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.

Web Site Update

I've got a project for the week-end. Noticed that I have some out of date information on my web site. I'm going to use the excuse of being capable of teaching Mind Manager Version 7 as a good reason to update the web content.

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.

Syndication

Upgraded the blog's template in blogspot. The conversion wasn't too painful, mostly putting the custom code in the right places. Sitemeter and the Eco-System links are back on the sidebar.

I converted because the new template tools make adding links easier. And the new template provides for an Atom XML Feed.

I'm still tinkering with the Bootstrap On-line capabilities. They allow for feeding your blog (in Bootstrap) from external sources. I'm testing that feature with this post.

Social Networks

I've received an invitation to have an Austin SCORE presence on the Bootstrap Online Social Network. I am only vaguely familiar with Facebook or MySpace, though I understand the concept. And, for small business marketing, I certainly understand the value of networks of people.

I'm exploring the various ways I can increase the SCORE Chapter's marketing. And I'm learning a little about current web tools that I hadn't bothered to learn personally. Blogs I've been playing with for a couple years now.

Facebook or MySpace strike me as places to meet high school kids. They rarely have business problems or hire consultants. Bootstrap, however, is at least attempting to attract entrepreneurs.

Marketing The Workshops

Last month I picked up additional workshop efforts. The task of getting the SCORE workshops onto various calendars and into the Austin American Statesman has defaulted to the workshop committee.

I've created a new blog, Austin SCORE blog, where I can post workshop announcements and notes after the workshop. The primary goal is to have a more permenant web presence for workshop descriptions. Craig's List should scrub postings after 45 days.

I also added a site meter to watch the traffic.

The Long Tail

Followed up on a Wikipedia link from the Web 2.0 discussion. The link lead to the October 2004 article in Wired by Chris Anderson, “The Long Tail.”

A lot to mull over in the article. Most of his examples are from the entertainment industry. But that doesn’t invalidate the observations for other industries. The main argument is that removing the physical shelf space and distribution of physical media opens up the larger audience of “non-hit” customers. Sometimes sales in the non-hit “tail” can equal to or exceed the mass culture hits.

To succeed, however, both the hits and the non-hits need to be available. The popular items become the lure for new customers. Then, making recommendations help move the customer “down the Long Tail.”

This seems to be a double edge sword for the small business person. Hard to compete on the high volume side (direct competition with Wal-Mart for example). But Chris points out that the big retail chains only stock the hits. There is a huge number of products and subgenre that the big stores can’t economically or physically stock. The small business person, however, can attack the niche demands.

But attacking the niche may not work for all products. Chris also points out that many businesses only draw from a limited geographical area. The larger client base of the Long Tail may not be within 3 miles of your retail location.

I’m not sure that says everyone needs to be online, exclusively. It does argue for an online presence and a distribution strategy for non-local customers.

I understand Chris has expanded the article to a book. And he has a blog concerning The Long Tail.

Technorati Tags:The Long Tail, Web 2.0, Social Bookmarks

Web 2.0

I haven't looked into this name too much. Not everyone thinks it is appropriate. I'll do a little further research and figure the nomenclature out.

In the interim, I thought I'd look for more applications, like the Writely app in an earlier post.

I found a blog entry by Christian Mayaud, which referenced an extensive list originally compiled by Bob Stumpal. This has mutated into an Open Directory of Web 2.0 Items. A much better list than I could compile myself.

I'll need to explore the Directory further. A very large mixture of personal oriented sites, but also some business related sites. That's my real interest.

The initial poking around yielded an article by Dion Hinchcliffe, looks like a column/blog associated with ZDNet (an electronics publisher). The article has a list of apps, but more important a graphic that seems to be the continuum from Technology to Social for Web 2.0 applications. Worth the read.

UPDATE: The Wikipedia entry credits O'Reilly Media with coining the phase as currently used. Some of the common characteristics: web as the platform, data driven with the user having control over the data, and networking effects such as social networking.

Collaboration

I need to get out more. I'm getting my high tech news from a site devoted to the SCO & IBM law suit. Groklaw is a fascinating read. So what has that got to do with collaboration?

Getting documents and court filings posted as text is a group effort. In this post they also discuss the tools they used to edit the OCR created text file. They used a Google tool called Writely.

Writely is a free application (in beta test I think) that lets you edit a document via a web browser. It allows you to upload and download documents. And, multiple people can view and/or edit the document simultaneously. (Multiple people editing can work, but you need to coordinate your efforts.)

