Gyronix GTD add-in for Mindmanager

C

ckennedy

Registered
Just a note to say that I'm beta testing the new GTD add-in for Mindmanager and so far I'm thrilled with it!
I saw it mentioned on David's blog. http://david.davidco.com/
The folks at Gyronix have been great to communicate thoughts and suggestions to.
Craig
 
M

mochant

Guest
It is terrific

I'm also testing it and am really impressed with what the team at Gyronix has been able to do. This adds a whole new dimension of value to MindManager for me. There are a couple of issues I think they still need to work out but I'm using it every day and am seriously considering this to be a better way to manage my projects and next actions than the Outlook approach I've been using.

That would be a big leap so I'm not planning on doing anything rash just yet!

I am preparing a review of the product for my blog and will also be posting an interview with the developers of this cool tool.
 
M

mochant

Guest
I'll see if I can arrange this

Michael:

I'll contact the developers and see if I can get you into the beta test. You'll love this tool!

--Marc
 
C

ckennedy

Registered
If you go to david's blog (listed above) and click on "comments" under the Mindmanager article, you'll find an email address to request a copy of the beta.
cheers
Craig
 
M

mochant

Guest
Getting close to release

ResultManager 2.0 is close to being released and it is shaping up very nicely as a must-have tool if you use MindManager X5. I'll be posting a review as soon as the software is officially released.
 
Eric Mack

Eric Mack

GTD Connect
Interesting Add-in (Gyronix)

We've been looking at it. I met with Nick on Friday for a few hours to get a personal tour of how it works. It offers an interesting approach to assigning actions while mapping your projects visually with MindManager. So far, I see it as more of a capture tool (unless one chooses to make that their project management environment) but I really need to work with it some more. Of course, it is still in Beta, so things are bound to change.

It's a neat concept. I look forward to your review!

Eric
 
M

mochant

Guest
It is a neat concept...

Eric:

I think you're right that this is visioning tool, not a primary project management application. Because MindManager offers such excellent integration to Outlook, it can be a great visualization tool that, for me at least, goes well beyond looking at Next Action lists and Projects in Outlook.

There's a gestalt that comes from seeing the totality of your commitments that this tool is uniquely helpful in creating. I've tried using MindManager alone to do this is the past but it's really only been successful on a per-project basis.

With the new release (which I believe is essentially finished except for some documentation changes), the variety of dashboard maps I can create for my own use and to commmunicate with my project teams and my boss is a great asset. When my boss asks me "What are your current open loops" [yes, we do actually talk that way at my company :lol: ] I can pop open or e-mail a dashboard map and there's a more compelling snapshot than I could possibly produce verbally or in e-mail text.

We haven't looked into the shared map capability but I'll definitely be investigating this as soon as the official release is available. My assistant and I meet every morning to review daily objectives and weekly progress and working from a shared dashboard map is a very enticing possibility.
 
F

felixc

Registered
Mindmanager and Outlook integration?

Can someone who is using MindManager X5 Pro and ResultManager provide examples of how it is integrated with Outlook? And how you are using it?

Sounds intriguing.
 
M

mochant

Guest
Re: Mindmanager and Outlook integration?

felixc said:
Can someone who is using MindManager X5 Pro and ResultManager provide examples of how it is integrated with Outlook? And how you are using it?

Sounds intriguing.
Click to expand...

I've posted here on MindManager-Outlook integration in the past. Do a search on posts by mochant and you should be able to find them with no trouble. ResultManager doesn't add any new Outlook integration features to MindManager. It uses what MindManager already provides.

The short version goes like this:

Set up your mind map with the tasks, appointments, and resources (people, equipment, etc.) using the Task Information and Smart Map Parts tools in MM or the tools in ResultManager - they can be used interchangably although you will almost certainly prefer the ResultManager interface for adding Results, Projects, and Actions.

