Rarely a day goes by that I do not find myself using a Mindmap to sort out a problem and develop a quick strategy. It’s a quick way to organize ideas by capturing the natural flow of thoughts. It saves time too, adding to much needed capacity in the day to day bustle we call work.
It’s a simple brain dumping process that helps stimulate new ideas and connections. It starts at the center of the page with the main idea and works outward in all directions, producing a growing and organized structure composed of key words and key images. Use a pencil and a piece of blank paper, do your best to avoid getting too fancy with an app. Here are the steps:
- In the middle of the page, place a word or image that symbolizes what you want to think about (e.g., Time Management).
- Individually or with a group, brainstorm any elements of the issue (e.g., rewards, saying “no,” timing). As ideas emerge, write 1- or 2-word descriptions on lines branching out from the focus word. Allow the ideas to expand outward into branches and sub-branches or twigs. Add all ideas without judgement quickly and capture as many ideas as possible.
- Use Pareto Analysis to separate the “vital few” ideas from the trivial ones on the Mindmap. Pareto Analysis is based on the premise that 80% of the problems we face are due to 20% of the possible causes. These 20% are the “vital few” problems on which a process improvement initiative should focus. The inference is that 80% of what we do in a day is a waste of time! Using our Time Management example, the 20% problems could be life balance, personal beliefs and other barriers.
- Once you’ve identified the vital few ideas, drill down further to isolate the root cause for each vital idea and brainstorm action plans to solve the root cause. My next post will talk about another favorite brainstorming tool, “The 5 Whys,” specifically used to identify root causes.
In the comments section, share your way of identifying the “vital few” problems that need your attention. Let’s learn from each other.
Bonus: For those of you who read my lateral thinking post last week, here’s the answer (you are going to be floored by it): The woman is too petite to reach the button for the 30th floor. She can only reach the 20th floor button. On days when it rains, she uses her umbrella to hit the button on the 30th floor.