Mind mapping practices have been around for a long time. There is evidence that similar methods have been used as far back as ancient Rome, where educators employed the famous loci visualization technique to teach new concepts to their students.
Mind maps refine this age-old technique and bring it up to date with the present day’s demands. They have proven to be extremely useful when it comes to crucial aspects of business, such as upskilling and reskilling, especially when combined with business process management tools, such as SaaS BPM.
What Is Mind Mapping?
A mind map is a visual aid that is designed to help the learner internalize information effectively by organizing it in a particular manner. This method of presenting information works well with all sorts of media, from simple whiteboards to complex electronic presentations. Indeed, nowadays, there are many tools and software solutions specifically designed to enable the creation of visually stimulating mind maps.
However, regardless of the medium used to create them, mind maps share a common structure and follow a specific design philosophy.
A mind map usually starts with a central concept that is key to the subject at hand, which gets positioned at the center of the “map.” General ideas, aspects, or details about the core concept are then arranged around the center, and each of them gets connected to the central concept via a line.
In turn, these “first-level” ideas are surrounded by concepts, details, and bits of information specific to them, which becomes a sort of “second-level” that is in turn connected with the first via lines. Thе process can be repeated as necessary, with the end result usually taking the form of branches with various meanings and bits of relevant information springing from the central concept, with crucial details being added to them as they get further away from the center.
Why Is Mind Mapping So Effective?
The “mind map” format of structuring information creates a clear visual hierarchy. A well put together mind map makes the relationship and connection between concepts and information related to them immediately apparent, their position in relation to other details clear, and the whole diagram – easy to memorize.
This natural structure, flow, and arrangement of information can be extremely useful when the goal at hand is to help a learner internalize a large body of foreign concepts. The technique itself relies on both pattern recognition as well as reason and thus engages both the left and right sides of the brain, which practically guarantees greater engagement than traditional learning.
What is BPM?
BPM is the practice of observing the details of business processes that comprise a company’s activities, then analyzing both the processes and the results they produce. The information gained this way can then be used to make adjustments to said processes with the goal of optimizing them.
The advent of the IT age has made studying and improving business processes a more manageable task than it has ever been. Nowadays, BPM has been perfected through the use of specialized software that facilitates direct communication in a company and allows effortless reporting on the status of tasks, direct oversight, data-gathering, and analysis.
How do Mind Mapping and BPM Intersect?
Although mind mapping and BPM are not necessarily always related, they are both powerful tools for a business and can truly shine when used in conjunction with one another.
Mind maps are incredibly useful for presenting information in a digestible manner and facilitating deep learning. Companies implementing BPM need the people involved to understand and retain information pertaining to the intricacies of complex business processes – and using methods such as mind maps can be of great help in that regard. Having a good grasp on the data and how all the details relate to one another is key for analyzing business processes properly and devising ways to improve them.
Conversely, BPM software facilitates the gathering, compilation, and analysis of information on pretty much any business process in a company. A correctly implemented BPM solution can give a company a veritable treasure trove of data, including all the details that are relevant to any subject on any level of the mind map. This makes BPM software an invaluable asset for compiling effective mind maps.
Mariela Kashukeeva is a Marketing Еxecutive at SaaS BPM, a productivity process management system solution designed to manage the recurring activities of teams and entire organizations. With over 2-year experience in SEO, she is responsible for establishing collaboration opportunities with high-authority websites and creating amazing content.
Mind mapping stock photo by Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock
