Sunday, October 4, 2009

What's your favorite Requirements Management Tool?

clipped from www.linkedin.com

BA forum [Business Analyst forum]

What's your favorite Requirements Management Tool?













Adam Feldman

Managing Director at Bright Green Projects






I am a little bit biased, but mine is Bright Green Projects!! We have just launched a free plan too!

http://brightgreenprojects.com

Adam

Posted 6 days ago | Reply Privately











Mark Ridgwell

Business Strategy Planning & Delivery - Knowledge Genes






Hi Caroline,


Biased here also - we use Knowledge Genes to map and control WHAT needs to be achieved, HOW and WHY. Knowledge Genes is diffenent because it codifies knowledge, then intelligently helps you by finding relevant document from the web or your coporate web if you like and alerts too.

http://www.knowgenes.com/Welcome.aspx

HTH - Mark

Posted 6 days ago | Reply Privately











Daniel Harman

Business Analyst Professional

Possibly a bit left-field, but as a web BA my most valuable tool by far for requirements - speficially wireframes and process mapping, is Omnigraffle. Awesome diagramming tool - Mac only I am afraid though.

Posted 5 days ago | Reply Privately








Kam-Hung Soh

Member at IIBA

Telelogic (now part of IBM) DOORS. It gives each requirement a unique ID for tracking and includes a good linking feature which helps impact analysis.

Posted 5 days ago | Reply Privately








Michael Walters

Senior Business Analyst - UPS

I have used Borland Caliber and IRISE to varying degrees/successes. Borland is better for tracing requirements. IRISE is excellent for prototyping - especially for Web Applications. And then there is always MS Word - always come back to that one.. Easy to work with and simple use - not so good for tracing requirements though.

Posted 5 days ago | Reply Privately











Daniel Harman

Business Analyst Professional

Oh I forgot to mentioned Confluence ( http://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/ ). The last 3 web start-up companies I have worked with, were all Agile and all used Confluence. An awesome wiki if that is your thing :)

Posted 5 days ago | Reply Privately











Andrew Elder

Business Analyst, Tester & Trainer

Michael, if this thread was "Worst Requirement Management Tools Ever", I'd include the examples you gave. Those two are only slightly better than writing requirements on post-it notes and sticking them to your monitor around the boggle-eyed toys stuck there previously (don't laugh ...)

Posted 5 days ago | Reply Privately








Louise White

Information Technology and Services Professional

I like Optimal Trace. It's better than any Reqs Mgt tool because it also documents the requirements. By documenting the requirements themselves and the dependencies and relationships, the tool manages those requirements automatically and shows you whenever relationships are missed, visually as well as in a report. As extra bonuses, it produces the models as you write the cases and the steps, writes the test scripts and when you're all done you can produce the requirements or specification document in MS Word format. Document, analyse, model, test and manage, all in a single tool! One stop shopping!

Posted 4 days ago | Reply Privately








Lynne Forrester

Senior Business Analyst at Denver RTD

The tool I like best for analysis, especially process, is Agilian from Visual Paradigm. We use just the Standard version and it is really powerful. It's also inexpensive. Their support for business rules is limited but they are working on that.

Posted 3 days ago | Reply Privately








Inderdeep Singh

Business Analyst IT

A well structured word template...coupled with MS Visio for wireframes, data modeling and enterprise architect give a deadly combination for a business analyst professional. I also like Biz agi process modeler its fast and user friendly

Posted 1 hour ago | Reply Privately
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Thursday, September 24, 2009

MagicDraw UML Enterprise Tool

clipped from www.filebeta.com

MagicDraw UML Enterprise v16.5 SP4





MagicDraw is an award-winning business process, architecture, software and system modeling tool with teamwork support. Designed for Business Analysts, Software Analysts, Programmers, QA Engineers, and Documentation Writers, this dynamic and versatile development tool facilitates analysis and design of Object Oriented (OO) systems and databases. It provides the industry's best code engineering mechanism (with full round-trip support for Java, C++, C#, CL (MSIL) and CORBA IDL programming languages), as well as database schema modeling, DDL generation and reverse engineering facilities.

Ten Reasons MagicDraw Literally Outpaces the Competition

1. Promotes quick learning with intuitive interface
Easy access to the most common operations is a cornerstone of MagicDraw's user interface. Because all major commands are reachable through a single click, you can focus on modeling. Choose your favorite one-click method: from standard menus, context menus, shortcuts, or toolbars. With MagicDraw you can complete your tasks with half the steps demanded by other tools.

