Thing #14: Go With the Flow

I created accounts with Gliffy for the flow chart and Mind Meister for the mind map. They were both useful for their intended purpose. In the past I have used a desktop application very similar to Gliffy to create flow charts. I used them to create organizational flow charts for my department and for production and process flow charts. Mind Meister seems to be a way to document ideas when brainstorming. I have used something similar in the past when problem solving or troubleshooting. I found both of these to be another way to create something that has been around for a while. I did, however, really like the idea of collaboration. I used to be the Quality Manager for an automotive manufacturing company. There were many times when we would work with customers or suppliers to solve product or process problems. We used a process called a 5-Why, which was really a way to use a fish bone diagram to study a problem and examine possible causes and solutions. Mind Meister would come in very handy when doing this since often it is done by conference call. It would be very useful for all parties to have access to this simultaneously. I can see where this could be used in the classroom to teach problem solving methods.