ConceptDraw: A Boon to IT Students and Professionals

Dean Livingston is working on his Masters in Information Technology at the University of Phoenix online. Recently, Dean discovered and purchased ConceptDraw Office at the academic discount to help assist him with his course work. ConceptDraw Office consists of ConceptDraw PRO (business graphics and diagramming), ConceptDraw PROJECT (project management), and ConceptDraw MINDMAP (brainstorming, producing documents and presentations). 

Dean was a long time PC user who switched to a MacBook about 12 months ago. After switching to Macintosh, he then searched for products that could potentially do what Microsoft Project and Microsoft Visio did for him when he was a Windows user. With ConceptDraw Office, he found a suite of products that would address his academic and work needs in one bundle at a greatly discounted price.

Dean discovered ConceptDraw while doing a web search for “Visio Alternatives for Mac”. Right away he decided to download and trial the ConceptDraw suite of products. First use for Dean was ConceptDraw PRO for his “Reliable Backup” class to develop a timeline for how backup should occur as part of a class project. He sees that ConceptDraw MINDMAP will be of great assistance in helping him study for his classes and plan papers while he is working on his Master’s degree.

Dean says, “ConceptDraw Office suite is the best software package, it is amazing how powerful the products are. In the near future, I plan on viewing the instructional videos located on ConceptDraw.com to find out more about each product’s capabilities.”

Dear Abe, I Have Just Been Appointed the Project Manager of My Group, Help!

Dear Abe,

My boss has designated me to be the Project Manager of my group. I have a basic understanding of what is required, but I am going to need some advice from you.

At any time my department has 10-12 projects on the go. I have a team of about 20 people that I have at my disposal.  I need to figure out how to balance these twenty individuals over the projects that are active, manage the individual project budgets, and keep everyone up to date on what is going on. I need some big help do you have any suggestions.

Concerned,

Matthew Lewis

…

Hi Matt,

I have some good news for you.  The answer is ConceptDraw Office. ConceptDraw Office is a product suite developed and sold by CS Odessa.  There are three products in this comprehensive product suite. All the products run in native mode on Apple OS X and Windows.

The three products in the ConceptDraw Office suite are ConceptDraw MINDMAP (brainstorming, constructing documents, building presentations, building a process, project management, and a myriad of other uses that will save you valuable time), ConceptDraw PROJECT (the project management muscle of this troika), and ConceptDraw PRO (the business graphics and diagramming portion of the suite).  Each is a useful standalone product that can be purchased separately, but together with their integrations they become one powerful solution.

I will give you a brief example. The ConceptDraw MINDMAP product helps you brainstorm and assemble the projects content.  Working with your team makes it much easier to attain consensus and to build the project structure.  Project phases, tasks, resources can be quickly organized by dragging-and-dropping the information. Launching a project has never been easier.

ConceptDraw PROJECT lets you manage any number of projects and balances your resource s over the tasks in your projects. This will work well with your requirement of having 10-12 projects and one pool of resources. There are a plethora of reports that keep track of how things are going, giving you the ability to track progress and report to stakeholders.  The reports are generated in Excel format so you are free to do additional number crunching and charting. Also ConceptDraw PROJECT can pass your project data to ConceptDraw PRO where dashboards are generated in the blink of an eye. Your project data changes, no problem.  Generate a new dashboard quickly. Everyone has a clear understanding of what is going on.

Also you will find that any of the ConceptDraw products is an economical solution for you and your team members. Detailed information on all of the ConceptDraw products can be found at http://www.conceptdraw.com. There is even a large video library on the web site that will get you up to speed in literally minutes. Matt great question, I am glad I had a solution for you. Now everything should be tickety-boo for you.

Best regards,

Abe

CS Odessa Exhibits ConceptDraw at MacWorld 2012

That’s right: CS Odessa will be exhibiting at MacWorld this year and we could not be more excited! To celebrate, we’ll be offering a special on ConceptDraw Office that you’ll have to see to believe. The ConceptDraw Sales team will be in Booth #625 for the whole show, fielding questions and taking orders. This is an incredible opportunity to pick up the complete family of ConceptDraw products at a totally unprecedented value. Come see why ConceptDraw is the premiere cross-platform visualization and business productivity solution in the world, and take it home for a fraction of the usual price!