2. Creates diagrams faster than any tool on the market
On-diagram editing. Automatic completion of Attributes, Operations, and Parameters type. Pick Lists for types and names. With features like these, you'll find MagicDraw indispensable as you work more swiftly than ever before.. The unique Smart Manipulators feature makes for high-velocity diagram creation and editing. And since MagicDraw's automatic UML semantics checking facilitates the creation of valid models, you won't waste valuable time correcting improper UML.

3. Derives models from existing source code in just seconds
MagicDraw's reverse engineering is the fastest way to get UML models from Java, C#, C++, CORBA IDL, EJB 2.0, DDL, CIL (MSIL), WSDL, and XML Schema source code. Our automatic generation of sequence diagrams from Java source code adds a more detailed view of the system.

4. Visualizes your model in a few quick steps
MagicDraw's automatic generation of static structure, package dependency, and hierarchy diagrams allows multiple views of the same model. Automatically generating your hierarchy diagram requires just a few seconds, compared to the hours required to do the same work manually.

5. Keeps your team in the express lane by enabling them to work on the same model in parallel
Using MagicDraw's Teamwork Server, multiple developers can work simultaneously on the same model. This accelerates your team's collaboration while providing simple configuration management, controlled access to all your artifacts, and remote access to your model. It's the optimal way to manage your model and avoid version conflicts.

6. Delivers source code from your UML model instantly
MagicDraw UML generates code for Java, EJB, C#, C++, CORBA IDL, DDL, WSDL, XML Schema. Integrations with the most popular IDEs (Eclipse, IBM WSAD and RAD, Borland JBuilder, IntelliJ IDEA, NetBeans, Sun Java Studio) eliminate the need for a native MagicDraw IDE. Since you can continue using your favorite IDE for coding, there's no need to waste valuable time learning a new one. Whether you are using MagicDraw as a standalone application or integrated with an IDE, you have the option for round-trip engineering to keep model and code synchronized. Since MagicDraw allows you to go further with code generation, it's the tool of choice in the world of Model Driven Development. MagicDraw integrates with IO Software ArcStyler, AndroMDA, and other MDD tools.

7. Eliminates tedious document preparation with automatic report generation!
Use MagicDraw's automatic report generation engine to quickly produce comprehensive, professional requirements, software design documentation, and other types of reports in HTML, PDF, and RTF formats. MagicDraw UML generates standard artifacts that match your software development process. The report engine allows you to generate up-to-date reports based on your own templates with layout and formatting specified.

8. Extends UML capabilities beyond UML 2 — in a snap
MagicDraw does this in minutes — without additional coding. UML Profiles and custom diagrams allow you to extend standard UML to fit your specific problem domain. You can quickly create custom diagrams that fit your software development process. Define your own custom toolbar for stereotyped element creation — you'll instantly accelerate your modeling effort.

9. Accelerates your 'travel time' between modeling domains
With MagicDraw model transformations, you can quickly go back and forth from one modeling domain to another. MagicDraw UML allows model transformations both ways: from Platform Independent Model (PIM) to Platform Specific Model (PSM) and from PSM to PIM. With model transformations, you can produce many specific models, such as XML Schema, DDL, or your customized specific model from a generic one.

10. Enables speedy navigation through your models
With MagicDraw hyperlinks, you can link to any model element, to elements in other diagrams, different models, and files or documents outside the model. This easy to use functionality allows you to customize model navigation to your specific needs. Use the Content Diagram for creating an overview of the content of your project diagrams in a single location.

