Mind mapping is a technique that helps you quickly collect all aspects of your current work item or project and fit them together into a logical structure. It can be applied on a day-to-day basis to a number of everyday tasks in SAP ERP HCM, such as blueprinting, managing workshops, and creating presentations and functional specifications. It can be also used to organize documents, links, and notes about the ever-evolving world of SAP ERP HCM.

The concept and terminology of mind mapping are generally attributed to Tony Buzan, an English psychologist with a particular interest in improving thinking, learning, and memorizing techniques. Recognized by educational experts as an invaluable tool for accelerating learning and understanding, the method is now taught in many schools, colleges, and universities.

The basic method involves drawing a structured diagram of a project by following a few simple guidelines. This diagramming can be done with pen and paper or by using mind-mapping software. It takes a couple of hours at most to learn the technique. Once it’s mastered, it takes only a few minutes to create a new mind map. Guides on how to mind map have been covered in great detail elsewhere (a simple Google search results in many online guides and mind-map templates), so I summarize the basic techniques only.

Getting Started: An Overview of Mind Mapping

A shape (e.g., a rectangle) is drawn in the center of a blank page to represent the main issue or project. I use the term project in the general sense of any complex item of work that has a number of steps, activities, and related documents. Therefore, the mind map includes configuration tasks, report designs, and blueprints as well as full-blown SAP ERP HCM implementation projects.

A number of lines are drawn radiating out from the project shape, each representing a key aspect or component. Each of these is identified by a keyword or short phrase written above the line. Further related sub-items can be added at the end of each line. The result should be a naturally structured pattern showing how a network of ideas links back to the main theme. Different graphics, fonts, colors, images, and icons can be added to make the mind map more striking and to highlight details.

Figure 1 shows a data migration mind map for a payroll implementation project in the UK.

Figure 1

Payroll integration project mind map

This map was in a folder relating to that particular project, so I had a simple data migration as the central theme. Then I added a branch for each of the notes I had made during the workshops of anything that was related to data migration. I added short text notes to some items, and hyperlinks and attachments to others where I already had more detail. Then I worked through the branches looking for obvious gaps or duplications and reorganized all the branches until I was satisfied. The map shown is very much a work in progress, with more detail required in a lot of areas. However, it accurately summarizes everything that was known about the data migration requirements. Subsequently, when more detail is added, it can be exported to a Word document to act as the first draft of the payroll data migration document.

You may ask why drawing a picture of a subject is more effective as a planning tool than writing out a list or using a spreadsheet or Gantt chart. The answer is that in mind map structures, hierarchies and relationships are more clearly highlighted. The use of shapes, graphics, and colors appears to engage the visual and creative parts of the mind in a way that writing a list just doesn’t. Many people intuitively feel the urge to draw pictures and instinctively reach for a whiteboard when faced with a difficult problem.

There is also something empowering in being able to see everything about a subject in one glance, and it also helps combat information overload. As a bonus, the additional minor effort necessary to create a mind map helps users recall subjects more clearly and quickly. Business users can use this side effect to quickly get up to speed for meetings, presentations, and pre-sales work.

In practice most SAP ERP HCM analysts already have their preferred methods of organizing all the items related to each project on which they are working. This might be any one or a combination of lists, spreadsheets, a set of tasks in Outlook, a digital notebook in OneNote, or a Web-based clip and notes storage utility such as Evernote. Mind mapping should be considered as a complementary tool to all your other SAP ERM organizational tools.

Pen and paper are sufficient to analyze a problem and create a useful mind map. However, specialized mind-mapping software provides additional benefits. I use Mindjet, but there are dozens of commercially available and freeware alternatives. Most mind-mapping software allows you to link the nodes of the map to the source of information, such as documents in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; hyperlinks and file directories; and even directly to emails and tasks in Outlook. This means that a mind map can be used as a mini-database to store all your knowledge, regardless of the source.

Drag-and-drop functionality enables you to completely restructure a mind map (without losing the underlying links) if required. After you collect all the information and sort it into a mind map, you can then transform the information into other useful formats for later phases of the project. For example, you can use mind-mapping software to create Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, Web pages, a Gantt timeline for project planning, spreadsheets, or a list of activity tasks in Outlook. Some mind-mapping software, such as Mindjet, has options for converting a mind map into a PowerPoint presentation template, providing you with a quick way to create an effective, well-structured presentation.

Apply Mind Mapping to SAP ERP HCM Projects

Mind mapping is particularly useful when you are aware of a number of aspects to an issue, but it isn't clear how these relate to each other and what their relative importance is. This is frequently the case in SAP ERP HCM as users have a number of high-level conceptual areas that they are trying to get their arms around: cloud, mobility, SAP HANA, SuccessFactors, and integration. This creates a constant stream of information from multiple sources that they need to track.