But wait, there’s more! We want to see you, our loyal readers, at MacWorld. So we are offering the first 100 people that follow this link http://rcsreg.com/macworld/CGA35239 a free guest pass to the show. You read that right: FREE for the first 100 people that register! So don’t wait. Click the link and register, and then check out ConceptDraw at Booth #625 in the MacWorld|iWorld Expo at Moscone Center in San Francisco, January 26-28, 2012. See you there!

Collaboration with ConceptDraw

Using ConceptDraw Products
When You Collaborate

Our users often ask about how to share the work they’ve produced with ConceptDraw products, so we put together this summary of some options for using ConceptDraw in collaboration with others.


If your collaborators don’t use ConceptDraw

For displaying content such as a drawing or mind map, simply export to your preferred graphics format, and then send via email or instant message (Skype, Google chat, etc.). To allow others to work with and make changes to your data, ConceptDraw products can export to a variety of file formats that other programs can edit. For example, ConceptDraw MINDMAP can export to Mindjet® MindManager® files, and ConceptDraw PROJECT and ConceptDraw PRO can export to Microsoft® XML files, which are compatible with MS Project® and Visio® (respectively).

Email

If your collaborators do use ConceptDraw, the most straightforward method for sharing your ConceptDraw files is via email. ConceptDraw saved files are typically very modest in size and easily fall within the acceptable limits for attachment size of most email clients and services.

Instant Messaging

Furthermore, most instant messaging protocols (like Skype®, Google® Chat, etc.) allow peer-to-peer file transfers. The manageable size of ConceptDraw files allows them to be rapidly transmitted that way.

Google Documents

The advent of cloud computing has brought about numerous free online document management systems, such as Google Documents (http://docs.google.com). This type of service is a fast and easy way to collaborate. After registering an account (usually requiring only a valid email address), you can upload your files, set permissions for who can view and download, and then notify your colleagues via email that you’ve shared with them.

Dropbox

Another great free virtualization service now available is called Dropbox. Visit Dropbox.com to sign up for an account and download the small application. Thereafter, files saved in your Dropbox can be accessed from any computer or mobile device. You can share folders in your Dropbox with others, allowing them access to your files as well. This is a powerful and flexible way to have multiple users collaborating on a single file.

SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint® is a content management system for enterprise. Among its many uses are powerful document management tools that manage versioning, and allow administrators to set various levels of read and write permissions. SharePoint utilizes an innovative system of “checking out” documents that assures that a file can only be edited by a single user at a time. There is a common misconception that SharePoint can only be used with files created by other Microsoft software, when in fact it can be used to manage sharing and versioning of all kinds of files.

Screencasting

Sharing your screen with a colleague over the web is another great way to use ConceptDraw cooperatively. By utilizing services like Citrix® GoToMeeting®, Skype, or TechSmith® Jing®, you can collaborate live regardless of distance. ConceptDraw MINDMAP is great in this arena for managing meetings and taking notes, or presenting a mind map. You may even turn some of your colleagues onto increasing their productivity with ConceptDraw!

Conclusion

There’s no shortage of options for employing ConceptDraw products in a collaborative environment, whether your colleagues also use them or not. The variety of export options and manageable file size make displaying your work, or transferring it to another location a breeze. Using ConceptDraw in a live setting, via screencast, brings its innovative meeting-streamlining capabilities onto the web and around the globe. No matter the setting, ConceptDraw is the key to unlocking your creativity, streamlining your workflow, and increasing your productivity.

Start Projects Faster with Mind Maps

Did you know that mind mapping is an awesome way to get your project started in a hurry? The powerful input tools of ConceptDraw MINDMAP make it easy for you plan out your projects, large and small, more quickly than ever.

