Too much Digital, Not enough Action

Stop the Mind mapping and try Affinity Mapping.

Normally, to kick off my yearly planning process, I’ll start with a mindmap to get the juices flowing. I’d put the year in the middle and begin creating nodes and branches based on everything I want to accomplish this year.

This has worked for years as a brainstorming tool and allows me to see from a birds-eye view what’s going on in my mind. I’d take this visual and create a list of projects for the year and get started on my project planning. I’d take the project list, put it in Excel, and start creating tasks to complete all the work. I’d use Milanote to mindmap my projects and create a game plan within the tool.

I’m sure you could already feel the weight of this all. Corporate training taught me that I need to have a plan from beginning to end (Scope, resources, metrics, etc) before a project can be green-lit. I mean, it has to “look good on paper” first, right? I’d have a ton of files, spreadsheets, and plans. Planner tools and todo apps are full of “fool-proof” ways for me to get this year done.

This whole process would take a couple of weeks to a month to get going.

Enter in Affinity mapping.

Usually done on a physical board (or wall) with stickys (what I call Post-its), an affinity map groups ideas by certain “affinities”. At home, At work, Finances, Family, Writing, Workshop, Vacation, Rewards…. whatever makes sense to group by.

I would take about 20 mins to put down everything that was on my mind: any projects, things to buy, places to go, anything that I wanted done in the short to middle term (1 to 3 years).

Then I’d take the next 20 mins and start grouping by whatever seemed actionable. Things like “Weekend Project”, “Find a mentor”, “Ask a friend”. Things that weren’t part of my traditional planning method came out, I started to view these projects not in a step by step manner, but a how to get started, best foot forward approach.

After I’d grouped all my projects by their best starting point, that was enough information to get these going on my Kanban board. All research took place in the same week. I could ask a friend, usually over dinner or coffee, about my projects and pick their brains, and I’d fill up my weekends with either projects or travel.

This whole process would take about an hour of planning, and I’m off to the races. No more long drawn-out plans for getting this done, no long lead times before something is approved. Just a game plan and action.

Away from digital and onto a physical board.

The affinity map works well with a Kanban board as the stickys would just naturally transfer from the affinity map to the backlog of your Kanban board. Everything is at a glance, and you can see the progression from idea to action.

Having things digitally located sometimes fosters the “out of sight, out of mind” nature we all have. Sure, you could make your plans aesthetically pleasing, but in the end, you need to open the app to see it. Having your plans on the wall is a constant reminder of what needs to be done and the overall strategy. But if you travel and your work is office-based and remote, then a digital copy might be best. Just make sure it’s in front of you every day.

Now, Next, Later

https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/tips-agile-product-roadmaps-product-roadmap-examples

Another popular board style is a Now, Next, Later—a simple way to progress future projects into the NOW. I currently use this style with my projects, and it helps me prioritize my next 90 days.

Now = anything within the next week (up to 2 weeks) Next = anything within the next 90 days Later = greater than 90 days

This view helps me focus only on accomplishing what I have right in front of me. I don’t have to have the next 90 days planned out perfectly; I just need the next 2 weeks to get moving. At the end of each week, I’ll do a Backlog Grooming, and see if anything from the “Next” column could get pulled into the “Now”.

Similar to the Kanban process, the use of WIPs is essential. Work In Progress limits are needed for the Now section, at the very least. How many projects can you accomplish in 2 weeks? Set a limit for that, that way you only focus on what could be reasonably accomplished.

I’ve worked in project planning for years, and I’ve seen the wasted resources, the unnecessary meetings and reports, and the dead-end projects that get dragged, knowing that they will eventually get scrapped. This system helps keep things fresh and moving. Sure, it helps to have a long-term vision, but without a lean system to keep it moving, plans become dreams real quick.

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