More Info:

http://www.magicdraw.com/
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Sunday, July 26, 2009

USeful Quick Reference Sheets

 clipped from www.customguide.com

Microsoft Quick References

Right-click any title and select Save As

Microsoft Access

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft FrontPage

Internet Explorer

Microsoft InfoPath

Microsoft Office

Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Publisher

Microsoft SharePoint

Microsoft Visio

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Word

Mac Quick References

Right-click any title and select Save As

Apple Appleworks

Apple Mac OS

Microsoft Entourage

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Adobe Quick References

Right-click any title and select Save As

Acrobat for Windows

Dreamweaver for Windows

Dreamweaver for Mac

Fireworks for Windows

Fireworks for Mac

Flash for Windows

Flash for Mac

Photoshop for Windows

Photoshop for Mac

Photoshop Elements for Windows

Additonal Quick References

Right-click any title and select Save As

Computer Training

ECDL

IBM Lotus Notes

Intuit QuickBooks

Mozilla FireFox

FREE Quick References

Here are some ways you can use them:
  • Distribute them at your organization.
  • Forward them to users with support issues.
  • Post them on your organization's Website.
Be notified when new Quick References are released — and get a free Online Learning evaluation: Complete the form to the right.
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Thursday, April 16, 2009

Project Management Tips from the People who handled the biggest IT project

Information, ideas and tools for Project Managers

How to create a Project Financial Plan

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Step 1: List the Financial Expenses
The first step taken when defining a Financial Plan and setting a project budget, is to identify all of the types of expenses that are likely to be incurred throughout the Project Lifecycle.
Typically, most projects spend the majority of their budget on purchasing, leasing, renting or contracting the resources to the project (e.g. labour, equipment and materials). However other types of expenses incurred may include those related to the:
  • Procurement of resources from suppliers
  • Establishment of a Project Office
  • Administration of the project
Step 2: Quantify the Financial Expenses
Once you have identified a detailed list of expenses to be incurred throughout the project, the next step is to forecast the unit cost of each expense type listed. The unit cost is simply the cost of a single unit of a particular expense item. For instance, the unit cost for:
  • labour may be calculated as the cost per hour supplied
  • equipment may be calculated as the rental cost per day
  • materials may be calculated as the purchase cost per quantity
After listing the unit costs, you should calculate the total amount of each expense item needed to undertake the project. For instance:
  • Identify the number of roles required
  • Quantify the items of equipment needed
  • Determine the amount of materials required
  • Quantify the procurement items to be sourced from suppliers
  • Calculate the administration costs the project
Step 3: Construct an Expense Schedule
You have now collated all the information needed to build a detailed expense schedule. This schedule enables the Project Manager to calculate the total cost of undertaking the project on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
To create an Expense Schedule, build a table which lists all of the expense types down the left hand side of page, and all of the weeks in the year across the page. Then identify for each week and for each expense type, the amount of financial expenditure to budget. Once complete, you can sum up all of the expenses for any particular week to gain a weekly budget for the entire project.
Of course you may wish to calculate a daily, monthly or yearly view, based on your particular project need. Also don't forget to list any assumptions made during the creation of this Financial Plan. For example, it may be assumed that:
  • "The project delivery dates will not change during this project."
  • "The unit costs forecast are accurate to within 5%."
  • "The funds listed by this plan will be available as required."
And finally, list any constraints identified during this financial planning process. For example:
  • "Limited information was available when identifying costs"
  • "A market shortage has resulted in a high labour costs"
Step 4: Define the Financial Process
Now that you have created your Expense Schedule, you need to define the process for monitoring and controlling expenses (i.e. costs) throughout the Project Lifecycle. Define the Cost Management Process for your project by documenting the:
  • Purpose of the process
  • Steps involved in undertaking the process
  • Roles and responsibilities involved in undertaking the process
  • Templates used to support the process
And there you have it! By completing these steps, you can build a proper Financial Plan to help you deliver on time and under budget.
To save time creating a Financial Plan, and help you manage your project finances, download the Project Management Kit of templates.
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How to create a "Project Charter"

Thursday, March 19th, 2009
The Project Charter describes the project vision, objectives, scope, organization and implementation plan. It helps you to set the direction for the project and gain buy in from your stakeholders as to how the project will be organized and implemented. It will also help you to control the scope of your project, by defining exactly what it is that you have to achieve. To define a Project Charter, take these steps:

Step 1: Identify the Project Vision
Vision: The first step taken when defining a Project Charter is to identify the project vision. The vision encapsulates the purpose of the project and is the defined end goal for the project team.
Objectives: Then based on the vision, list three to five objectives to be achieved by the project. Each objective should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART).
Scope: With a clear view of the Vision and Objectives of the project, it's time to define the project scope. The scope defines the formal boundaries of the project by describing how the business will be changed or altered by the project delivery. Deliverables: Then you need to describe each of the deliverables that the project will produce.
Step 2: Describe the Project Organization
The next step is to identify how the project will be structured by listing the customers, stakeholders, roles, responsibilities and reporting lines.
Customers: First, identify the project customers. A customer is a person or entity that is responsible for accepting the deliverables when the project is complete.
Stakeholders: Then identify the project stakeholders. A stakeholder is a person or entity within or outside of the project with a specific key interest or stake in the project. For example, a Financial Controller will be interested in the cost of the project, and a CEO will be interested in whether the project helps to achieve the company vision.
Roles: Now list the key roles involved in delivering the project. Examples of roles include the Project Sponsor, Project Board and Project Manager. Then summarize each of the primary responsibilities of each role identified.
Structure: Once you have a clear view of the roles needed to undertake the project, you can depict the reporting lines between those roles within a Project Organization Chart.
Step 3: Plan the Approach to Implementation
You now have a solid definition of what the project needs to achieve and how it will be organized to achieve it. The next step is to describe the implementation approach as follows:
Implementation Plan: To provide the Customer and Stakeholders with confidence that the project implementation has been well thought through, create an Implementation Plan listing the phases, activities and timeframes involved in undertaking the project.
Milestones: In addition, list any important milestones and describe why they are critical to the project. A milestone is typically an important project event, such as the achievement of a key deliverable.
Dependencies: List any key dependencies and their criticality to the project. A dependency is defined as an activity that is likely to impact on the project during its life cycle.
Resource Plan: Create a plan which summarizes the resources involved in undertaking the project by listing the labor, equipment and materials needed. Then budget the financial resources needed.
Step 4: List the Risks and Issues
The final step taken to complete your Project Charter is to identify any project risks, issues, assumptions and constraints related to the project.
And that's it. If you complete each of the steps above, then you will create a solid Project Charter for your project, helping you to manage scope and deliver consistently on time and within budget.
Download a Project Charter template to save you time and effort.
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How to Scope your Projects

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Project Scope is everything that must be produced to complete a project. These 'things' are called deliverables and you need to describe them in depth as early in the project as possible, so everyone knows what needs to be produced. Take these 5 Steps to scope your projects:
Step 1: Set the Direction
Start off by setting the direction for the project. Do you have an agreed Project Vision, Objectives and Timeframes? Are they specified in depth and has your customer agreed to them? Does everyone in the project team truly understand them and why they are important? Only by fixing the project direction can you truly fix the project scope.
Step 2: Scope Workshops
The best way to get buy-in to your project scope is to get all of the relevant stakeholders to help you define it. So get your project sponsor, customer and other stakeholders in a room and run a workshop to identify the scope. What you want from them is an agreed set of major deliverables to be produced by the project. You also want to know "what's out of scope".
Run the workshop by asking each stakeholder for a list of the deliverables they expect the project team to deliver. Take the full list of deliverables generated in the workshop and get them to agree on what's mandatory and what's optional. Then ask them to prioritize the list, so you know what has to be delivered first.
Step 3: Fleshing it out
You now have an agreed list of deliverables. But it's still not enough. You need to define each deliverable in depth. Work with the relevant people in your business to describe how each deliverable will look and feel, how it would operate and how it would be supported etc. Your goal here is to make it so specific that your customer cannot state later in the project that "when they said this, they really meant that".
Step 4: Assessing Feasibility
So you now have a detailed list and description of every deliverable to be produced by your project, in priority order and separated as mandatory / optional. Great! But is it feasible to achieve within the project end date? Before you confirm the scope, you need to review every deliverable in the list and get a general indication from your team as to whether they can all be completed before your project end date. If they can't, then which deliverables can you remove from the list to make your end date more achievable?
Step 5: Get the thumbs up
Present the prioritized set of deliverables to your Project Sponsor and ask them to approve the list as your project scope. Ask them to agree to the priorities, the deliverable descriptions and the items out of scope.
By getting formal sign-off, you're in a great position to be able to manage the project scope down the track. So when your Sponsor says to you in a few weeks time "Can you please add these deliverables to the list?", you can respond by saying "Yes, but I'll either have to remove some items from the list to do it, or extend the project end date. Which is it to be?". You can easily manage your Sponsors expectations with a detailed scope document at your side.
The scope document is the Project Manager's armor. It protects them from changes and makes them feel invincible!
And there you have it - 5 steps to defining the scope for your project. If you want document templates to help you define and manage scope for your project, then download the Project Management Kit today.
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Creating a Project Business Case

