A concept map allows you to visually map out your knowledge and understanding about a complex issue. It can also be a useful tool for thinking about complex relationships such as you might find in a system analysis, a legal argument, or a software design.
A concept map shows the relationships between concepts. Ideas and concepts are the “nouns,” represented by boxes and circles. The relationships between them are “verbs,” represented by lines and arrows. The lines can be labeled with relationship categories, like “causes,” “contributes to,” “is related to,” and so on.
Concept maps are useful for clarifying your own thinking or the thinking within your team. They are not as useful for communicating ideas to others, because they can be complicated and hard to read.
Do you have a complex issue you want to unravel and think about? Which parts are related to which, and how do they all connect to make a whole? Can you make a concept map to clarify your thoughts?
See also: Mind map, Causal loops.
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