Linking multiple child nodes to 2 parent nodes


Is it possible to have child nodes have 2 parent nodes? I would like to split up a process into multiple sub-tasks and then bring it back together. As an example see the picture, the red connections should be set in addition to the existing blue connection.

 

Wouldn’t this break the normal behavior of most other mind-mapping tools where if you collapse the parent, all children under it would get hidden? How would this work in this case?


Good question, but I don't think that would be a violation of the rules. It would just need to define what is parent and what is child.


+1 here. In general it would be great to be able to link a node to multiple parents.
E.g. when a combination of features result in a certain advantage / benefit.


@Florian   I love it!  Gotta braid those threads back together. A beautiful part of any process… 

 

Sounds like you’re designing/displaying a process. I say this in all kindness: trying to make the mindmap tool create a good multi-channel, branching/merging process is gonna feel a bit like this picture. It just isn’t optimized for that use ... Its mostly designed to quickly roll out a hierarchy of thought into a nice layout.  


I suggest abandoning the mind mapping template/tool for this use case use and instead use a process-oriented and non-hierarchy-oriented templateThen you can restyle the process  it once made if you want, or use it as reference for your own preferred design. Find a few here:


You can quickly restyle the flow chart as well. 

 

 

Happy processing :slight_smile:


@Florian  Here’s another tips and tricks video I made for speeding up diagramming of processeshope it might be helpful -- maybe you already know the content -- speed it up if I’m moving too slow ;) 

 


Thank you I tried it but it’s lacking functionality, no auto-aligning and keyboard shortcuts don’t work with  charts.


Thank you I tried it but it’s lacking functionality, no auto-aligning and keyboard shortcuts don’t work with  charts.

Yep. I feel ya.   trade offs … the diagramming outside of the ‘mindmap’ tool is a bit more manual but also more flexible.  Thankfully Miro has some tools to assist faster alignment and distribute etc. 


In my mind this is a foundational limitation to the utility of the Mind Map tool. I’d love to use something so fluid and self-organizing for why/how laddering (a d.school Design Thinking exercise). Theresa Torres calls it making an “Opportunity Solution Tree”.

The fundamental premise is reframing a problem, which is difficult to represent if hierarchical relationships can only be modeled with respect to the root node. The value of the exercise is building out the graph perpendicular to the hierarchy (i.e. looking for sibling or “cousin” nodes by alternating asking “why” and “how” questions) to explore other means of achieving the same goal that you didn’t consider previously.

If anyone has good tips on reducing friction for this kind of flow in Miro, please let me know. Thanks!


Hey! I asked for a similar feature that could add to this one: embed/photo integration. PLEASE UPVOTE:

Mind Map: Photos/Embed/Notes as Child Nodes | Miro


This type of functionality would be very helpful for “second brain” types of applications. I am trying to capture my notes and highlights from hundreds of articles from places like Pocket to help with writing and speaking projects. It would be very helpful to be able to link nodes across multiple mind maps in a more automated fashion like tagging.