If your most recent project has been lagging behind where he hoped it would be, you might need the services of Mindjet to help it along. This is a collaborative tool that you can use to keep everything organized as your team takes action towards specific goals and objectives. Rather than having a vague idea of what needs to be done, what is slowing things down, and what the next step is, it’s all contained in one software suite and stored in the cloud. But does this result in more ideas coming to fruition?
Overview
More and more tools like this are hitting the market, and it’s not hard to see why. As the Internet 2.0 makes things easier to share among coworkers, and the lines between bosses and underlings are blurring, something needs to come in and fill the gap between the old way of doing things, and new, more effective ways of doing things.
The Claim
They say that you’ll be able to develop initiatives, store project files in the cloud, and follow plans to completion on any device, anywhere. This alone sounds worth the price of admission, and creates a seamless flow between individuals trying to function as a team. Taking a complex idea and getting everyone on the same page can be tricky. Things change so quickly, and ideas need to adapt to these changes, so making sure that everyone is up-to-date on the latest action items can really slow things down.
By clearly presenting even complex ideas in an easy to read and comprehend format, Mindjet claims that projects get done in less time, more efficiently, and with better results than before. This would allow you to come up with even bigger ideas, or pursue projects at a faster pace, or concurrently.
The Hype
A tool can only do so much, and it’s only as good as the people using it. While this may be a great way for a group to collaborate on a project, if your group isn’t that good, you might be disappointed with what you come up with. Because it’s effective at sorting and organizing things, it could shed light on the fact that you really don’t have too much to sort or organize once all the mess is cleaned up.
The Cost
Mindjet has many different products and services at several different price points, depending on how you intend to use it. Their flagship software MindManager is $400 and they also have a Connect feature which allows people to share information transparently, helping tasks stay on target. They also have a free app for the iPad that allows you to create mind maps either for standalone use, or to import and export from the Connect service.
The Commitment
Although it aims to be user friendly, you will have to set aside some time to brief yourself on all of the features and tools that the software has to offer. Only then will you be versed enough to get the most out of it, and your projects will have the best chance of success.
Evaluation
It’s easy to see how the Mindjet MindManager software could help a team get things done in a better way. It instantly creates a detailed outline of all of the things that need to be done, and allows you to assign tasks to different team members. This adds instant accountability, so if things slow down you’ll know where to point the finger or who to help out if they’re feeling overwhelmed. Since you can edit it on the fly, it makes flowing with a project a lot easier, instead of standing rigidly to a deadline or the original plan.
Final Mindjet Review
Whether or not Mindjet works for you is really up to you. Reviews are mixed, and this definitely isn’t for everyone, which is why you should definitely try it out before you buy it. You’ll either click with it, and immediately see its value, or you’ll reject it pretty strait away and no harm done. The reason is that mind mapping software is a take it or leave it proposition. Some swear buy it, and can’t imagine organizing big project without one. Others think it’s overkill and takes up too much time to structure even the smallest of steps.
So try it out and see if it’s your cup of tea. If it is you’ll be all the better for it, and if not there’s no harm done.
Our Recommendation
An idea that makes it to an end product, or end results is priceless, and Mindjet software seems to increase the chance of that happening. It can more than pay for itself in the form of peace of mind, less stress, and fewer headaches, not to mention directly by organizing money-making endeavors. If you’re fed up with the sluggish pace a project has been taking, you should think about revamping it with the MindManager system.
