For those who create
Information systematization and visualization
MindMap helps generate and structure new ideas!
- Use RedForester to collect and structure information (input data, intermediary results, portfolio) and have brainstorms.
- Express your thoughts in a simple and logical way – RedForester will help to achieve this.
- Find information faster. Minimizing map’s branches leads to attention concentration.
Each node on the map may have its own type
- Start with taking notes, then manage your notes setting node types.
- Make saving, search and knowledge management easier with plugins using particular node types.
- Create your own node types and use the existing ones.
Teamwork and spread of knowledge
Cooperative map editing
- Map is always up to date – all changes made to it are synchronized among its users.
- Every person is allowed to change the map – you, as the creator, can control who and how.
Managing visibility and flexible information control
- RedForester provides flexibility in setting access rights to nodes and information saved in the system.
- You can share with people who are not registered yet – make a public map and provide a link to it.
- You control how users interact with your map: each node has its own set of rules describing what each person can or can’t do with it.
Comments and Notifications
- Leave comments to nodes – it’s a good way to discuss the knowledge, documentation and information that you saved on the map. Exchange opinions with your colleagues.
- Set-up email notifications. The map structure will let you subscribe to only those notifications that you need at the moment. Fine-grained control over your subscriptions – you would not drown in spam.
- Use Android and iOS application to manage your map on the go.
- Add plugins for integration with other notification systems like instant messengers.
Search on accumulated data
- Node hierarchy, their colours and property icons are the first means to help you find what are you looking for.
- Use full text search on all saved content.
- Search by node fields with flexible query language that uses node typing system (being developed).
- Search by the whole map or by separate map branches.
- Use special Filter interface for displaying search results (being developed).
For those who control
Project situation analysis
- Workflow management by means of a Mindmap provides a good overview of the situation in the team at any given time. For assessing workload, estimating accuracy of tasks or identifying bottlenecks you just need to have a look at the project map.
- Leaving comments to the nodes helps users understand their assigned tasks better.
- RedForester mobile application enables continuous project monitoring and assists in meeting the deadlines.
Meaningful notifications
Notification system tells you not just about changes on the map but also provides the means to uncover questionable decisions and poor resource management.
- Plugins can detect changes in node fields. You can set a threshold after which they will notify people responsible.
Term forecast and milestone planning
RedForester doesn’t force you to use one particular way of planning. Break your project into milestones, stages, sprints or tasks – as you like.
RedForester makes planning easier with plugins for managing directors and project managers.
- Create reports in Excel and Google Sheets. These reports are displayed as Gantt charts to provide a better understanding of team capacity.
- You can create a team summary workload report or detailed workload chart.
Knowledge distribution control
Knowing the skill set of every member of the team is crucial for a managing director and a team leader for task distribution, planning and project support.
- RedForester provides such predefined types as “Team”, “Contractor” and “Contact”. You can extend them with the field “List of Competencies” that describes what a person or a company masters. Now you can filter your contractors based on what competencies they have.
- RedForester enables you to point out strengths and weaknesses of each member and see how this affects the performance of the whole team.
- With RedForester you can easily set your own knowledge base or contribute to existing ones.
For those who perform
Tracking functions
RedForester is built with task management in mind.
- Typing system provides you with the special types which you can use to manage your tasks or create your own.
- Tree structure of the map keeps your tasks in order, you always see how they depend on each other.
- Each task has assignee and owner. Make assignments and monitor tasks completion.
- Notification system keeps you up to date.
- “Task” type provides integration with your project management system. You can always extend it to better match your needs.
- With the help of plugins you define rules how task statuses can be changed and reactions to these changes. You may set limits to the number of tasks that are in progress by the same assignee at any given time and receive notifications each time the task priority is changed. RedForester has Public API to help you implement your personal plugins.
- A map can be displayed as a Kanban board.
Plugins
RedForester defines a plugin as a third-party code that uses Public API to talk to the service.
There are three types of plugins:
- Methodology – new business rules set by users themselves. For instance, workflow or integration with third-party services.
- Reports – data-sheets displayed in a form of a table or in their own web-interface.
- Interface – different ways to display the map. It can be a Kanban board or a mobile application.
To create your own plugins consult Public API guidelines, samples or reach out our friendly technical support.
Working with knowledge
By working on the tasks assignees populate the map with new ideas, thus creating a user-friendly knowledge base and making RedForester a great tool for exchanging ideas and experience.
This knowledge base assists assignees if they feel stuck with their tasks. They also can seek help through an important part of the map – the so called “map of issues” that is populated by encountered problems in case some colleague finds a solution.
Education and portfolio
With RedForester you’re interacting with your study circle through comments and personal branches and creating well-structured training documents at the same time.
Create public maps that are accessible to everyone to demonstrate your competencies, knowledge and portfolio in a clear and understandable form.
Your employers will appreciate an easy and well-organized way of presenting information.
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