Try starting in Brainstorm mode. This puts the focus on getting your ideas on the page as quickly as possible, without worrying about how they’re organized. Click the Brainstorm button on the toolbar, and then start typing your list of tasks, phases, and milestones. Don’t concern yourself with structure yet, just input all your content. When the Brainstorm is over, use the intuitive drag-and-drop functionality of ConceptDraw MINDMAP to organize your project. The speed that you can map out a project is only limited by the speed that you can think and type.

Example ConceptDraw MINDMAP

To arrange the new project as a mind map, first change the name of the Main Idea to the title of your project. Then, determine your high-level tasks, or Phases. Attach these to the Main Idea as Main Topics. From there, attach your lower-level tasks to their corresponding phase. In no time, you’ll see your project’s structure taking shape.

Now, go to the Output tab, select the Project Management category, and double-click Open in PROJECT. This will save and close your mind map, and launch it in ConceptDraw PROJECT. You’ll see that your Tasks and Phases are automatically laid out on the ConceptDraw PROJECT Gantt chart, ready for you to set dates, durations, predecessors, resources, etc.



ConceptDraw PROJECT Gantt Chart


This is a great way to save time outlining your project. The fast input and flexibility of organization in ConceptDraw MINDMAP, coupled with its tight integration with ConceptDraw PROJECT, enable you to take your project from a collection of scattered ideas to a concrete plan in just a matter of minutes.

Why Pay Double?? ConceptDraw Offers Cross-Platform Licenses for Mac and PC, at No Extra Charge.

ConceptDraw Products provide one a choice.

Choice is important.  No one wants to be told that their options are limited.  “Soup or salad?”  “Coffee or tea?”  “Mac or PC?”  We find that many users want the best of both worlds.  And while this usually only applies to computer choice when they’re talking to us, the point stands.  These days, many people use both Mac and PC—whether out of preference or necessity.  At CS Odessa, we believe you should be able to use whichever system you choose, or both.

For those who use Mac and PC, we feel that your software should not penalize you. All ConceptDraw licenses are cross-platform.  Customers should not have to pay double to use our software they way they want to use it.  The file formats of ConceptDraw products are exactly the same for the Mac and PC, so there are never any issues with interoperability.

Mac or PC?  ConceptDraw is the only choice you have to make.

CS Odessa Announces that ConceptDraw PROJECT v6 now has the ability to import and export Microsoft Project files



ConceptDraw PROJECT 6 can
import and export MS Project files.



CS Odessa announces that ConceptDraw PROJECT v6 now has the ability to import and export Microsoft Project XML files, with new PROJECT EXCHANGE. Because of this ability to exchange data between ConceptDraw PROJECT and MS Project; users have increased flexibility on how to exchange project information with all members of the project team. The exchange of project data across different project applications keeps everyone informed and allows for quality collaboration among team members, as well as 3rd parties that have involvement in your project.



The ability to exchange project information is key to a project’s success. ConceptDraw PROJECT 6 has the ability to save to a MS Project XML file format so that ConceptDraw PROJECT files can be shared with users of MS Project (2003, 2007, and 2010) as well as any other project management tools that can accurately import MS Project xml file format. This allows users of ConceptDraw PROJECT 6 and ConceptDraw Office 2 (contains ConceptDraw PROJECT 6) to generate project content that can be shared with all team members.

Project participants also have the ability to import MS Project files into ConceptDraw PROJECT 6 and ConceptDraw Office 2. This gives users an excellent alternative on the way they manage projects, and assists in the interoperability of project information between team members who have Macintosh and PC computers.



The ability to exchange data between ConceptDraw Office and MS Project is a big plus for project members because they can then use the other the other project tools that are part of ConceptDraw Office. As an example, ConceptDraw MINDMAP 7, part of ConceptDraw Office 2, can be used as a project front- end to brainstorm, build processes, identify contingencies and organize information for presentations to brief team members and stakeholders. The PROJECT EXCHANGE can be found in the CS Odessa ConceptDraw Solution Park.