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
The purpose of a Business Case is to justify the project expenditure by identifying the business benefits you're going to deliver. Here's how to create a Business Case in 4 simple steps:

Step 1: Identify the Business Problem
Usually, projects are undertaken to solve a particular business problem or opportunity. So you need to investigate that business problem or opportunity and describe what it is, how it's come about and the timeframes in which it needs to be addressed.
Only with this knowledge, will you truly understand the purpose of the project and the timeframes for delivery. Without this knowledge, it's like building a house without a solid foundation.
Step 2: Identify the Alternative Solutions
Now that you understand the business problem/opportunity in depth, it's time to identify a solution to address it. To ensure that you choose the right solution, take these steps:
  • Identify the alternative solutions
  • Quantify the benefits of implementing each solution
  • Forecast the costs of implementing each solution
  • Assess the feasibility of implementing each solution
  • Identify the risks and issues associated with each solution
  • Document all of this, in your Business Case
Step 3: Recommend a Preferred Solution
Before you rank the solutions, set out the criteria for ranking them and choose a scoring mechanism as well. For instance, you may decide to:
  • score each solution from 1-10, based on their costs and benefits
  • weight each based on criteria which are important to you
  • use a more complicated scoring mechanism
Then go ahead and score your solutions to identify the best solution. Make sure you document the entire process in your Business Case.
Step 4: Describe the Implementation Approach
By now, you have selected a solution and you have confirmed its benefits and costs. The next step is to convince your Project Sponsors that you have thought through the approach for implementing it. So document the steps you're going to take to build the solution for your client. Remember, only with a clearly defined Business Case will you ensure you deliver the business benefits expected by your customer.
Documenting the Business Case is one of the most critical steps in the Project Life Cycle. If you want templates to help you do this as well as all of the other steps in the Project Life Cycle, then download the Project Management Kit today.
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Project 2003 file formats blocked after installing Project 2003 Service Pack 3

Friday, June 13th, 2008
Microsoft have issued a bulleting explaining the file formats that are blocked by default after installing Project 2003 Service Pack 3.
By default, the following file formats are blocked in Project 2003 SP3:
By default, the following file formats are blocked in Project 2003 SP3:
  • MS Project 98 versions of .mpp
  • .mpx
  • .xls
  • .txt
  • .csv
The Microsoft article explaining how to unblock these restrictions can be found HERE
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A Good Reason to Upgrade to Project 2007

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
Change Highlighting may be all the reason you need to upgrade to Project 2007 as it wasn't available in earlier versions. If you make many changes to your project plans and struggle to identify the effects of those changes on your project, this simple but effective feature is for you.


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Projects don't realise business benefits through lack of objective reviews

Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
How often have you carried out regular, systemmatic reviews to re-evaluate the value of a project throughout its lifecycle?
There is a natural reticence to challenge the business value of a project and most managers instead focus on delivery. So there is a tendency to avoid decisions being made on potential cancellation or rationalisation once it becomes clear that a project is unlikely to deliver the benefits including the ROI originally proposed in the business case.
Generally this is because the project manager has no awareness that the assumptions about the business case have been materially changed. Frequently it is through an unwillingness of the Project Manager to take action, even though the changed circumstances may be known, because of a major stakeholder's emotional attachment to the project (how many major ERP projects fall into this category?).
So make a point of periodically blowing the dust off the Business Case you spent hours creating and establishing if it is still on target to deliver the ROI originally forecast.
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Improve your project communication and save on travel costs

Monday, June 9th, 2008
GotoMeeting is an invaluable tool for communicating with your project teams wherever they are.
Ideal for:
  • Multi-site briefings
  • Discussing project plans with shareholders
  • Collaborative working
Avoid the time and expense of travelling and get the benefits of a face to face meeting. No special equipment or software is needed - just connection to the internet
You can try it for 30 days for FREE just by clicking the link below.

