I'm not sure if 'inverted' is the right term... I would like an online (cross-platform) outlining or mind mapping tool that makes it possible to develop a hierarchical structure that flows from right to left (i.e. opposite of how outliners normally work), in order to construct a system that in turn flows from the many (tasks) on the left to the one (goal) on the right.

Purpose? I'd like to use it for planning and monitoring big picture life goal planning or as a top view of a few large scale projects. This means that instead of what is normally the starting node in an outline or mind map on the left that then gets developed into a hierarchy growing downwards and towards the right, this one would work the opposite way, allowing to grow downwards and towards the left, so that it's a kind of a reverse fishbone diagramme.

This would allow one to outline and evaluate actions that lead to the accomplishing of the single "goal" node, which would be the rightmost node. The problem I'm trying to solve is that I want to get better at eliminating tasks and projects that do not directly support the accomplishment of the "overall goal" and act as a drain on resources. So it would be a streamlining tool and a focusing tool on the bigger goal(s).

I should be able to access and bookmark this (and automatically open as a pinned tab) in a browser across platforms, possibly also in iOS and Android. If the latter is not possible, then a standalone app (that might also work offline) would be great.

So far I thought of MindMup that might be good for this. It looks like it's possible to just keep adding parent and child notes on the left, and it pushes the starting "Goal" node to the right. I like the fact that they integrate with Google Drive, as my cross-platform browser is Chrome and I use a couple of Chromebooks as well.

Any other suggestions?

If there is a killer local Windows software for this, I might be willing to compromise on the cross-platform issue and only use it on my Windows laptop.

Interesting. My only other suggestion is Freemind/Freeplane, which allows for an insert next on the left, and trends to be more parsimonious of screen real estate. But I'm curious to see what else pops up here.

Goalscape is interesting. It's not a right/left orientation, but concentric circles. I think the standard use case is to work outward from a main goal, but it can be used to work inward too. Just leave the central goals blank until the "subgoals" get fleshed out. It's web based. Easy to navigate. Drag segments from one subgoal to another. Exportable to PDF, .docx, .xlsx, .csv and other formats.

But I think the best fit for your described requirements is TheBrain. Any node ("thought") can gain multiple children, sibling, parents so you can expand inward or outward at will.

Several years ago I had read an article talking about such a sort of 'left-to-right funnel' diagram, arguing that it makes better sense for project management than a classic mind map where items go to all directions. I found that not all commercial mind mapping applications offer such a format; indeed, I just tried MindManager (14) and it doesn't, whereas ConceptDraw Mindmap does; I think also MindGenius which is about to launch an online version too.

The popular online mind mapping service Mind Meister https://www.mindmeister.com provides it. I suggest that you give it a try (click on Test Drive; you don't even need to sign up).

Not sure if this one helps But Comapping: https://www.comapping.com/ has left to right flow. Is smooth. Works online and has a desktop version and free demo to try out. Worth a look ... and not too expensive.

Many thanks for all the suggestions. I did check most of them out, but for the time being I've decided to trial the aforementioned system using MindMup 1.0 (as opposed to 2.0, which doesn't seem to be fully featured yet).

What appeals to me about MindMup is its minimalism and ease of use, and that I can set it to open a file directly from Google Drive automatically as I launch Chrome every morning, regardless of which machine I'm using, and thus it reminds me to review it regularly.

There is an internal MindMup extension called "Straight Lines," which, if you enable it, uses straight lines to connect the nodes from left to right towards the single "goal" node, making it look like a kind of a fishbone diagram.

@jaslar

Indeed, Freeplane could be a good choice if I didn't need the cross-platform availability on my Chromebooks.

@Paul

Yes, Goalscape is interesting. I like the idea that it's a zero sum game out of 100%, so it forces you to balance work-family-leisure. But I really wanted to try this fishbone shape first, to see if I can use it as a kind of a reverse decision tree, to eliminate projects and tasks that don't contribute to the ultimate goal(s), by tracing direct lines of impact.

I might have to look into TheBrain again. But for now I like the 2D simplicity of MindMup for this.

@Alexander

Would you still have a link for that article?

MindMeister does seem to be able to do what I was after, it's just something about its look and feel that eventually swayed me towards MindMup again.

@mnf

Comapping does look pretty good, but I'm actually looking for a right-to-left hierarchy, and I wasn't able to reverse that in Comapping.

Maybe FlyingLogic could be a candidate. There are different layout options to choose from (Left to Right, Right to Left, Top to Bottom, Bottom to Top).

Dr Andus wrote:

Many thanks for all the suggestions. I did check most of them out, but
for the time being I've decided to trial the aforementioned system using
MindMup 1.0 (as opposed to 2.0, which doesn't seem to be fully featured
yet).

Though I find its name decidedly off-putting (I tend to pronounce it as mindmop) your positive comments prompted me to try it. Indeed it looks quite clean and capable. I was however unable to find how to set MindMup to build the map in the way that you suggest, i.e. to expand leftwards from the centre node.

@jaslar

Indeed, Freeplane could be a good choice if I didn't need the
cross-platform availability on my Chromebooks.

Interesting; I was about to comment that Freeplane is cross-platform as it is Java based. Then I realised that Chrome 'censors' Java; it makes sense that Chrome Os would do the same. Or it is simply that no JVM (Java Virtual Machine) exists for Chrome OS anyway.

@Alexander

Would you still have a link for that article?