CS Odessa provides a range of professional project software tools that assist you during every stage of your project. ConceptDraw Office uses powerful ConceptDraw INGYRE2 technology to make all tasks as easy as pushing a few buttons. The top to bottom integration of ConceptDraw Office, which includes the innovative standalone ConceptDraw PROJECT 6 product, are valuable tools to help Project Managers work towards their organization’s success.

In addition, CS Odessa also provides many project management solution add-ins that can be downloaded from ConceptDraw Solution Park. The combination of ConceptDraw Product and ConceptDraw Solution Park, from CS Odessa makes for an unbeatable value in project management software tools.

PC Magazine On-line -- Reviews ConceptDraw Office 2.0



PC Magazine rates ConceptDraw Office 2.0

Very good (4 out of 5)



Read the overall review here.

Reviewer drills down and looks at the individual products.

Individual looks at ConceptDraw MINDMAP, ConceptDraw PROJECT & ConceptDraw PRO.



ConceptDraw MINDMAP 7; imports and exports Mindjet MindManager files



ConceptDraw MINDMAP 7 has powerful import and export capabilities.
All ConceptDraw products are equally adept on Macintosh and PC computers.



Open your mind mapping options! ConceptDraw MINDMAP version 7 imports and exports Mindjet MindManager files. With ConceptDraw MINDMAP you have great flexibility in working with others. Plus ConceptDraw MINDMAP closely integrates with ConceptDraw PROJECT that allows you to professionally manage your resources, tasks, phases and milestones. Both ConceptDraw MINDMAP and ConceptDraw PROJECT are integrated with ConceptDraw PRO inside of ConceptDraw Office to build dynamic dashboards; and design and document any workflow or process.

CS Odessa’s INGYRE2 technology shares your data between applications, improving your productivity. In addition to Mindjet MindManager, ConceptDraw integrates closely with Microsoft Office.

Video On CS Odessa INGYRE2 Integration Between ConceptDraw Applications

Video demonstrates how project data flows
between ConceptDraw MINDMAP,
ConceptDraw PROJECT, and MS Excel

Wojciech Korsak, of Explorer-Consulting, is a mind mapping, project management authority who put together a video, showing the integration between ConceptDraw MINDMAP, ConceptDraw PROJECT and MS Excel. The text is in Polish so it will be hard for some to read (language works that way). You will find that the video is a great example of the power in the ConceptDraw products. It takes a minute to download so be patient.

Six Sigma Applied to Healthcare Using ConceptDraw Products

ConceptDraw MINDMAP and

ConceptDraw PROJECT, integrated

with ConceptDraw INGYRE2

technology, are powerful work tools

that take on any size project.

Setting the Stage

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, recently completed a project to re-organize its health insurance validation process. Consultant Ralph Jarvis and his team used ConceptDraw’s brainstorming and the project management capabilities to create a new process that will be rolled out to 11 affiliated hospitals across Texas.

“The goal was to improve the patient experience by reducing wait times,” Jarvis says. “By reusing information, the hospital could ensure that its patients wouldn’t have to fill out insurance forms each time they moved within and between hospitals in the consortium,” Jarvis says. “ConceptDraw was a great communication and management tool. But what made it really stand out was that it also made it easy for us to demonstrate to hospital execs how our Lean Six Sigma approach was producing results.”

Building a Plan, One Idea at a Time

Jarvis says the project was actually made up of three smaller projects. The Six Sigma Black Belt project team used ConceptDraw MINDMAP to manage the brainstorming sessions for each focus area.

“First we used [ConceptDraw] MINDMAP’s brainstorming capabilities to create a visual representation of our thinking. What kinds of things did patients do while they were in the hospital? How much time was spent in any one step of care? How much time did it take to go to the next step, such as getting a CT scan, an MRI, or blood test? What could the hospital do when patients first entered the hospital that would ease patients’ stress and give them a positive experience?”

From Brainstorming to Planning

To facilitate the next step in the process, Jarvis’s team moved from ConceptDraw MINDMAP to ConceptDraw PROJECT and created a project management plan.

