Author name: MindGenius Ltd.

As tempting as it is to jump in and get on with things, the cause of most projects failing is a result of insufficient front-end work. Generally, there are 5 stages to Project Management Initiation Planning Execution Monitor & Review Closure Step 1 – Initiation There is a need to clearly articulate what the project is, […]

I have used Mind Mapping techniques for the best part of 30 years. Without doubt it has helped me enormously throughout my career. I have also seen many colleagues blossom as they take the technique on board and yet seen first-hand, those who find it’s not for them.   With Mind Maps, it’s seems, you either “get it” or you don’t and

It’s so important to keep up-to-date with trends in today’s modern world. One of the most recent trends we’ve seen is companies using infographics to provide information on their product or organisation. Infographics are a fantastic and intuitive way of grabbing your customer’s attention and pointing out key facts of the subject you’re focusing on.

For many of us, December is a great time of year. Christmas in a matter of weeks, and new year just around the corner. Despite December being slightly different this year, there are some activities you can do from the comfort of your own home; Christmas shopping for example. What better way to do your

It’s fair to say that this year hasn’t been great for a large majority of us over the world. As many of us have begun adjusting to the new way of working, and getting used to a world with constant restrictions in place. However, at the turn of the year there is always hope that

Has your work performance gone downhill since the turn of the year? The good news is, you are definitely not alone. There are thousands of people across the world struggling to adapt to the new challenges that comes with remote working. More good news though, there is a way to get through it, and it’s

Now that many of us are working at home for the foreseeable future, it is vital to improve productivity & remain positive in a new working environment. There are many ways to remain productive while working at home, many of which are discussed in our previous blog the world of telecommuting: A Guide to Handy

There are many strategies to think about when looking to start a small project. The budget, the timescale and the resources, just to name a few. However, all of these options must require prior planning. It is in the planning of projects that MindGenius steps in and takes control. Who we are Both of our

Managing any project, regardless of whether it’s your first or fortieth time, can be a very difficult and matriculate process if not done correctly. The main cause of failure can be down to a number of things, however all of these potential problems can be solved by one thing; organization. This blog highlights the need

Starting university is one of the most enjoyable feelings in the world. Regardless of whether you’re going straight from high school, from college or any other route, the start of your journey through university is a very exciting time for all. These Mind Map Templates will help bring your information to life. I myself came

Strategy and Planning What’s coming up next in your life personally or professionally? An anniversary party? A graduation? A wedding? A webinar? A large conference or product launch? A good strategy and Planning is the key to success and a good template of what to do now, what to do next and how to reach

It appears that homeworking during COVID-19 isn’t going away anytime soon. Most of us have reached that point where we at least know someone who has contracted it or has even become severely affected or died from it. I’ve even read predictions from experts that before we conquer it – if we ever do –

There’s no question that the way we did things last year cannot be the status quo way we do things this year. Or maybe even next year. Who knows how long this will go on and what long lasting effects the COVID-19 pandemic will have on our behaviors and business practices for the long term.

While no one can guarantee successful projects, following tried and true steps plus solid project experience can help you get as close to possible for guaranteed success. There are just too many risks, too many variables to guarantee success…differences from project to project and organization to organization.  But we also know that following repeatable actions

Are you a longtime Waterfall business analyst or project team member an environment moving to Agile Development for managing projects and performing software development activities on those projects?  Then this article may be a decent intro for you.  Think of it as sort of a Waterfall ==> Agile Development 101 involving and discussing just a

A few years back I conducted a survey of my readers – mainly of a project manager and several PMO directors and CIOs, etc….and I asked them some questions about their organization’s project management infrastructure. One question – and the troubling responses to it – focused on whether or not the respondents felt that their

Whether it’s getting fit, learning a new skill, setting KPIs or developing a business strategy – setting productive goals is an integral part of our personal and professional lives. But how many times have you set goals and failed to achieve them? It’s certainly not enough to jot down your goals on a piece of paper.

Cybersecurity is an interesting topic – no doubt about it. But it becomes a scary topic if your organization falls victim to a vicious cyber attack that leaves your company’s, your clients’, or your projects’ sensitive data affected or vulnerable. How you are prepared to react and respond may make the difference between no affect,

Projects are hard to manage. Big and small – no doubt. In the world of project management, not everything is always how it seems or should seem. When a project comes to you you may think that it should be ready to manage. Your superiors should have more experience and PM or leadership knowledge than

I’ve been a part of many PMO’s – I’ve even helped with or led the building process for a couple of them. I’m opinionated, in general, so after seeing several PMOs fail badly and a couple actually thrive, I have my own ideas about what I consider to be the key ingredients to a successful

