Emails poured in, control was lost, a mind map solved
The problem
My then American brother-in-law, David Arana, a mining consultant, invented and patented a revolutionary ore granulation system called the HEPS System. A few years ago, the system was publicized on the internet and aroused a lot of interest from the mining community, so much so that he and a Canadian partner were overwhelmed by a mountain of emails. In fact, they lost control of the thing.
The solution
I proposed to my brother-in-law to fix the situation. He sent me the e-mails and I went through them one by one, selecting the relevant information and elaborating a mind map in software, in a program that was the precursor of the current EasyMapper. The mind map was structured primarily by company, also containing a summary of what had happened, contact information, and pending issues.
The mind map was delivered in English and in several formats, suitable for each need: a file with the complete mind map for on-screen consultation, a diagrammed file for A4 in PDF and also a complete paper version, assembled from printing on multiple pages.
David appreciated the result, having stated: "The mind map you made is very impressive and useful. What a great resource to organize events, comments, histories and other events. We are very happy to have him."
Developments
David became interested in making his own mind maps and started using the mind map app. When he went to Salt Lake City for a job at Kennecott, the second largest copper mining company in the USA, he used mind maps in the planning meetings for the shutdown of a furnace, which is very complex and still involves the coordination of several contractors. The duration of the meetings dropped significantly, and the program, which already had an English version, caught the attention of the company, which ended up acquiring 10 licenses. It also seemed significant to us that, a few months later, they acquired 7 more.