Identifying how all these things fit together — and, more importantly, how they can be related to your own specific skills, needs, problems, and opportunities — is becoming an increasingly complex and time-consuming challenge. The following sections show how mind mapping can be applied to everyday SAP ERP HCM business challenges such as project management, workshops, technical support, and solution design.

Overview of the SAP ERP HCM Solutions

Understanding SAP ERP HCM’s offering and strategy is almost a full-time occupation in its own right. Andrey Kulikov, an SAP solution architect from Moscow, has created this exceptional HR Solutions from SAP mind map (Figure 2).

Figure 2

An example of an SAP ERP HCM mind map

Kulikov’s diagram is a great example of how a mind map can make a huge amount of information available without making it overwhelming. Its simple, but effective color scheme helps in clarifying how SAP’s on-premise and cloud offerings complement each other. Additionally, it has a wide collection of links to videos and other documents.

Workshops and Mind Maps

One area in which mind mapping can be useful is in transforming the output of a requirements-gathering workshop. Most of the SAP ERP HCM and payroll workshops I have hosted have generated a large amount of unstructured information. Some participants talk at a tangent to the agenda, whereas others may go into a great level of detail when only a brief overview is required. Other time in the workshop may be spent discussing items that are irrelevant to the project. The result is often pages of notes containing a mixture of new business processes and requirements, combined with details of existing faults along with wish lists for a new system. This results in the task of having to sort through this mass of material and identify the key points, actions, and missing items in a cohesive way. Mind mapping can help to cut through the confusion and provide a structure to all this information.

After the initial requirements-gathering workshops are held, there are a number of follow-up data-gathering activities. These activities add notes from other conversations, documents, and emails to data related to the project. Each new piece of information can be slotted into the mind map in the place it appears to fit best as you begin, almost unconsciously, to increase your understanding of the project. Sometimes the analysis of a project may evolve over time. The initial understanding may be wrong; seemingly significant aspects of a project completely fade away, while other seemingly irrelevant comments or emails can highlight huge gaps. With the mind map you can update your understanding of these items and rearrange their priorities by changing the relative position to the main theme and linking them to other sub-themes.

The example in Figure 3 shows the output of a follow-up workshop for the life insurance option of an SAP R/3 flexible benefits system.

Figure 3

A mind map of the requirements for a life insurance benefits plan

At first, even the key business users struggled to explain exactly the key requirements and dependencies of this project. However, after two requirements workshop sessions, I was pleased with the mind map (Figure 3) we came up with and satisfied that it captured (at least notionally) all the items to be included in the final solution. The mind map was exported to Word as the first draft of the blueprint document.

I also used a copy of this map as a starting point for storing all my configuration notes. As I work through items from the workshops, there is normally a huge range in the amount of detail available. In some areas I may already know the exact settings down to the configuration table level. For other requirements I may have only a general idea of what needs to be configured or be able to list a few alternative possibilities.

At the other end of the spectrum, some other functional items may require complete custom development and, therefore, constitute an entire subproject. My preference is to write down as soon as possible all these details so nothing is overlooked or forgotten later. By using mind mapping, each of these—and other—levels of detail can be stored at the appropriate place in the structure, with room for further detail as the project evolves.

I take a similar approach to writing functional specification documents. Many projects use large generic functional specifications template documents with many sections that are not applicable. In general, I find them unsuitable for understanding and designing the solution. My preference is to plan out the specifications first with a mind map and then transfer the applicable sections into a new template.

SAP ERP HCM Support

Another situation in which mind mapping works well is in solving help desk issues. This is another scenario that frequently requires the support team to get up to speed quickly with a huge amount of unstructured information. These users need:

• Details of the issue, scenario, and test cases
• Details about conversations with key users and business process owners
• System documentation
• A list of key business users and their contact details
• All previous issues and any other related issues
• SAP Notes
• The specifics for customizing the particular system
• Technical information (VPNs, logons, and Basis requirements)

A mind map is created with the issue as the central item, and a separate branch for each of these areas. Further notes and links are added as each item in the list above is reviewed. Fairly soon a mind map emerges that clearly shows the key elements of the problem, and it helps keep the focus on the method that most directly leads to a resolution of the issue. In addition to helping solve the issue in a more straightforward manner, all the supporting documentation is stored and readily available to you and other team members.

Owen McGivney

Owen McGivney is a senior consultant at iProCon Ltd., part of the iProCon group, based in London, England. He has worked on implementing SAP HR and payroll systems since 1998. Owen has delivered UK, Irish, and multi-national payroll solutions for a wide range of private- and public-sector clients. He has a special interest in combining ABAP programming with configuration to create innovative and effective solutions.

You may contact the author at o.mcgivney@iprocon.com.

If you have comments about this article or publication, or would like to submit an article idea, please contact the editor.