GoToMeeting - Online Meetings Made Easy


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Create a Project Charter to improve Project Success

Wednesday, July 4th, 2007
Most Project Managers will tell you that the best way to ensure success is to define your project clearly from the outset. That way, all of your team members, stakeholders and customers will have a single view of what the project needs to achieve. So the best way to define you project clearly is to:
Create a Project Charter
A Project Charter is a document that is completed at the very start of the project life cycle. It sets out the project vision, objectives and scope, so that you can gain a clear picture of what it is that the project must achieve.
It also describes the deliverables, the people involved in producing them and the timeframes for delivery.
To create a Charter for your project, take these 5 steps:
Step 1: Set the Vision
Every team needs a "Vision". By clarifying the vision for the project and the goals that must be met, your team will gain a single collective understanding of what it is expected of them. When setting out your vision, make sure that you:
  • Gain agreement from the Sponsor first
  • Write it using clear, meaningful words
  • Communicate it to all team members
Don't email the vision out to your team. Instead, present it personally, so that they have a first hand understanding of what it is, why it's important and what it should mean to them.
Step 2: Define the Scope
With a clear vision, the next most important step is to define the project scope. The scope lists the activities and deliverables that must be completed, in order to achieve the vision.
Having a detailed scope helps you to plan your project effectively. It also helps you to prevent "scope creep" which is when unplanned deliverables and activities are added to your To Do list by your customer.
Only by clarifying the project scope at the outset, can you manage your customers needs, by telling them for instance that a request is "out of scope" and therefore requires additional time or money to complete it.
Step 3: Structure the Project Team
So you know your end target (i.e. your vision) and deliverables to be produced (i.e. your scope), you now need to identify the people who are going to do the work.
Create a Project Organizational Structure chart which show all of the customers, stakeholders, team members and other people involved with your project. Depict the reporting lines between each, and where possible, add lines of communication as well.
Documenting the organization structure is important, as it clarifies the number of people needed to complete your project and the responsibilities of each member in your team. It also helps you to create Job Descriptions for each member of your team.
Step 4: Create a Roadmap
Then create a project roadmap. This is a high level project plan that lists the phases, activities and tasks that your project will pass through, to complete the entire project management life cycle.
As well as setting out the activities needed to complete the project from start to finish, you need to identify the resources needed for each project phase. And finally, identify the overall budget required to complete the project, so that you gain financial approval to undertake the project, as early as possible in the project life cycle.
Step 5: Identify Risks and Issues
The last step to take when creating a Project Charter is to list the risks and issues that are currently apparent. By listing these items, you can make your Project Sponsor aware of the overall level of risk of the project and enlist their support to resolve them early.
By taking these 5 steps, you're ready to create a Project Charter to initiate projects more successfully. If you would to implement these 5 steps for your projects, then get the Project Charter template now.
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Manage 'Virtual' Project Meetings

Monday, June 11th, 2007
Increasingly, project teams are spread over many sites making it difficult to effectively present updates and discuss issues.
A low-cost solution is now available using online technology so that project teams can meet to discuss and share ideas without the cost and time overhead of onsite meetings.
GoToMeeting is designed to show whatever is on the presenter's screen to the meeting participants, control can be passed to any participant at any time. In a project review, for example, a manager could present the latest revisions to a project Plan in MS Project enabling the participants to understand and comment.
GoToMeeting incoprorates an Instant Messenger 'chat' facility but is better supplemented by traditional teleconference facilities to bring live audio to the visuals.
Despite the wealth of functionality, GoToMeeting is incredibly low-cost to run with a flat monthly fee - enabling you to hold as many online conferences as you want without hitting extra charges
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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The online mind map smackdown

 clipped from tiffanybbrown.com

Review: The online mind map smackdown

Wouldn't you know it? About a week after this post, Comapping released an upgrade that changed the chart. I have updated the chart to reflect this new data. However, I have not re-reviewed Comapping. And I'm not 100% sure it's necessary given my reasons for preferring MindMeister.
Mind mapping may just be the next wave of online applications. Advanced JavaScript libraries and Flash are enabling web-based mind map applications that are almost as robust as their off-line counterparts (such as Freemind).
In this post, I'll revisit the previously-reviewed MindMeister and three newer mind map services: Mind42.com, Comapping.com and Mindomo.

What's the same?

All three of these services share a core set of features:
  • Collaboration
  • Exporting or downloading of mind maps
  • Importing of mind maps
  • Publishing and sharing of maps
But there are a few differences between these applications, and some of those differences may be a deal breaker for you.