Monday morning project chaos. That’s what likely awaits you as a project manager. It is a way of life for us. Think starting the day wondering who has emailed issues to you since you last checked your messages.  Think arriving at your desk with voice mails from two of your project customers already waiting for

In Part 1 of this two part series on Virtual Team Management Strategies, we covered the first two of my personal list of five key strategies. Since it is so common today – especially in the IT world – to have project team members dispersed all over the world and your customer may be thousands

I have long been a proponent of remote work, remote project management and the virtual project team strategies concept. It has worked very successfully for me as a PM and consultant, for many of the organizations I have worked for and consulted for. I know that working from home or wherever the office isn’t, is

I recently read about one software vendors opinion that you should reward exceptional project team and team member efforts – around Valentine’s Day, for example – with Valentine’s cards. What? You’ve got to be kidding. This is not the 2nd grade where we all make our Valentine’s Day mailboxes for our desks out of shoe

Is your Project Manager infrastructure doing all it needs to do to promote maximum project success in the organization and for your project customers? Are your project managers growing, expanding their careers, gaining needed training and certifications and mentoring colleagues the way a successful project management office (PMO) should be operating? The focus isn’t about

Another week of homeworking? We know the effects that homeworking can have both physically and mentally on you. This blog is designed to help alleviate some of the stress caused by the current circumstances and help those at home to be at ease in a new working environment. Homeworking problems As previously mentioned, working from

Think “Monday morning chaos.”  Think starting the day wondering who has emailed issues to you since you last checked your messages.  Think arriving at your desk with voice mails from two of your project customers already waiting for you.  Headaches, right?  Frustrations?  Commonplace occurrences? And in the face of working from home challenges, this all

Following on from our last remote working blog – the World of Telecommuting – where we spoke on some of the ways to make your remote working enjoyable. However, with Covid19 forcing the majority of us to work from home (myself included), this blog is to show that by using MindGenius, working from home can

In light of the Dyslexia Show being held in Birmingham’s NEC on the 20th March, this week’s blog shall be dedicated to those with dyslexia, and showing how the use of mind maps can simplify and improve your organizational skills, whether you are dyslexic or not. As many of you reading this will know, Mind

Have you been working at home recently? This blog is being directed at those around the world who have been trying to adjust to working from home and be more productive. Having had personal experience at working from home in the past, hopefully these tips will provide you with the advice and guidance you need

In today’s world, Social Media is the most crucial, and cost-effective, marketing tool there is. Regardless of whether you’re a multinational organization or a local café, you should be using social media to advertise, communicate and interact with both existing and potential customers. This blog will provide hints and tips to help get the most

One thing I know from personal experience is that it’s never easy to be a leader. Whether you’re a managing a project, a group leader in a university project or even being captain of a sports team, leadership is one of the most difficult and most accountable roles you could have, but also one of

There are many benefits to being productive, both in work and in your personal life. From a business point of view, your productivity can be the deciding factor in whether your business or project is a success or failure. Personally, being productive provides you with motivation and happiness that affects all the other areas of

When your career reaches its finale and the days of full time golfing are imminent, will you be able to pass the slipper test? By this I mean, when you’re sitting in your arm chair, cup of coffee and a chocolate digestive in hand and wearing the slippers that the children bought you for Christmas

Conflict is Coming. Having had experience at managing projects in the past, let me tell you that no matter how hard you try to avoid it, conflict within most project management teams is inevitable. Effectively managing it is arguably one of the hardest things a project manager has to do. However, regardless of what the

Banishing the Blues with Goals As February gets underway, many of us have already given up on our previously well-thought out, “achievable” goals for this year. In fact, research would suggest that 80% of us give up on our New Year’s resolutions by February. However, it’s not too late to get back on track and

Mindmapping Productive Practice for Project Managers. Have you ever attempted mapping out your mind?  And no, we’re not talking about MRIs or brain scans, solving the mysteries of our mind’s vast, vast capabilities or exploring how far our neurological functions can stretch out and go—or maybe just a little. BYOG – Bring Your Own Genius

Describe your fourth year at University? Late night’s in the library, gathering seemingly endless amounts of data, and then making sure all 15,000 words of your dissertation are perfectly put together. All this, while trying to figure out your life after University. Just me? Didn’t think so. Having only graduated in the summer of 2019,

CEO NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS Following on from my last blog, it would have been easy to make one of my New Year resolutions to simply improve my golf, after all the starting position is particularly bad and getting better would be a breeze.  Work consumed my working life in 2019, maybe now is the time

The Difference Between Project Charter and Project Scope Statement Ever wondered what the difference is between a Project Scope Statement and a Project Charter? Do you really need both?  Read more to find out. Both are used throughout to make sure we are going in the right direction. The importance can’t be underestimated. Studies have shown that