Keeping Your Processes Current

Mindmaps, especially those used in real-time or collaboration modes, can keep your operational processes and/or standard operating procedures (SOPs) current.  I was demonstrating “Military Planning 2.0 with Mindmapping” to Don Lett, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, now responsible for major emergency contingency plans.  He commented on the struggle to keep SOPs current and enduring due to the turnover of military and government civilian personnel.  He saw what I had not considered before – that by putting SOPs in collaboration mind-maps the data stays fresh instead of being published and housed in a binder somewhere to be forgotten.  He’s right.  The other thing that makes converting SOPs from Word documents to mind maps is that stakeholders can rapidly access the parts that apply to them in a much more visually interesting way.  Mindmaps invite you to see the whole of a problem.  Additionally, as discussed in my military planning article, maps let you take advantage of the best practices in adult education and knowledge management – that is, provide contextual information at the time and place it is needed.  In the case of an SOP, the “why,” “how,” and “when” can be embedded in the “what” to execute.  Today’s plans, whether for government, military, or business purpose are more complex than ever.  If you are to succeed you have to change and adapt.  If you aren’t using mind maps, you’re falling behind.

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