Are you trying to figure out the creative process for writing a book? Do you need to work on your construction firm’s financial planning? Whether it’s for school, work, or just day-to-day living, the success of carrying out tasks and responsibilities is reliant on your ability to understand the involved steps. And, to help with that, it’s a good idea to incorporate the use of a mind map. By engineering a mind map, you’ll have an intuitive diagram for teaching yourself (and others) how to do each part of a process. So, why not cut down on the time and hassle it takes to make your chart by downloading one of our professional Process Mind Map Templates! These samples are 100% customizable in Google Docs, available in both A4 and US letter sizes. Download now--assemble a simple mind map for coordinating personal goals, project management, or whatever else!
How to Make a Process Mind Map in Google Docs
From online marketing to real estate construction, there’s a good deal of different processes that need to be done--which is where mind mapping comes in handy. As medium.com puts it, a mind map is a visual chart used in organizing and presenting related ideas/concepts together. And so, utilizing a mind map can be very helpful in creating or understanding the steps in a workflow.
Plus, to help you put together a mind map using Google Docs, we’ve prepared several quick tips for you just below!
1. Access the Drawing Option
To create your mind map, you first need to access Docs’ drawing feature. After opening a new blank file in Google Docs, click on the Insert tab and go to Drawing > New. A 2nd smaller window should now be visible in Docs; this is where you’ll be composing your mind map.
2. Your Mind Map’s Starting Point
The next thing to do with your document is adding a circle (or other shapes) in the middle of the new window or one of its sides. To insert a shape, go to Shape > Shapes and then pick from one of the available options. This first shape will represent your mind map’s main idea/topic/question; double-click and type to label it as needed.
To resize the shape, simply click-drag one of the square nodes on the shapes sides/corners. Reposition it by click-dragging the shape itself to the desired spot.
3. First Layer of Sub-ideas
With the central idea now established in your process mind map, it’s time to start thinking of new related ideas that you can branch out to. For example, let’s say your main topic is Hiring Proces; from that, your sub-ideas could be Position Advertisement, Job Description, and so on.
Make sure to update your mind map by inserting more shapes to represent the added ideas. Position them around the main idea, not placing them too far away.
4. Keep Expanding
After creating your initial set of new ideas/concepts, go ahead and come up with more from them--and then even more from those! Position the newer ideas near their own respective parents, following a branching pattern as you go along. Once there’s plenty of shapes popping up on your mind map, be sure to keep track of what goes where by adding lines that connect each idea together within their own categories.
With all the interconnecting ideas found in your mind map, you’ll have the needed information to create/understand the various parts of a process. If you’d like some customizable process mind maps for quality assurance, presentation planning, and more, remember to browse through our Process Mind Map Templates!