Linking

Links are used to illustrate how Outcomes, Actions and Indicators (OAIs) are interconnected. These links a can only be made in Mindmap view.  

To link OAIs, open the Plan you are working on in Mindmap. Using the ribbon on the left-hand side, click the Link button to turn it purple. Click on an OAI, then drag and release the Link towards the other OAI you wish to link to it.

Once the link has been made, you can click on the link to write a description of the link, attach sources and attribute an impact for understanding how two nodes link. Links are automatically positive unless you change them.

To delete a Link, click the Link and then the Delete button in the left fly-out. To edit a link click the Edit Link button in the left fly-out which will allow you to swap a link from one node to another.

Linking transfers to Document View when reading over the plan. To view your plan in a way that shows the links for each outcome in each category, toggle the Linked View button.

This video is not updated and therefore doesn’t include some features written above.

Tips 

• Use Linking to communicate which Actions are supporting which Outcomes/Shared Outcomes. Actions can be linked to multiple Outcomes/Shared Outcomes as a way of illustrating co-benefits.  
• Indicators can be linked either to the Outcome or the specific Action they are measuring the progress of.  
• Shared Outcomes and Shared Indicators link up the activity across the Action Plans so be thoughtful about which OAIs you want to link to these.  
• Avoid linking: Shared Outcomes to other Shared Outcomes and; Shared Indicators to Shared Indicators.