MindMeister.com

When I originally reviewed MindMeister.com, it was in a private beta. A few weeks later, the site launched as a paid service (currently $4 per month), with a free plan that has a reduced feature set.
MindMeister's interface is all CSS, (X)HTML and JavaScript driven, with lots of Ajax communication with the server. It still offers all of the features from the original review, plus you can search del.icio.us and Wikipedia for related content from any node.
If you are a premium user, you can export mind maps to Mindmanager or Freemind XML formats. Otherwise you are limited to image (GIF, JPG or PNG formats) and rich text exports. Also, free users are limited to five mind maps at any given time.
Mindmeister offers basic text formatting — and something I thought was particularly cool — the ability to add notes to a node.
Cost? $4 per month; reduced-feature free service available

Mind42.com

Like MindMeister, Mind42.com also offers integration with del.icio.us and Wikipedia. When you create a URL within a node, you are offered the option to browse del.icio.us and Wikipedia for related entries.
Though all of these services offer collaboration and sharing, Mind42 takes it one step further by integrating the Google Talk gadget. If you have a Google account, you can chat while collaboration on your map. Mind42 also allows you to attach notes and to-do lists to nodes, extending it into a productivity-management tool. MindMeister, on the other hand, offers Twitter updates for shared maps.
Both MindMeister and Mind42 let you import Freemind and Mindmanager maps. But Mind42 only allows you to export your maps to Rich Text, Freemind, or Mindmanager formats (or download a Mind42 file). MindMeister also allows you to export your maps as GIF, JPG or PNG images. But to export to Freemind and Mindmanager formats, you do have to pay the $4 monthly subscription fee.
Where Mind42 falls short is in its file management screen. Deleting files is easy enough. But when you delete all of your mind maps, you are prompted to create a new one. As of right now, there is no way to leave that screen other than by creating a new mind map. Only then can you log out of the program.
Mind42 is also very error-prone at this stage. I experienced data-destroying errors (such as while saving) in about half of my sessions. It is the only application of the bunch that is still in beta. Mind42 will certainly have to iron out their wrinkles in order to gain traction.
Cost? Mind42 is currently free to use. I'm guessing that will change once the site exits beta.

Comapping.com

Unlike MindMeister and Mind42.com, Comapping.com's user interface was developed in Flash. Although that means you will have to install a plug in to use Comapping, it also means that the interface is a little more robust. Comapping.com, for example, offers "tool tip"-like keyboard shortcut hints.
Comapping also distinguishes itself in how it arranges the map. Where Mind42.com and MindMeister center the root node, Comapping anchors it to the left. While I prefer the flexibility of a centered map, Comapping says that its left-to-right organization is more efficient. From the company's web site:
… The conclusion was striking: people were more confused — and less efficient — when they were building or trying to review a part of a map that had the topics around a center especially going from right to left.
We have a hypothesis that the reason is tightly related to the fact that we read from left to right: Topic organized from left to right gives a much faster overview of the semantic structure — probably because you can physically see the topic in less eye spans.
Like Mind42, Comapping allows you to attach tasks to nodes. You can even assign deadlines. Minor quirk: Comapping only accepts one type of date format (yyyy-mm-dd). A smarter interface would be able to parse a variety of date formats.
One unique feature: the site allows you to develop presentations and slide shows.
There are some drawbacks to Comapping, however, mostly around importing and exporting files. You can only import Mind Manager files. What's more, you can only export files in Mindmanager, rich text or HTML. You can't export your mind map as an image, and Freemind is not supported. You can download a .comap file, however.
Cost? $11.99 for six months; 30 day free trial.

Mindomo.com

Mindomo is much like Comapping in that it was developed with Flash. Its interface is good, but not necessarily as thoughtful. For example, Mindomo supports keyboard shortcuts, but there are no hints as with Comapping.
Mindomo's layout and formatting options far are more flexible than its competitors. You can use a centered map as with Mind42 and MindMeister, or you can choose a right or left-aligned view. Mindomo also offers several pre-defined mind map themes.
One drawback to Mindomo is that you can᾿t export to Freemind. You also have to become a paid subscriber in order to export your maps in Mindmanager format. Mindomo distinguishes itself, however, with the ability to export plain text outlines and PDF files in addition to rich text files and images. But Mindomo can only import Mindmanager files.
Something else to note: only Mindomo also sells an enterprise software version that you can deploy in your business.
Cost? $65 per year / $36 for 6 months (about $6 per month). Also a free, ad-supported version

Who wins the smackdown?

