Smartdraw.com Sd2010 Reviewers Guide

8/8/2019 Smartdraw.com Sd2010 Reviewers Guide

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SmartDraw 2010 Reviewers Guide


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Copyright SmartDraw.com. All rights reserved. 2

Obtaining a Review Copy

To obtain a review copy of SmartDraw 2010, please send a request in writing on the publications

letterhead to:

SmartDraw.com

Attn: Reviews

9909 Mira Mesa Blvd, Suite 300

San Diego, CA 92131, USA

Phone: 858-225-3300

Or send an email to: [email protected]

Please state the name of the publication in which the review will appear, and include your name, address,

telephone number, and email address.

Executive Summary

SmartDraw is software that allows businesses to reduce their communication problems by enabling their

employees to communicate visually and therefore more effectively than with words alone.

Studies show that communicating with both words and pictures is up to six times more effective than

words alone. Yet less than 2% of business communication includes a visual. Why? Because, until now,

creating a professional-quality visual has been just too hard, and too time-consuming.

SmartDraw is the only software that solves this problem because it doesnt require you to do the drawing.

Its automated and draws for you.

SmartDraw 2010 adds to its unique capabilities to:

dramatically reduce the time it takes to get work done

manage time and resources much more efficiently

create killer presentations with less effort

enable collaboration between team members

SmartDraw 2010 is $297 for a single license. Registered owners of previous versions of SmartDraw can

upgrade for $99.

Why do Organizations use SmartDraw 2010?

To Fix Their Communication Problems

Anyone who has ever worked in an organization understands that many problems are caused by a

breakdown in communication. Here are some of the most common:

Mistakes are made because the employee has not been properly trained to perform the task.

The project is late because the people involved did not properly identify all of the work that had

to be done.

The project is late because the people working on it did not know what the others were doing.


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Finger-pointing happens because responsibilities were not clearly established and

communicated.

The business plan fails because most of the organization never understood the strategy and

goals.

Errors occur because the specifications for a job were not clearly understood.

Sales are lost because the customer does not understand how the product being sold could solve

their problem.

SmartDraw helps solve these problems by making it possible for a typical person to communicate up to six

times more effectively.

Everyone understands that "a picture is worth a thousand words," whether it's a flowchart to explain a

business process, a Gantt chart to show a project schedule, an organizational chart, or a map to the

emergency exit.




SmartDraw is the only software that solves this problem.

Before SmartDraw, the only option for adding visuals to business communication was to use manual

drawing software like Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft Visio. For most people the painstaking effort of

manually arranging shapes, lines and text on a page is just not worth the time, and for many computer

users, these programs were just too hard to use. Only experts use manual drawing software. Illustrator is

used by graphics arts professionals and Visio is used by less than 5% of Microsoft Office users, mainly IT

professionals. There was no solution for ordinary users, and this is why very little business communication

takes advantage of the 6X power of visual communication.

SmartDraw is the only software that makes it possible for the average business person to create his or her

own presentation-quality visuals in minutes. It does this in three unique ways:

1. It's automated. Instead of forcing you to draw visuals manually, SmartDraw draws and formats

the visual for you, ensuring a professional result every time. You can even use the keyboard to

compose your visual.

2. It's comprehensive. SmartDraw is the only software that allows you to create every kind of

visualmore than 70 different typesincluding flowcharts, timelines, org charts, mind maps,

floor plans, marketing charts and more.

3. It's integrated. SmartDraw is the only software that works this seamlessly with Microsoft Office.

One click is all it takes to transfer your visual to Word or PowerPoint. Easily import chart data

from Excel. Exchange project management data with Project users. Even build an entire

PowerPoint presentation with a single click. It also supports SharePoint and can import Visio

files.

Lets look at each of the communication problems above and see how using visuals made with SmartDraw

can correct the problem.


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Mistakes are made because the employee has not been properly trained to perform thetask.

Any routine task can be described as a series of repeatable steps, or a process. Defining a task as process

brings the following benefits:

1. Everyone can perform the task the same way every time, ensuring consistent quality: the same

outcome each time.

