Send to a Friend
Add a Comment
First Look: ConceptDraw MINDMAP Pro 4 offers expanded business capabilities
By Chuck Frey
ConceptDraw MINDMAP, one of the best-kept secrets in mind mapping software, continues to get better and better. The newest version of this polished program from CS Odessa includes numerous small improvements that improve its power, ease of use and integration with Microsoft Office and popular project management tools.
In this “first look” product review, we’ll take a quick look at ConceptDraw MINDMAP Pro 4’s most notable new and upgraded features.
What’s new in version 4
CS Odessa’s main goals in developing ConceptDraw MINDMAP Pro 4 were to improve its power and ease of use, and to make it more attractive to business users. Here is what you need to know about this program’s new and improved capabilities:
Support for project task information: In ConceptDraw MINDMAP Pro 4, you can now add project task information to map topics, including start and due dates, duration, resource and percent completed attributes. This capability can be accessed via a right-click command, which opens a task information dialog box. To test this feature, I added task information to a topic in my map, and typed in a percentage of completion at random – say, 35%. When I clicked OK to close the dialog box, my topic appeared with a circle icon, with approximately 35% of it shaded – very cool! This treatment is much more flexible than some other mind mapping programs, which force you to select percentage completion in 25% increments.
Export to project management software: ConceptDraw MINDMAP Pro 4 can now expoert task information to popular project management programs, including Microsoft Project, ConceptDraw Project and Leading Project. Considering the popularity of mind mapping software with project managers, I think this is an excellent move. I especially like the fact that it is an XML integration, and not just a generic project management export format.
Microsoft Office compatibility: ConceptDraw MINDMAP 4 can import tasks from Microsoft Outlook, enabling you to create visual maps that help you to become better organized. You can export your visual maps to PowerPoint presentations, and export outlines created in ConceptDraw MINDMAP to Microsoft Word. In addition, ConceptDraw MINDMAP 4 Pro can save files in the popular PDF format, a real advantage if you plan to share your visual maps with others. This feature is only available in the Pro version.
Expanded freehand mapping capabilities: You can add new topics to your maps with just a mouse click over the map. Here’s how it functions: You first use a right-click command to toggle on freehand mapping. The cursor changes to an arrow with a plus sign and an angled branch shape. You then click over a current topic and drag away from it, and ConceptDraw MINDMAP creates a new topic there.
Support for callouts and floating topics: When you’re creating a mind map, sometimes the best way to record your random thoughts is to enter them as a floating topics, and then decide later where to place them within your map. To create a floating topic in ConceptDraw MINDMAP Pro 4, you use the right-click menu over a blank area of your map, and select the “floating topic” command. The cursor changes to an arrow with a plus sign plus a yellow rectangle. You then position your mouse where you want to place the floating topic, and click the left mouse button. The new floating topic is created at that location within your map. This capability works well, but it can only be accessed via a sub-menu within the right-click menu. This requires a little more mouse maneuvering than if all commands were at at the main right-click menu level.
MindManager integration: ConceptDraw MINDMAP can now open and work with files from MindManager 5 or 6 – a big plus if you work for a company that is already using this leading mind mapping software program. Also, you can now choose between two styles of symbols, classic and framed – over 3,000 in all. Framed symbols have a square box around them, and are the native ConceptDraw MINDMAP symbols. The classic symbols are actually MindManager symbols. CS Odessa designed its program in this way so that users of ConceptDraw MINDMAP 4 can not only open and edit MindManager files, but can also work with a familiar library of symbols.
Other key strengths: ConceptDraw MINDMAP continues to be the only mind mapping software program that supports both the Windows and Macintosh platforms. All documents and libraries can be freely exchanged between these versions. In addition, because ConceptDraw MINDMAP is part of the larger ConceptDraw family of vector graphics software, it can be used to create a variety of charts and diagrams that go well beyond the average mind mapping program.
Conclusion
With each new version, ConceptDraw MINDMAP continues to become more impressive. The current iteration, version 4, offers a comprehensive set of features, while also maintaining excellent ease of use. Now that it offers improved integration with Microsoft Office and popular project management applications, ConceptDraw MINDMAP Pro 4 should be much more attractive to business users.
ConceptDraw MINDMAP Pro 4 is available in both Microsoft and Mac OS X versions for $199 (an increase of $50 over version 3). A personal version is also available for $149. Downloadable trial versions are also available from the ConceptDraw website.
Published on 1/27/2006
|
