MindManager for SharePoint Released

Perhaps you noticed that a popular desktop program just acquired rich SharePoint connectivity. Since its released I can finally tell you a little about it.

We've been working very closely with Mindjet for the last several months enhancing the core MindManager product with the ability to authenticate with SharePoint, discover its site map, acquire data from web parts and even apply simple, relavent queries. The end result is SharePoint items become MindManager topics within your MindManager maps.

We're very excited about this solution for several reasons. First and foremost-- it's built upon TeamDirection technology (yay team!). MindManager uses our TeamDirection Windows Sharepoint Services Communication library (TWSS) so that it can work with both SharePoint 2007 and with SharePoint 2010. This is the same communication library we are building our next versions of IntelliGantt on, which is great because its been well tested.

Second, we think this solution is the perfect example for what makes a desktop application so useful-- the ability to personally aggregate data from multiple sources into a view of your choosing and design. MindManager with the TWSS makes it easy to roll SharePoint data from multiple lists, sites and SharePoint servers into one visually compelling, and comprehensible, map. You could have 5 different browsers open clicking through each site in your browser, or you can have one map showing all the late tasks-- with automatic refresh to keep you absolutely up to date.

If you've been finger wrestling the mouse left-click button with all the different sites, lists and display pages within SharePoint, you should checkout what MindManager for SharePoint offers. It's a great application and your fingers will thank you!

Third, we've agreed that third parties can use the TWSS installed by MindManager for SharePoint to do their own SharePoint operations.

And fourth, it's just plain cool to see your technology in use for a product with a user-base in the millions and growing.

Overall, its been a great experience that we at TeamDirection would absolutely do again. In fact, if you have a product that you think would benefit from tight SharePoint integration, TeamDirection has the know-how, the tools and the experience to make it happen.

TeamDirection a Mindjet Partner

It's always exciting when you meet someone new. I can't speak for Mindjet, but I'm exicited!

We just became a bona fide partner today. If you haven't seen our nifty MindManager demo, check it out. If you want more information on our integration, go here.

There's a full benefits/features list available on the integration page, but the one I think is most important is now MindManager can be involved in your projects from beginning to end-- TeamDirection keeps it in the loop!

This means people who like their maps can keep them. Conceptualize your project with MindManager, let TeamDirection know about it and TeamDirection will keep that original map updated! If its on a network, then everyone can see the project execute from the comfort of their maps.

Its one way we are providing the right tools for the right people. Task information is more mobile than ever now!

MS Project, MindJet, SharePoint and Groove Interconnected

Doesn't seem possible, does it? How can four very different applications work together?

With one unique application.



TeamDirection Project 2007 has the robustness of an athlete, the wherewithal of a concierge and the communication skills of a diplomat. But perhaps most importantly it brings project management to a more human level.

We realize there are people involved in projects. This is why we integrated Instant Messaging right into the project view. We made it behave very similarly to SharePoint integration with MS Office apps so SharePoint (and Groove) users will be right at home.

But the real benefits are for team members who don't need a project management tool. Rather, they just need their browsers to point to SharePoint workspaces. Or if they have the newest MS Office family member, Groove 2007, then join Groove workspaces that take advantage of forms. The important thing is these team members need no additional software to participate in the project and complete their tasks.

We also aim to make the project manager's life a little better too. It's now very easy to move data from MS Project into TeamDirection, and from TeamDirection back to MS Project. Not import/export, but full synchronization. And not necessarily the entire project.

For example, while a project manager may be perfectly at home in a 1000 task project, sometimes its easier for a team to work on smaller pieces. TeamDirection Project lets the project manager identify a summary task as the piece of the project to share. Once in the TeamDirection system, we maintain a link to the summary task's origin and allow it to be published to either SharePoint Task Lists or Groove Task Lists. TeamDirection Project will then gather task data as people update their assigned tasks and synchronize that data with original summary task (and its children) in MS Project. It may sound difficult, but we've got it down to two clicks.

The result is any summary task can become a shared task list.

And not just MS Project summary tasks, but also topics and subtopics. The observant readers may have recognized the simple diagram above as a MindMap. We've found MindJet's MindManager is not only a great way to conceptualize a project but a powerful way to communicate it to a broad audience. TeamDirection Project takes it one step further-- it gives you a simple way to connect projects and tasks to individual team members, through SharePoint and Groove, so you can now execute and track them too.

Finally, we've made a few project management enhancements we're proud of. Things like an improved, interactive Gantt chart and a better Task grid. Useful features like multi-level undo, multi-project views with filtering, a very handy project organizer to group projects and 'smart folders' to quickly identify late ones.

Our philosophy at TeamDirection is 'The Right Tool for the Job.' We could spend years trying to make a project management solution do everything anybody ever wanted. But then it would end up looking something like this.

We believe in the right tool for the job. One of our jobs is making project management easy, accessible and useful. But our other job is to make sure the task data you need is in the application you want. MS Project, MindJet, SharePoint and Groove are a few such applications, but there are many more out there. Most of the world's projects are started with Excel. More and more task lists are executed with next generation web applications like BaseCamp and @Task. TeamDirection helps you make sure your projects are completed with the right tool for the right audience.