I can visualize multiple people writing sections of a final report, for example. And, we don't have to send the file around or merge it at the last minute.

This paradigm also means I wouldn't have to carry diskettes or a jump drive. I can reach it from any computer, and download it, if that's what is needed.

I've only begun to play around with an existing document, that I uploaded. The interface is similar to some of the text note capability in MindManager. I can't begin to say how well it would work for a complex document with footnotes and an index.

There is a similar application called Google Spreadsheets that allows a spreadsheet to be shared.

Record Keeping

End of the month, and the records and forms have to be filed for SCORE. The web based system is convenient, I can now work from home. But, it only sweeps in records by entry date.

So, if I wait until Friday it won't count for August totals.

It has been a busy month. In addition to the normal 3 workshops we typically hold, we had 4 orientation workshops. We also put on a workshop for "Capacity Building For Nonprofits."

That means 8 separate Form 888 records.

Process Mapping

I received a comment on a post from last February. In part, Hiram asked an interesting question:

"We want to start process mapping but just don't know where to start. ... Can you recommend any good resources (books, papers, websites, etc) on process mapping that give a good description of the OVERALL process? I'm especially interested in knowing what to do after the process is mapped."

A fair overview can be found in the Wikipedia entry for Business Analysis.

Office processes can be mapped and improved just like the manufacturing flow can be mapped (the later being called a Value Stream Map in many cases).

There are actually a number of techniques and graphic conventions for doing a process map. I used to consult and employ IBM's DesignFlow conventions. LEAN manufacturing advocates use mapping symbols similar to those in Gary Conner's book Lean Manufacturing for the Small Shop. Some advocate using industrial engineering standards, like ASME Standard 101 Operation and Flow Process Charts.

A common characteristic in these techniques is the identification of transportation of work, delays, and queues (or storage). If you have a "lean" orientation, transportation and waiting represent prime targets for elimination (just a few of the wastes to be reduced).

As this paper points out, there are a handful of reengineering methodologies, all have a similar framework. In Short; Plan, As-IS, To-Be, Implement, Measure Results, and Repeat. The charting techniques usually play a major role in the As-Is phase.

Just mapping the process tends, in practice, to be a flowcharting exercise. It isn't always done to a very great depth but it should be as deep as possible. One trick is to use swim lanes for each actor or role. Then display the process steps in the respective swim lanes. One lane might be the receptionist opening the mail and sorting it into stacks (probably at her/his) desk. Then a clerk (another lane) picks up the stacks and delivers the mail to various inboxes. The inboxes each have their own process lane.

It doesn't take long to have a complicated diagram, but that's OK. It forces you to ask the question, why is the invoice bouncing around between these various departments?

Identifying the problem is only half the journey. Creative solutions and getting at the root cause of some procedures (we've always filed the fly-paper report etc) takes team work and brainstorming. But if you don't take the time to do the As-Is you'll miss a lot, and probably doom your new system or procedure because you've left something out.

Case in point: streamlining the process by having the receptionist do data entry, but forgetting that John in distribution adds a tracking number that is the database "key" for the (separate) distribution system. The receptionist may need to have access to the distribution system.

Ran across this bibliography, fairly impressive list. Some have links to other sites. It is part of the National Archives Site (NARA ALIC). Plenty of literature on Business Process Reengineering / Change Management in the bibliography.

My temptation is to say start with a process you can change, i.e. you have the signature power to make it happen. Decide what metric will define success (time, quality, waste etc). Don't leave the key measure of success to a vague "improve the process."

Then work it as a team. Everyone knows a secret part of the process that some people don't know. Your getting close to success when someone says "I didn't know that happened in xxxx, I thought yyy did it."

The more people know the whole picture, the better the redesign/improvement will be.

There are sites and then there are sites

Continuing my browsing of sites "Powered by Mindjet."

Some are full sites, where the person has tried to make a web site for their business/club/church. These usually have the defaults replaced with real addresses. One wonders how much spam "info@company.com" gets. That's the default webmaster.

I've found some interesting course outlines. In this case the map was used to organize the syllabus and then produce a web-based "lecture." It shows, I think, how the MindManager tool can be used for organizing your thoughts.

There is a final category of sites that contain little to no actual data. Possible just posted as an example or test case, but never removed.

Finding The Right Search Term

Started playing around, looking for sites created from MindManager software. Turned out to be a little trickier than I thought. The internal page verbiage doesn't always have the phase I'm looking for.

