Episode 78 of being productive - mindmapping, flowcharts, and checklists

Is there a place for mindmaps, flowcharts, and checklists in your productivity system?  In episode 103 of CrossPlatform we started discussing how we manage our processes and procedures and it raised an interesting question: is there a place for mind maps, flowcharts, and checklists as part of your daily productivity?

 One way to approach this is to assign a level of productivity to each of the tools.  Let's start  with mind maps. If you're unfamiliar with mind maps there are a number of articles and videos out there explaining the basic concepts, but in a nutshell, a mind map is a visual representation of ideas and information and how they relate to each other. So why does this have a place in your system?

 If you're planning a project, and I'm not referring to the scheduling phase of project planning but rather the brainstorming phase, using a mind map simplifies the process of gathering information and requirements because of its freeform nature.

 Let's use running this podcast as an example. When putting together a podcast, there are many things that need to happen, the least of which is the actual recording. There's scriptwriting, editing, publishing, promotion, analytics, and so on. Each one of these is part of the overall project but also stands on its own when it comes to need and procedures. This is where mind mapping can be so useful. By creating a mind map of the show requirements, I can make sure nothing falls through the cracks from the proverbial 30,000 ft. level.

Each one of the nodes on the mind map can warrant the creation of its own mind map. Thinking about promotion for example, you have social media, website, YouTube, Spotify, and more as avenues for getting the podcast out in to the wild. Each one of those has their own procedures and requirements for successful completion. A mind map helps maintain the relationship between the parts of the whole without becoming overwhelming.

The next layer down is the procedures. Once you identify what needs to be done, creating the flows for execution especially if there are decisions to be made, are fertile ground for flowcharts. Most diagramming tools support basic flowchart functions such as stages, input, and decision points. The key with these types of charts is to create something that will guide you through the process even if you have completely forgotten all of the steps.

Imagine being told you are now responsible to publish a podcast to a website and to YouTube. Having a flowchart of the steps including decision points can not only prevent mistakes but also remove anxiety around executing the tasks at hand. Flowcharts can be modified as tools and needs change while still maintaining the core structure and overall goals of the workflow. Putting these into your productivity system means you no longer need to be concerned about missing steps.

The final layer are checklists. These are the bread and butter of process management. Check boxes, strikethroughs, and status fields all work to ensure all the items that need to be done get done. I recommend a high level of granularity when it comes to checklists as it's often the smallest step in a process that gets missed and causes problems.

Checklists work extremely well as extensions of flowcharts and workflows. Let's use our YouTube publishing example. We may create a workflow that shows all the steps our podcast video needs to go through, but if we tried to add to the workflow every box that needs to be checked and field that needs to filled that workflow quickly becomes unmanageable. Here is where checklists come to the rescue.

A checklist does not have to be a series of steps in the order of their execution. While that can be helpful it isn't critical for the checklist to be of value. For example, if you create a checklist of items to pick up at the grocery, organizing the items on the list into their locations in the store may increase your efficiency, but just having the list goes a long way to avoiding forgetting anything.

Can you find one tool to do all three of these things?

This is a difficult question because it is rare at best to find a single application that will do all three of these things equally well.  Some mind mapping tools offer checklist capabilities while some flowcharting tools can generate mind maps. I say don't let the need of more than one tool deter you from the benefits of these different types of process management.

A recommendation is to leverage web-based solutions when possible because the majority of them allow you to create external links to your information for easy access.  If you are using a web-based checklist tool and can create a link to your checklist to add to your workflow, you've simplified your process management already.

Take time to get familiar with these types of tools or work with someone who has experience putting them to use and you may find you have a far better grasp on your projects and procedures.