2. You can improve it.3. You can train anyone to perform the task successfully by teaching them the steps.

The most effective way to define and communicate the steps in a process is with a flowchart. Using

SmartDraw to create a process flowchart for a task not only makes it easy to communicate and train

someone to do it, it makes it easy to define in the first place.

The project is late because the people involved did not properly identify all of the workthat had to be done.

To estimate how much time a project will take to complete, you must break it into tasks and estimate theamount of time each task will take. Choosing broad, ill-defined tasks like Update Website makes it very

difficult to accurately estimate how long the task will take. A broad task should be broken down into

smaller sub tasks that are easier to estimate.

The ideal tool for planning a project in this way is a mind map.


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Using a mind map to break down tasks also makes it easier to identify them all upfront, instead of half

way through the project which adds delays. The mind map is also an excellent format to communicate the

task planning to others.

Using SmartDraw anyone can plan a project using a mind map as easily as typing in a word processor.

Then with one click SmartDraw will convert it into a project chart, so that each task can be assigned and

time estimates added. This is a unique feature of SmartDraw.

Again SmartDraw is not only used to communicate the results of the planning process but actually to carry

it out.


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The project is late because the people working on it did not know what the others weredoing.

SmartDraws project charts offer real project management, handling hundreds of tasks, dependency,

percent completion and other sophisticated features. By providing a view into the status of each task and

its progress, the entire team has a complete view of the project and their co-workers efforts.

SmartDraw is used to actively manage the project as well as communicate its status to the team.

Finger-pointing happens because responsibilities were not clearly established andcommunicated.

The time-honored way to establish and communicate the chain of command and assignment of

responsibilities within an organization is with an organization chart.

Using SmartDraw anyone can create an organization chart in minutes. SmartDraw makes it so easy to

modify the chart that you can use SmartDraw to actually work through and develop the organizational

structure as well as to communicate it.


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The business plan fails because most of the organization never understood the strategyand goals.

Developing a business plan is only the first part of the planning process. To succeed, its goals and tactics

must be clearly communicated to those responsible for implementing the plan: the entire company. How

many text-heavy business plans have been placed on a shelf and never read?

Using visuals to clearly illustrate the goals and steps in a plan make it much easier to understand, as thisexample show.


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SmartDraw also makes it easier to develop a plan by offering a wide range of strategic planning templates

that help clarify thinking as well as improve communication.

Errors occur because the specifications for a job were not clearly understood.

Specification is perhaps the most common application of visuals in business. No house is built without a

blueprint. The value of communicating visually is clear.

Using SmartDraw, anyone (including clients, sales people and non-engineers) can create floor plans,

software diagrams, network designs, engineering diagrams, and other specifications in minutes, and

dramatically increase the effectiveness of communication between those that request a product and

those who develop it.

One simple example is to use SmartDraw to request some design changes to a web page.

Sales are lost because the customer did not understand how the product being sold couldsolve his or her problem.

Whether its to win new business or communicate effectively with co-workers, the best presentations

engage an audience with visuals, not bore them with slide after slide of bullets.

SmartDraw has an unmatched level of integration with PowerPoint that makes it easy for anyone to

create slides that incorporate visuals to tell their story, and to author compelling presentations.

Perhaps the most common visual used in a presentation is a graph. Creating a graph in SmartDraw is not

only easier than with Excel or PowerPoint, but it looks better and can be presented in a more

understandable way. Simply displaying a graph in slide is not as effective as revealing its data in a series of

steps. This is called sequencing and only SmartDraw does it.


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Furthermore, SmartDraws storyboard feature makes it easy to build an entire visual-rich presentation

and edit it by dragging slides around on the page. Once complete, the storyboard will build an entire

PowerPoint slide deck automatically with just one click.

This is best understood by watching a video demonstration. At

http://www.smartdraw.com/videos/upgrade/presentations.htm
http://www.smartdraw.com/videos/upgrade/presentations.htmhttp://www.smartdraw.com/videos/upgrade/presentations.htmhttp://www.smartdraw.com/videos/upgrade/presentations.htm


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SmartDraw and Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is the standard tool used by hundreds of millions of businesspeople for word

processing, presentations, spreadsheets and email. Almost all of these activities are text-only. EvenPowerPoint is used primarily in text-only mode with slide after slide of bullets.