But, I stumbled on a site the had been created with Ver6. There is a tag line at the bottom, "Powered by Mindjet ..." That turns out to be the magic phrase. Google yielded about 295 hits in English.

So I'm going to work my way through them, a few at a time, and see what variety is there. Then build the booklist in del.icio.us to get a feeling for that tool.

Learning New Tricks

It's pretty clear I'm not up on all the latest web techniques and tricks. Since I'm not into cell phones, IM'ing, and retired ... I don't have a lot of reasons to keep up.

I occasionally use Technorati tags, just to see how they would work. But haven't been a regular user.

One of the blogs I scan, almost daily, Outside The Beltway, began using this string of little icons at the end of each post. Don't know when he started. I just decided to investigate what these things were all about.

The icons are connected to Social Bookmarking sites. Similar to Technorati, but with a twist. The idea is to have your bookmarks on the web, so you don't always have to be at your home computer.

I can understand the problem. With two computers, the back room desktop and my business laptop, I occasionally find that the favorites lists aren't the same. Ditto when I'm on a computer at SCORE, none of my bookmarks are on those computers.

I picked one of the services, del.icio.us, to start experimenting. OTBeltway has about 16 different sites in his string. All the links do is supply all the information that you would have to type to bookmark the blog item.

Playing around with my new account, I found some additional MindManager(c) sites. This one is interesting because it lists sites that were built using the Mindjet MindManager product. (Mindjet has the copyright for MindManager.)

This might become a new project for me. Finding sites built with various versions of MindManager. MM has an export to web function. In fact, that is how I built the basic navigation graphics for Piquero Insights, Inc., my own site.

Technorati Tags:MindManager, Consulting, Social Bookmarks

Six Degrees and Aisin

In an earlier post, I mentioned I was reading Duncan J. Watts' book Six Degrees.

That was before I reached Chapter Nine. Turned out to be about my favorite topic, "Manufacturing." In particular, lean networks and the Toyota Production System (TPS). There was a story I hadn't heard about, the Aisin fire and the rapid recovery of the entire supply chain. Particularly interesting when I contrast my experiences at Big Blue to various production challenges.

I've only recently, last year or so, been actively studying lean theory. That's probably why I hadn't heard of it. There are case studies as well as technical papers discussing the incident.

Road Warrior

Not really. Though I have been traveling a lot over the past seven weeks. Drove from Texas to Milwaukee and back. And, flew out to Washington DC for a family reunion, wife's side.

Picked up a book at the library for reading on the plane. Duncan J. Watts has written a book on the math behind social network analysis. Six Degrees was published in 2003. It is interesting, though a little more math oriented than something like Gladwell's Tipping Point. Many of the same themes.

I picked it up because of the metrics phone call. We are trying to account for the number of "connections" at a large conference. Rather than just count attendees at a large conference, there should be a multiplier. Something like, the typical attendee has a network quality conversation with at least 10 other people. Something beyond, hello & how are you.

We theorize that a small group meeting would see everyone interact. But in a large group, like a conference, the number of interactions would be more than one but not with everyone.

Chugging Along

It's that time again. The workshops are out of the way for another month. Had one all day Saturday, 2 hours on Tuesday, and then the all day Wednesday workshop.

The metrics discussion is going nicely. We've had three calls. The team has been contributing and the discussion is generating results I hadn't expected.

Instead of just trying to use web visits as a metric, the team is looking at behaviors and how we can measure them. We seem to be looking at web visits as a proxy for counting people looking for information.

With luck we can couple that with a connected click that assumes they found something. That's a big assumption, but it fits well with an additional metric of asking if they are satisfied with the information.

Degrees of Separation

Blogging has been light, between workshops and outside efforts it has been easy to let the blogs slide.

One of my distractions has been preparing for the metrics discussion that we kicked off in LAX. The first conference call was held today.

I went surfing tonight for “Degrees of Separation” which is a way to look at connections. I found this article by Neal Leavitt. The article concerns the Tide Coldwater viral marketing campaign.

The campaign, which incuded free samples of the product, also tracked the way the referrals spread by providing an interactive map. The interesting part, predictable I suppose, the word of mouth or email was very narrow in a demographic they wanted. So targeted message and increase of web traffic.

The article doesn’t really talk about increased sales. Advertising, after all, is primarily concerned with making people aware. The lesson for small businesses is you need to focus on sales impact, not just awareness.