Looking for best option for organization map

Ariel shared this question 6 months ago
Discussion Open

I am working on a map that groups organizations by type. Some have multiple types, and I would like to mark any additional types on each organization in a way that is searchable and filterable in lieu of relationship lines. What is the best function to use for that?

Thanks!

Ariel

Replies (4)

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Without knowing exactly what the map looks like, the most obvious option would be use text markers, also called tags.

You could a single or multiple groups of tags depending on how many categories of types you have. You can then make each of these groups either mutually exclusive (ie, you can add only one tag from that category to each topic), or non-mutually exclusive which would allow you to add multiple tags from the same category on a single topic.

You can also search for tags and use them in filters and SmartRules, and if you click on the Map Index tab on the side of the screen and then on the tag group name you will see a count of each tag in the group. Then if you click on the little plus sign next to each tag name you will be able to see a list of all the topics in the map with that particular tag.

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Bingo! By mentioning the combination of infinite tags with the Power Filter, you point to one of the USPs of the MindManager! :-)

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Hi Detlef,

I agree, tags, icons, the power filter and in particular SmartRules and formulas are all great selling points for MindManager. I just wish they were better integrated and made more accessible.

I've posted various ideas on how to do this before, but as a quick list of what could be done:

  • Make tag and icon groups in the Map Index sortable by number (this is under consideration)
  • Upgrade the ability to copy tag groups in the Map Index with the number of tags/icons for further analysis
  • Allow SmartRules to select specific topics as the trigger, and topic ranges for effects
  • Add the ability for formulas to count the occurrence of specific words or text strings in topic properties as well as of tags or specific icons
  • Allow formulas to use date arithmetic

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I would like to join Alex.

Tags and possibly symbols would be my choice. Properties could also be used. What should be searched for? An example would be helpful.

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Agreed. Symbols or icons are fine provided you don't have too many organisation types, while properties would be a good option if you want to hide the classification system (of course you can hide either tags or icons as well, but since they are such a visual aid it seems odd to do so).

Properties are also useful if you want to keep a rolled-up count of each organisation type within the map rather than just in the marker index, though to do that you would need to use numeric properties and probably create a separate property for each organisation type. If you were really keen you could use a SmartRule to set the topic property based on the tag or icon, or vice versa, but that could be a lot of extra work if you have many organisation types.

On the whole, and without seeing an example map, I think tags are probably the best option.

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Also carefully consider the how the primary structure is categorised, because there is only one. The primary structure governs how easily the map can be navigated, maintained and verified. A characteristic of organisations that is exclusive and can be subdivided would be best, e.g. geographical location. Structuring by a non-exclusive characteristic such as organisation type could create ambiguity if you are also using tags for organisation type.

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Thank you all for your help! I think I have a good idea of how to move forward now.

Follow up and slight related question. Is there a way to conditionally color code links? I am adding links to main contacts for each company, but a few of the contacts need to be highlighted (for instance if they haven't been confirmed contacted yet)

Thanks again!

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Also with properties

Contact

- confirmed

- unconfirmed

With the Powerfilter you can search and display.

And if you feel like it, you can use SmartRules to display an icon for unconfirmed contacts.

Trigger is the property and effect is a icon.

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Depends on what you mean by "links".

However, if you want a simple indication of confirmed/unconfirmed you can do as René suggests and add a topic property to flag this. This could be a text property with "confirmed" and "unconfirmed" as the options, or a Boolean property with "True" and "False" as the options.

However, if you want to count the number of confirmed or unconfirmed contacts you will have to use numeric properties. You could have either a single property with "1" for confirmed and "0" for unconfirmed (or vice versa), or a separate numeric property for each.

As René says you could use any property regardless of type as a trigger in a SmartRule where the effect is a tag, an icon or even just a distinct fill colour or another type of topic formatting to show unconfirmed status. And of course you could simply just set up a tag or icon group for confirmation status to apply a tag or icon directly to topics without using topic properties at all.

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