a hotel stay is cheaper than 5. And the 5 don’t have to take time out to travel.

In a way I charge for my travel time, just like my prep time is built into the rates for a class. Other than copies of some material, I have very little additional expense to Piquero when I teach another class. And I now have a laptop that runs Ver 7. The old one was just that, too old.

I’ve “commuted” to Houston before, in a previous life. Taught classes in Dallas too. It’s a long ride, but if you pick the right time it isn’t too bad. It’s the drive home, at 5pm, that’s the killer.

Class A Success

Got through the classes yesterday. The feedback was positive. As usual there were some lessons learned.

• One of the boxes on the Word Export Settings Dialog allows you to generate and embed a table of contents. This would be useful for larger multi-page documents.
• Your throat gets sore after 5 of the 7 hours. I learned that in Detroit and forgot. Next time I'll bring some hard candy with me.
• Always make sure the IT Tech is available at the start-up of the class. We didn't have any major problems, but some of the computers were asking for a sign-on (which was "enter").
• At the end of the class it took an admin sign-on to remove the Mind Manager programs. The Tech had loaded them the day before but didn't think signing on as administrator was out of the ordinary. The student sign-on didn't allow the deletion of programs from Control Panel.

And, most important event, I got the check the same day as the class. Always nice to get paid promptly. Industrial clients are often 45 days, standard terms.

Another Class

Gearing up to teach another Mind Manager Fundamentals class next Friday. This one will be slightly different because of time pressures (for the client).

Instead of the normal 7+ hour Fundamentals, I’m going to be teaching two 4 hour classes back to back. The students are all pretty busy. So giving up 4 hours was doable, while 7 hours was not.

After the classes last Fall I went through the manuals with my technical editor eyeshades on. The new training director at Mindjet used my notes (which I sent him) to update the student manual. So, I now have 12 of the new student manuals for the class.

Adjusting the class wasn’t too hard. I dropped the Project Management and the Knowledge Management Modules. I’ll need to trim the thinking styles presentation.

Frozen Topics

We had a problem come up in the Dallas class that again shows I have much to learn about the Mind Manager tool. After "brainstorming" the topics appeared to be frozen in place, you couldn't rearrange to positions on the map. And, that begs the question of unlocking them.

Brainstorming is a 3 step process. (1) ideas (2) groups and (3) ending the session. Near as I can tell, moving the groups to the central topic and “removing” the group topic, without closing the brainstorming session, freezes the topics. There seems to be something about brainstorming mode being active that sets a flag of some kind.

I found that saving the “frozen” map, and then reopening the map releases the topics. You can move them around.

I also found if I follow the three steps, as the tool suggests, that the topics will behave normally. So the key is to group your ideas but close out brainstorming mode before dragging the group to the map.

On The Road Again

Just returned from Dallas. Went up to teach a Fundamentals class. Had about 9 students in the group.

Most of the students were in the Quality Assurance group of the company. So, I used some examples of process audits that they had sent before the class.

We spent the last hour of the class talking about real world ways to use the Mind Manager tool. The class examples are fine from a teaching viewpoint but I think it helps to bring their everyday workplace concerns into the discussion. We demostrated brainstorming by looking at potential specific ways they could use Mind Manager, tomorrow, on a current project. It generated a large list of ideas.

For me that means the class gave them enough insight into the tool that they could see the applications.

New Tricks For An Old Dog

It is often said that teachers learn more from their students than the other way around. I suspect that's true. I had some time to kill in DTW on the way home, so I did an After Action Review on what I learned.

1. 5 to 6 people trying different things during an exercise finds new stuff (and features).
2. Check all the hyperlinks on the presentation map the day before.
3. The zoom box on Pan & Zoom can be stretched and compressed, with a corresponding zoom in/out of the map.
4. Resources can be entered as Bill;Mary;Dave but will each create a separate icon marker.
5. Mingle with the group during the exercises to help, they are more likely to ask questions.
6. Quiet ones ask all their questions during breaks, expect that students take breaks but you're "on" all the time.
7. Use a map for the day's agenda, add links to the documents for each topic. (see #2)
   
8. Use "pps" files for shows, ppt brings up the editor.
9. Right-Click on news feed directory on map parts, the menu asks if you want to add a news feed. This is easier than the macro route.
10. Visit the facility the day before and make sure everything is set up. (I knew this but wanted to have a top ten list.)
    

I'll bet there was more, but these are the ones that jumped out at me.

Mind Manager Training

Managed to visit Detroit in late September without being snowed on! Except for spotty rain showers it wasn't too bad. The flight delays were systemic but understandable for frequent fliers . Arrived too early - gate wasn't empty. Last flight out, we delayed to get the stragglers before pushing back. This stuff happens all the time.

If I had been running to get that plane 'cause my Washington flight was delayed into Dallas, I would have been very grateful they waited 15 minutes. Unfortunately, been there - done that, and have experienced both possible outcomes.

Detroit beckoned because I had been asked to Train the Trainer for Mind Manager Ver 7. A two day class. It was a fun experience. The class is populated with people that, for the most part, know the product. Unlike the Fundamentals Class, where experience with the product is not-so-good to expert. The class size is smaller, we had about four, so the interaction and one on one coaching is more prevalent.

Classes like that, when you're teaching, cause you to more than just "brush up" on your skills. You have to prepare for the class by using functions and features that you don't use much in everyday operations.

Found a couple more Mind Mapping sites to add to the Creativity link list.