Project Management on One Piece of Paper

When working as a manager, consultant or freelancer,pictures. This is just a simple and very basic mindmap.
you probably know everything about juggling with allMy project management mindmap is a map that
the different projects and related information. It can beshows tasks, results, people and dates in one
a real problem maintaining your focus on the task atoverview. For me, it is much easier to start with the
hand and have everything ready when you need it.desired situation in mind. What is the outcome you are
Fortunately there is a cure to all of this.working towards? Put this at the top of your sheet.
When working as a business consultant, I saw manyThen break the entire process of reaching that goal up
people who were so focused on their own job theyin tasks. Connect these to each other to form a chain
lost track of the big picture. I have to admit thisof tasks. Work from top to bottom. At the bottom of
happened to me before as well. I just focused sothe page, you show where you are right now.
much on what I did I lost track of time and everythingAdd people, dates and needed resources to the tasks
around me. Yes... this still happens to me once in ain your map. You may want to use different colors or
while. But now, it doesn't hurt the rest of what I haveuse a different writing to identify each one of those
to do anymore.three next to the task.
The crazy thing about being so much more aware ofWhen you did that... you start to work on the project.
what happens around me and managing my projectSince you have everything on one sheet, you can
doesn't cost much more than one sheet of paper andmanage everything and everyone easily. You can
a borrowed pencil. Let me show you how this caneven use the overview to show others how their
work for you as well.work is related to the outcome.
It all starts with the end result in mind. We want toA different setup of the sheet content is by creating a
create an overview that shows us what happens nowradial overview. The outcome is located in the middle;
AND what out outcome or big picture is. No betterthe tasks are around this center. All roads lead to the
method than to overview this in actually one picture!outcome you and your team are working on.
For me, this looks a lot like a mindmap. No, I'm notHave fun using this cheap yet powerful solution!
talking about these nice colorful diagrams with lots of