MindManager Pro 7

It is over a year since I reviewed MindManger 6 and at the time I said:

This isn’t because it is a difficult application to either learn or use, as it isn’t, but because I couldn’t decide if I found it useful or not.

I finished the review questioning if I would still be using it in a couple of years, and the answer to that is no, partly because I forgot I had it and partly because MindManager Pro 7 came along which is significantly easier to use in my view. Oh, and I guess my own circumstances have changed and I am also now far more comfortable with the Mac so all in all I have found using MindManager Pro 7 are far more productive experience.

Finding out how much MindManger Pro 7 costs is almost as hard as learning how to use is as the information is tucked away on the site, but the Single License costs $299. A Lite version is available for $79 and for $129 you can get MindManager 7 Mac. Details on the various products can be found here.

Possibly the best feature, and certainly the most obvious, is the templates that open up as soon as you open the application:

With options for Blank Map, Decision Making, Event Planner, Marketing Strategy, Meeting, Org Chart, Packing List, Project Planner, Resume (that will be CV!), To Do List, Travel Planner, Week at a Glance, Weekly Planner and Writing Project there should be something that works for you. I love the way they have taken away the ‘pain’ of the initial set up which has long been my issue with these type of applications, enabling you to pretty much just dive straight in and start using it.

For more advanced, or adventurous users, you can create your own templates of course but I have yet to find a need to do that.

MindManager Pro 7 enables companies and individuals to work smarter, think creatively and save time by revolutionizing the way they visually capture and manage information.

With MindManger Pro 7 you can

• Align organizational strategy and objectives by visually conveying information in a single, centralized and coherent view.
• Empower people to accelerate business processes by enhancing strategic thinking, facilitating quicker project planning and increasing team productivity.
• Engage and excite employees by engaging people in stimulating real-time interactions during process planning.
• Bring better products and services to market faster by enforcing best practices and making existing plans, processes and ideas accessible.
• Stay ahead of the competition and foster innovation by increasing team interactions during the early stages of strategic planning.
• Win new business faster and improve business relationships by quickly capturing relevant information and improving communication with clients.

I can’t vouch for all of that, and to be honest it sounds too ‘corporate’ for me but what I can say is that with the new contracts that I have recently taken on I have found it a very useful application indeed. Expensive for sure for the individual, and not something I would consider just for personal organizational and planning type stuff, but for consultancy it has worked a treat.

The interface is clear, and the preferences kept to a minimum so jumping straight in is simple and not fool hardy.

Take a look, you will probably find something that is useful to you amongst all the options.

Interview with the Developer

Traditionally what your applications offer is what I personally used to use a white board, pad and paper for. To spec out my ideas, thoughts and processes. Transferring this to the computer must have been a pretty large task. What would you say was the biggest challenge?

One of the biggest challenges we have faced is how to describe the product. MindManager has so many different uses and doesn’t replace, but rather complements, other business productivity tools (e.g. Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, etc.). But once people see it and use it, they’re hooked in the first 15 minutes.

You sell to 85 of the top 100 Fortune companies which is impressive, but understandable given the type of product. At an individual level do you have a view on the ‘typical’ profile of your users?

Smart, ambitious, organized, loyal, love to rave about the product

What do you think the future holds for mapping on computers?

We see that team interaction and whole new forms of participation in the workplace are being enabled by mapping technology. It will allow ad-hoc teams to create on-the-fly, “situational� applications to solve specific problems quickly and effectively. More people from distributed teams and regions will be able to work together and contribute.

Elevator pitch time. Three words or phrases as to why someone should buy your product.

See the big picture by visualizing information, Work smarter, Do more in less time