Mind Mapping Software as a Powerful Project Management Tool

Chance Brown demonstrates how mind mapping can be used as a central workspace for managing daily tasks, complex projects, and cross-functional initiatives. Drawing on real-world examples from his role at SPX Corporation, he shows how visual structure, task roll-ups, and flexible organisation can replace fragmented tools and improve clarity, execution, and focus. Key Themes & Topics (Timestamps): [00:02:08] Chance’s background and evolution of mind mapping Chance introduces himself and explains how he has used mind mapping for many years, evolving from idea capture to full project and task management. [00:04:25] Examples of real-world mind maps and use cases He shares popular and personal maps from Biggerplate, illustrating how mapping supports learning, planning, and content organisation. [00:07:14] Introducing mind map structure and components Chance explains the basic elements of a mind map: central topics, main topics, subtopics, boundaries, relationships, and floating topics. [00:09:32] The core value proposition of mind mapping He outlines three key benefits: seeing big picture and detail together, combining structure with flexibility, and using task roll-up functionality. [00:13:36] Choosing the right mind mapping software Chance discusses different tools (iThoughts, MindManager, MyMeister) and emphasises that tool choice should be driven by individual needs. [00:16:12] Daily task management using mind maps He introduces a five-step system for managing daily work, showing how tasks are organised by week and day using roll-ups. [00:18:22] Understanding task roll-ups and progress tracking Chance demonstrates how individual task completion percentages automatically roll up to show overall daily and weekly progress. [00:22:18] Archiving completed work and maintaining history He explains why he keeps completed days and tasks, enabling search, reflection, and traceability of past work. [00:32:41] Managing projects using effort-based task planning Chance shows how projects can be structured using estimated effort (hours, days), ownership, and task sequencing. [00:34:53] Integrating documents and project artefacts He demonstrates how links, files, and external documents (e.g. project charters) can be embedded directly into the map. [00:40:07] Managing large, multi-stream projects visually Chance introduces a real SPX global employee survey project, showing how multiple workstreams are coordinated within one map. [00:46:47] Driving execution through date-based planning He explains how organising tasks around key dates enables focus, accountability, and integration with daily task management. Featuring iThoughts