“The two programs share a common technique of storing data, so we could instantly view all of the brainstorming details inside a standard project plan,” Jarvis says. “That enabled us to jump right into establishing project timing, coordination among the various departments, and milestones and guidelines.”

Perfect for Lean Six Sigma

Jarvis says the ConceptDraw suite is appropriate for Lean Six Sigma because his team could use MINDMAP to pursue three integrated processes and then put them together into one project. Then the team could use PROJECT to create a timeline and complete a specific Lean Six Sigma model.

“What you're really trying to do with Six Sigma is to create a perfect process that eliminates defects—all the things that don’t add value to the end customer. You want to increase the customer's satisfaction with your products or services, and reduce costs associated with defects and inefficiencies. It’s all about focusing on what you need to get to the marketplace and satisfy the customer's needs. It's as simple as that.”

ConceptDraw MINDMAP 7 is here



ConceptDraw MINDMAP 7 is the latest release from
CS Odessa, it supports Mac OS X  and MS Windows



ConceptDraw MINDMAP provides a fresh approach to computer-based mind mapping by providing single-click inputs and outputs. Mind mapping has now become an everyday tool that takes you from thought to action in minutes. ConceptDraw MINDMAP makes everything you do easier, from planning to managing; from meeting management to status reports; from brainstorming to presenting. The distance from A to B has just been dramatically shortened.

ConceptDraw MINDMAP provides enormous value through its comprehensive feature set as well as solutions for ConceptDraw MINDMAP that can be added through ConceptDraw Solution Park. CS Odessa provides a growing number of solutions in ConceptDraw Solution Park that will extend your product's value into the future. ConceptDraw MINDMAP integrates with ConceptDraw PROJECT and ConceptDraw PRO to extend your work capabilities from start to implementation stage in an instant. ConceptDraw MINDMAP has great import and export ability, including the ability to open and save MINDJET MindManager maps.

Create a Project WBS

Step 1. From ConceptDraw PROJECT open the “Aerospace Research” sample project.

Tip: Use Ctrl+Shift+B (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+B (Mac OS) to generate WBS.

Step 2. From the toolbar, click the Generate WBS button.

Step 3. ConceptDraw PRO will open automatically with the generated WBS displayed.

Result. Work Breakdown Structure diagram for an Aerospace research project.

Create a Project Dashboard

Step 1. Open your ConceptDraw PROJECT file.


Step 2. From the Reports menu, select Generate Reports.


Step 3. From the Generate Reports window, select Project Dashboard, and click Generate.


Step 4: Your project dashboard is generated and opened in ConceptDraw PRO.


Result: ConceptDraw Project Dashboard.

Use Project Dashboard Indicators

Step 1. From ConceptDraw PROJECT open a project file, such as the sample "New Product Launch".


Step 2. From the Reports menu, select Generate Reports.

Tip: Click the Generate Reports icon on the toolbar to run reports at any time.

Step 3. From the Generate Reports window, select Project Dashboard and click Generate.


Step 4. The Project Dashboard appears. Look through the dashboard to review reports and indicators that require attention.

For example, perhaps the Task Status Completion indicator shows that 11 tasks are behind schedule.


Step 5. From ConceptDraw MINDMAP, open the "Reports Guide" sample mind map. Find a report that is associated with the indicator that requires attention. From the Reports Guide, the select the Task Status Report mind map.



Step 6. From ConceptDraw PROJECT, go to the Reports menu, and select Generate Reports.

Step 7. From the Generate Reports window, select Tasks Status, then click Generate.


Result. An interactive mind map that assists in determining task status.

Present Project Status

Comprehensive project status reporting means staying ahead of the game when it comes to identifying and communicating necessary changes and updates. All project participants are able to work towards common goals as they work towards project progress.

There are two critical area of communication during a project life cycle. The first is the communication of task assignments and the status of the tasks assigned. The second is the accurate and timely communication of project status.

The ability to communicate project status in real-time is not a common functionality that Project Managers expect out of the software tools they use. The irony is that all too often the information that is necessary to communicate is hard to retrieve, because the data is locked in their application’s project file. Day-in and day-out, during the life of a project, it is a critical for success that Project Managers exchange timely project information and report on a project’s status to all active participants and stakeholders.

