MindManager Template for SharePoint Taxonomies
Guest Author: Chris Poteet
www.siolon.com
I remember the first time I was shown the MindManager tool specifically for documenting enteprise-grade taxonomies. For too long tools like Excel had ruled the day, but tools like Excel and Word are too linear and not visual enough for complex taxonomies.
Mindjet MindManager has since become my tool of choice for creating and document SharePoint information architectures/taxonomies. I have created a template for SharePoint that you can also use in your next project to get started. While it has some specific columns and has a term store section it can also be used for MOSS/WSS 3 taxonomies as well with a little editing.
The template includes the following features.
- Content type nodes and hierarchy illustrated. The content type nodes also include properties such as internal name, public name, template, etc.
- Every out-of-the-box column has a template node with the available custom properties to define. Also included are visual column groups.
- Site structure illustration. Included are color-codes notes with properties for sites.
- Term store groups. Term store groups, sets and terms are illustrated hierarchically.
- Property mappings for user profile. Since SharePoint 2010 utilizes user profile properties in the term store an example node is included with the custom properties definable for a property import.
- A visual icon designation for many of the nodes as well as a legend is also provided.
Here are a few images to illustrate what it looks like.
Content Types
Term Store
Site Structure
Note on Compatibility: While this will open in the Mac version some fidelity is lost. Mindjet hasn’t quite gotten down the compatibility between the two versions. This was created in version 8 for Windows but opens and works fine in version 9 (not tested in lower versions).
Guest Author: Chris Poteet
www.siolon.com
Chris Poteet is a Senior Consultant for Portal Solutions. He specializes in information architecture and business analysis as well as molding the SharePoint user experience. He can be found on Twitter @chrispoteetpro and his blog is at www.siolon.com
on
That looks great. I use MindManager in every project for documentation. I’ll have a look how you template could assist me.
Olaf
Chris,
This is a great article and example of how to use MindManager as a template. Have you checked out http://www.mapsforthat.com? We just launched it as the “YouTube” of mind maps. You can upload your template and make it easy for others to find and download.
Thanks for this great article.
Garrett
Garrett – I’m concerned that uploading them will then hinder me from publishing the template freely wherever I choose. Especially with language like this in your agreement:
“distribute in any medium any part of the Services, including but not limited to User Submissions, except as expressly permitted hereunder or with Mindjet’s prior written authorization;”
If I could get confirmation I would still own the template and be free to distribute and use as I please I would upload it.
Chris,
Sorry for the tremendous delay in responding to your comment. I have asked our council about this and she has replied with “Chris will continue to own the template. But by posting to MapsForThat, he will grant a license to Mindjet and all users of MapsForThat a LICENSE to use the template. The relevant text is copied below. With regard to Chris’ reference to language, those restrictions are intended to prohibit a User from redistributing other users; MapsForThat content on another site, selling another users’ MapsForThat content, etc. Any map created by Chris is his intellectual property and he can do whatever he wishes with it. He does not relinquish his ownership right to Mindjet by posting on MapsForThat.”
I hope this answers your question and you are comfortable sharing all of your great maps on Maps for That.
Garrett
Hi Chris,
welcome in our mapping word.
We showed this on our MindManager Event (MindManager 9 & MS SharePoint 2010) in Vienna in June 2010.
Regards Andreas
Andreas – Are you sure you’re not thinking of something else? This template didn’t even exists in June of this year.
That’s true about your template.
What we showed on our MindManager event was the new MindManager 9 & the new SharePoint 2010.
We hold an MindManager event every year. It came out from our MindManager usergroup MindMUG – This year we have been invited from Microsoft Austria to show this fabulous compination of MM9 & SharePoint 2010.
Next event will be in May or June 2011 in Vienna.
Great tool! The next steps is to automate this process, and allow people to migrate existing taxonomies from 2003/2007 to 2010.