I'd have to go with MindMeister. Mind42.com would be a contender if its service were more reliable. MindMeister's support for importing and exporting Freemind as well as MindManager has me sold. I also like that it uses XHTML, CSS and JavaScript instead of a proprietary plugin such as Flash. The interface is pretty to look at and easy to use. Importing, exporting and deleting maps is a smooth process. And while some of its offerings aren't as robust as Mindomo and Comapping, it does what it does quite well.

Feature comparison

Feature
Mindomo
 Comapping
 MindMeister
 Mind42.com
In beta?
 No
 No
 No
 Yes
Flash?
 Yes
 Yes
 No
No
Ajax?
 No
 No
 Yes
 Yes
Price
 $65 per year / $36 for 6 months; Ad-supported free option
 $11.99 / 6 months (about $2 per month)
 $4 per month; Free option available
 Free (for now)
Free option?
 Yes. Ad supported
 No
 Yes. Reduced features
 x
Publish maps online?
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
Publish maps on blogs / web sites?
 No
 Yes (as of 7/11)
 Only with premium subscription.
 Yes
Export to Freemind?
 No
 Yes (as of 7/11)
 Only with premium subscription.
 Yes
Export to Mindmanager?
 Only with premium subscription.
 Yes (Compatible XML)
 Only with premium subscription.
 Yes
Export to image?
 Yes (GIF, JPG, PNG)
 No
 Yes (GIF, JPG, PNG)
 No
Export as text?
 Yes
 No
 No
 No
Export as rich text?
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
Export to PDF?
 Yes
 No
 No
 No
Download maps for offline storage?
 No
 Yes
 No
 Yes
Import from Freemind?
 Yes
 Yes (as of 7/11)
 Yes
 Yes
Import from Mindmanager?
 Yes
 Yes (as of 7/11)
 Yes
 Yes
Collaboration and sharing?
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
Chat?
 No
 No
 No
 Yes. Through Google Talk widget
Attach notes to nodes?
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
Managing maps?
 No apparent way to delete maps
Good
 Great
 Good
Map limits?
 Unlimited maps and sharing with subscription. Unlimited public maps and only 7 private maps with free option.
 No
 5 at any time for free plan; unlimited for paid plan
 None at this point
Available as an enterprise solution?
 Yes
 Yes
 No
 No
Auto save?
 No
 Yes (as of 7/11)
 Yes
 No
Manual save?
 Yes
 Yes
 No
 Yes
Agree? Disagree? Prefer another solution? Did I get something wrong? Say it in the comments.
Published 2 Jul 2007 • Permalink • Trackback URI • Post a comment
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The mind-mapping.org Blog » Blog Archive » Valuable comparison of four web-based service

[...] http://tiffanybbrown.com:80/2007/07/02/online-mind-map-services/ [...]
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Vic Gee · 93 weeks ago
This is a wonderfully comprehensive review for these four web apps.
I have been collecting details of information mapping and info management tools for many years, and have tracked the burst of on line applications that has mainly happened over the past few months. I thought you might like to have a comprehensive list of browser-based applications that do mind mapping, concept mapping, or diagramming:
Information mapping_________________
bubbl.us Collaborative mind mapping (radiant format not enforced)
bubble-mind.com Collaborative mind mapping
glinkr.net Hard-to-use concept mapping and mind mapping (shared but not collaborative)
kayuda.com Collaborative concept mapping and mind mapping
mapul.com Collaborative mind mapping with an organic flavour
touchgraph.com URL mind maps for network visualisation
wikimindmap.org Make mind maps from WikiMedia articles
webofweb.net Collaborative mind mapping - this has been around longer than all the others except the now-defunct mayomi.
writemaps.com Collaborative web-site hierarchical maps
Generic diagramming__________________
cumulatelabs.com/cumulatedraw/ Collaborative diagramming – can draw mind maps and concept maps
flowchart.com Collaborative diagramming – can draw mind maps and concept maps
gliffy.com Collaborative diagramming – can draw mind maps and concept maps
imaginationcubed.com Collaborative diagramming – can (just about) draw mind maps and concept maps
thinkature.com Collaborative on-line whiteboard service - can draw mind maps and concept maps
I have recommended your valuable post on my blog, http://www.mind-mapping.org/blog/?p=20
Regards
Vic

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