There are many tools on the market that enable users to report and communicate task assignments. While some of these tools are rich with reporting features, they also tend to be very complex and not intuitive for users who need to create vital reports on current task situations and the impact of the current status on projects. More times than not it is complicated to determine and communicate accurate project status, and understand inter-project impact of resource allocation.

Project Managers need to be able to understand and explain project details at any level of granularity via telephone, email, project meetings, flow charts and diagrams, project presentations, and sometimes even white board presentations. The most critical skill set a Project Manager can have, without question, is the creativity to communicate and manage people.

There are some simple and basic guidelines that are important to follow when reporting project status to project and non-project managers:

• Be Intuitive.
  The report must be a straightforward and concise presentation of critical project information that represents project status and details.
  
  
• Keep it Brief.
  Report presentations should have a simple yet informative layout. One page is optimum to make project information easy to review.
  
  
• Be Compelling.
  The audience must be able to quickly locate what requires attention and/or immediate action.
  
  
• Keep it Easy to Learn. No special instruction should be needed to read the project status.

When reporting on projects it is necessary for us to write about currently occurring unique situations as well as having a standard report format to record conclusions. The automatic formatting and visualization of a project’s attributes help us with our communication tasks and saves a lot time on explanations during update meetings. Visualization plays a significant role in the communication process.

ConceptDraw Office, developed by CS Odessa, has taken all these important elements into consideration, by building powerful real-time report functionality into ConceptDraw Office that accurately conveys status to all individuals.

The visual Project Dashboard within ConceptDraw Office, is the best way to deliver a clear view of project performance to all project participants. The multiple types of reports help present project status in a simple and visually appealing format. With the Project Dashboard, you can easily concentrate hours of work into a visual representation that takes just 30 seconds to interpret.

This dashboard ensures that project teams are up to date and all on the same page as they can review milestones and action items while addressing any outstanding tasks.

Share Your ConceptDraw Experience with the World!

User stories are a great way to for existing and potential customers to see all the wonderful capabilities we provide with our products and services.

As our User Stories are highlighted within our website, presentations, press releases and other marketing materials, they provide a great opportunity for you to gain public exposure for your work or company.

By submitting your ConceptDraw story, our Marketing team is able to develop a user story based on your company experience with the ConceptDraw products and services. User stories are a great way for existing and potential customers to see all the wonderful capabilities we provide.

These stories may be presented within our website, presentations, press releases and other marketing material.

We have an extensive process that our Marketing team follows before publishing a user story online. We keep you informed every step of the way and do not publish anything without final approval from you.

If you are interested in sharing your ConceptDraw Experience with the world, please contact our Marketing Team!

Transfer Microsoft Project Data to ConceptDraw PROJECT and Generate Status Reports

Step 1. From the Microsoft Project File menu, save your Microsoft Project document as a MS Project XML file, by selecting Save as (*.xml).


Step 2. From the ConceptDraw PROJECT File menu, select Open. Open the MS Project XML file.


Step 3. From the main toolbar, click the Generate Reports icon. Select the report you wish generate. Your report is automatically generated.


Result: Now you can distribute your project status reports to everyone in your organization!

Keep Staff Informed on Multiple Project Status

Step 1. From ConceptDraw PROJECT, open the sample New Product Launch.

Step 2. From the top tool bar, click the Generate Reports icon.

Step 3: From the Generate Reports window, select Project(s) Status. Click Generate .
Step 4. Select the projects you wish to include in the report, and click Finish.
Step 5: A multi-project report is generated.


Result: A professional Project Status Report mind map to help track multiple project status.

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Google Desktop Search for ConceptDraw MINDMAP and ConceptDraw PROJECT

The Google Desktop Search plug-in for ConceptDraw MINDMAP and ConceptDraw PROJECT can be downloaded by clicking here. The plug-in is currently available for Windows users only. And the plug-in is FREE.

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