Export the map to Outlook. This can be done from an individual project map or from one of the Dashboard maps that ResultManager generates. Only branch objects that contains task information will be exported. If you want to add categories, you must manually enter them. This is an area where creating map objects with ResultManager is an improvement over native MM as it has context and category tag lists you can populate once and then select from a list. The category tags must exactly match your Outlook categories to sync.

Once you have exported the map's tasks to Outlook, you can use the Sync with Outlook button to update bi-directionally. That is, a change in either program (MM or Outlook) will be synchronized to the other application.

Important: You do not want to go the other way and import all of your Outlook tasks into MindManager. It will pull in every task on your list (I generally have a few hundred items on all of my lists). The resulting map may totally depress you :wink: OTOH, this "everything" map can be used to quickly generate a MM object for everything you already have in Outlook which you can then copy-and-paste to individual project maps if you like. I tried that once. I'm not going to do it again :roll:
 
N

NickDuffill

Guest
ResultManager and Outlook

Marc

Thanks for taking the time to reply so comprehensively. We really appreciate all the support and encouragement we are getting from everyone!

Enhanced integration with Outlook is on our list. Currently, ResultManager relies on the native integration built into MindManager, but there are more things that we would like to do to make it seamless.

We really want a good understanding of usage scenarios - exactly what it is that people want to do with a combination of MindManager and Outlook. There's no point in implementing just what is technically possible. PDA integration and two-way transfer of actions are two topics, but there are many different ways to use Outlook systematically. I guess like most people, many of my action items are initiated and completed by e-mail.

We'd welcome any descriptions beginning "Ideally, I'd like to be able to..." or "What frustrates me is...".

Best regards

Nick Duffill
nick.duffill@gyronix.com
www.gyronix.com
 
M

mochant

Guest
Ok... here's a big wish to get things started

Nick:

Thanks for jumping in here. Nothing like getting information right from the source.

Here's a "big wish" scenario for Outlook integration. I'm not sure how do-able this is but it's an enticing vision.

I'd like to be able to do an "Outlook Sweep" and import all of my task lists, with their categories, notes, contact associations, etc. into a map that could act as "Map Central" ready for drag and drop organization and export to a Weekly, Monthly, or All Projects Dashboard. If you guys can figure out the two-way sync between source maps and Dashboards, I could then dynamically update info in the Dashboard map when I update or add items in Outlook and have them represented in my Dashboard.

For users of the NetCentrics GTD add-in, it would even cooler if you could parse the the dual tags that add-in attaches to list items (project and context).

That's not a fully formed vision but hopefully you understand where I'm going with this.
 
M

mochant

Guest
Coming soon to a blog near you

ckennedy said:
Marc
Is that ResultManager review forthcoming? :D
Cheers
Craig
Click to expand...

Craig:

I'll be posting it later today or tomorrow. Just got back from a trip and am busy digging out. I'll post a link here when it's available.

--Marc
 
M

mochant

Guest
The review is now online

I've posted my review of ResultManager to Marc's Outlook on Productivity.

Here's an excerpt:

About a month ago, I learned about ResultManager, an add-on program that provides powerful capabilities to MindManager for organizing, visualizing, and tracking these commitments. ResultManager automates the process of using MindManager maps for GTD, allowing me to focus on the work itself and not the management of the data itself. That's important. I have, from time to time, become so caught up in the "how" of GTD to really reap all of the benefits of actually "doing" GTD. Read any online group list or discussion forum and you'll find a number of folks wrestling with that particular question of focus.

The team at Gyronix, led by Nik Tipler and Nick Duffill, have created a tool that helps keep that focus where it belongs - on what needs to get done. It's an astonishing accomplishment; one that, over time, reveals layers of nuance and power that is not immediately apparent. And, like just about every complex and rich application I've adopted, there is a decided learning curve that needs to be mastered to take maximum advantage of that complexity, richness, and power.
Click to expand...

I'll be posting an interview with Nik and Nick (or The Nix, as I've taken to calling them in the plural) later this week.
 
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