Tool for map making: Kumu
We highly recommend that you use an online tool called Kumu to create your Change Pathways Map. This course assumes that you will use Kumu and will teach you the basics of Kumu so that you can make your Change Pathways Map. It is possible to complete the course using an alternative digital mapping tool, or pen and paper with sticky notes.
What is Kumu?
Kumu is a powerful online tool for systems and relationship mapping, and is quick and easy to use once you’ve got the hang of it. The maps that you create are smart and interactive. It is easy to collaborate with other people and easy to share the maps that you create.
Kumu is accessed via your web browser (laptop or tablet recommended), so you will need a reasonable internet connection* to use it.
It is free to use** and gives you lots of flexibility to create and edit your map. The creation of your map will be a process, and you will want to add to and rearrange your map many times. Kumu makes this easy.
Kumu is a flexible platform which can be used to create a range of systems maps, stakeholder maps, and more. This course will take you through the steps to use Kumu to create your Change Pathways Map of your project or organisation.
Why Kumu works well for Change Pathways Mapping:
- unlimited mapping space
- fast to build map
- easy to edit, add, rearrange, zoom in and out
- easy to collaborate and share maps with others.
In the next lessons, you will learn how to navigate around a Kumu map and then explore for yourself a real project’s Change Pathways Map.
Optional activity: In this course, we will use a small portion of the many features and functionality of Kumu. If you wish, you can take a tour of Kumu to get a flavour of the full potential of the application, or you can view the Kumu intro docs and a few videos here.
* If you don’t have access to a fairly stable internet connection, please let us know in the forum {LINK}, and we may be able to create a paper and sticky note version of this course.
**Kumu maps are free to create unless you have sensitive data or confidential areas of your project. Maps made with Kumu free accounts are in the public domain. This means that they may appear in internet search results. This will not be an issue for most projects, but if it is a problem for yours, there are Kumu subscription options which keep your maps private.