I had searched for it in vain in my notes before my previous post. It is surely more than 8 years old, as since then I have been keeping such insights in Evernote.

I now searched on the web and was able to find the first post below and from there the second; neither is the one I remember, but they are both very similar. I suspect that it was Nick Duffill who had written the post in my memory:
http://mindmapping.typepad.com/the_mind_mapping_software/2006/12/funnel_timeline.html
http://duffill.blogs.com/beyond_crayons/2006/07/turning_systems.html

MindMeister does seem to be able to do what I was after, it's just
something about its look and feel that eventually swayed me towards
MindMup again.

Yes, it's rather heavy looking. My own vote for online mindmapping services goes to mind42.com which however can't do the left-to-right, at least not automatically.

Hi.

Another option supporting fishbone charts and timelines is Xmind.
Available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux.

Franz

FlyingLogic would indeed be worth looking at. Not only the layouts mentioned by @Bernhard, but we can build models in FlyingLogic and give "edge weights" to link lines (0 to 100), and "confidence" levels to nodes (also 0 to 100) and FlyingLogic will compute the probability of success for the end goal. And this is just one of numerous cases that can be modeled in FlyingLogic.

Bernhard wrote:

Maybe FlyingLogic could be a candidate. There are different layout
options to choose from (Left to Right, Right to Left, Top to Bottom,
Bottom to Top).

Alexander Deliyannis wrote:

I was however unable to find how to set MindMup
to build the map in the way that you suggest, i.e. to expand leftwards
from the centre node.

When you start your first 2 or 3 nodes, Mindmup does tend to put them automatically to the right (right-aligned). But you can drag and drop them to the left, and they stay that way.

It takes a few tries to figure out just when to release the mouse, but once you get the hang of it, it works.

Then just use keyboard shortcuts ("tab" to insert children, and "enter" to add siblings), and the map will keep expanding to the left (and stay left-aligned).

Alexander Deliyannis wrote:

I suspect that it was Nick Duffill who had written the
post
http://mindmapping.typepad.com/the_mind_mapping_software/2006/12/funnel_timeline.html

Perfect! Thanks so much for that. Talk about me trying to reinvent the wheel. This was exactly what I had in mind:

"Outcome-based planning takes the opposite approach, by beginning with the end in mind. In other words, it starts with your desired end state or objective, and then works backwards through time to what you need to do now. Using this methodology, Nick explains, you can more easily evaluate different routes or options to help you to reach your objective."

I wish I'd read that back in 2006...

Bernhard wrote:
Maybe FlyingLogic could be a candidate. There are different layout
>options to choose from (Left to Right, Right to Left, Top to Bottom,
>Bottom to Top).

Paul Korm wrote:

we can build models in FlyingLogic and give
"edge weights" to link lines (0 to 100), and "confidence" levels to
nodes (also 0 to 100) and FlyingLogic will compute the probability of
success for the end goal.

Thanks both. It does sound and look very good and interesting, but for my purposes it goes a bit too technical and deep, and the price tag is hefty (compared to MindMup that for now is free).

I just had in mind a quick and dirty solution that won't take up too much of my time to construct and review and is practical (like popping up in my face every morning in a browser tab).

Also, knowing my own tendencies, I might just get too obsessive and carried away, spending too much time calculating the weights of every eventuality...

With MindMup I just add a few nodes every day, delete a few more completed ones, and move on. It's more of a tool for reflection and as a reminder, then for heavy-duty planning.

Alexander Deliyannis wrote:

I now searched on the web and was able to find the first post below and
from there the second; neither is the one I remember, but they are both
very similar. I suspect that it was Nick Duffill who had written the
post in my memory:
http://mindmapping.typepad.com/the_mind_mapping_software/2006/12/funnel_timeline.html
http://duffill.blogs.com/beyond_crayons/2006/07/turning_systems.html

For the sake of completion, here's another source I came across that discusses the "funnel timeline technique" in relation to GTD and MindManager:

http://www.gyronix.com/grm/VisualiseYourProjects.html

Dr Andus wrote:

For the sake of completion, here's another source I came across that
discusses the "funnel timeline technique" in relation to GTD and
MindManager:
http://www.gyronix.com/grm/VisualiseYourProjects.html

Gyronix seems to be the earliest mention of this concept, in their Gyronix ResultsManager On-line documentation for MindManager, from 2004-2005:

"Funnel Timelines were previously called "Tunnel Timelines" or "left to right planning" in earlier versions of the documentation, but the principle is otherwise the same."

http://www.gyronix.com/grm/

Dr Andus wrote:

've decided to trial the aforementioned system using
MindMup 1.0 (as opposed to 2.0, which doesn't seem to be fully featured
yet).

I take that back. MindMup 2.0 now also supports straight lines, and it seems in most ways superior to 1.0.

http://blog.mindmup.com/2016/03/change-look-and-feel-of-mindmup-20-maps.html

Dr Andus wrote:

I take that back. MindMup 2.0 now also supports straight lines, and it
seems in most ways superior to 1.0.

I spoke too soon... MindMup 2.0, if you save to/open from Google Drive, seems to only allow you to attach images saved from Google Drive, and the image scaling is messed up.

With MindMup 1.0 it was also possible to insert files from the local drive, which then also made it possible to attach files kept in the Dropbox folder.

I wonder if this is just a temporary glitch or an actual feature (for some nontransparent reason)?

Only one I know is Treed for IOS. No cross-platform.