While Office includes some primitive drawing tools, they are not extensively used, because they are

simplistic and require manual drawing, which most people find time-consuming and tedious.

SmartDraw, with its comprehensive automatic drawing features, adds key functionality to every

desktopfunctionality that Office lacks.

In addition to the ability to easily incorporate visuals into Word, PowerPoint and Excel, SmartDraw

adds the Six Ps to Office:

1. Project Management2. Process Management

3. Presentation authoring

4. People Management

5. Planning and Strategy

6. sPecifications

Office Functionality

ProjectManagement

Word ProcessingWord

SpreadsheetExcel

PresentingPowerPoint

EmailOutlook

sPecification

Planning& Strategy

PeopleManagement

PresentationAuthoring

ProcessManagement

SmartDraw

MSOffice


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SmartDraw and Visio (and Illustrator)

Many people, particularly IT specialists, see SmartDraw as a competitor to Visio. This is not the case.

Visio is a specialized tool mainly used by experts. Visio is not used to enhance the visual capabilities of

Office. Less than 5% of ordinary Office users also use Visio. 40% of Visio users are IT specialists.

Visio is also increasingly focused on data visualization presenting data from corporate databases in

visual format.

SmartDraw is focused at desktop visualization making it possible for an average computer user to create

his or her own presentation-quality visuals. Desktop visualization has not been Visios development

focus for the past decade or more. Consequently, Visio makes a poor desktop visualization tool.

In the same way, SmartDraw and Adobe Illustrator are not competitors either. Illustrator is a specialty

application designed for graphics professionals. SmartDraw is aimed at average computer users who want

to create visuals for business quickly and easily.

SmartDraw 2010 is a complement to Office and works alongside Visio. It converts Visio files intoSmartDraw format providing non-Visio users access to legacy Visio files so that they can be viewed and

modified.

How SmartDraw Makes It Possible For Anyone To Create Visuals

As a first-time SmartDraw user, you can create a presentation-quality visual in minutes because

SmartDraw draws and formats the visual for you.

Creating your visual is as easy as 1,2,3.

1. Start by selecting the type of visual you want to create. Do this from the template browser.


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Because SmartDraw knows what you want to create, it formats the visual for you. You dont need

to know the formatting rules like you do when using manual drawing software.

2. Enter your information by clicking customized task buttons in the SmartPanel, or by typing text

into a pre-constructed visual. Each type of visual that SmartDraw supports (more than 70 of

them) has a SmartPanel on the left-hand side of the screen that provides you with commands

specific to the type of graphic you are creating. Many of these commands have keyboard

shortcuts. You can often create your visual without taking your hands off the keyboard!

3. SmartDraw does the rest, building the visual automatically using built-in rules and professional

design themes.

SmartDraw support more than 70 different kinds of business visualeach with its own rules built-in.

An example of creating a flowchart makes this clear.

1. Select a flowchart from the template browser

The first step when SmartDraw starts is to pick the visual that you want to create. We pick a flowchart

from the template browser.


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2. Enter your Information.

We enter our information (the steps in the process we want to document) using the SmartPanel. We add

the steps in the process by selecting a symbol and clicking an add button. You can add below, above, left

and right. For each step we enter text by simply typing. There are also keyboard shortcuts to make

creating the flowchart even faster. Use ctrl-arrow keys to enter new steps in the direction of the arrow.


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3. SmartDraw Does the Rest.

As we add each shape, SmartDraw places it in exactly the right location on the page and automatically

draws a line connecting it to the previous step. Shapes line up and are spaced perfectly. The colors, line

weights and typefaces from a professionally-designed color theme are applied automatically. We can

select a different theme from a gallery and the whole graphic changes instantly.

This takes just a few minutes. Once we have created the flowchart, we can print it, or copy it into an

Office document (or directly to PDF) with one click on the copy buttons at the top of the SmartDraw

window.

This is repeated for more than 70 different types of graphic each with their own specialized SmartPanel.

New and Updated Features in 2010

The changes made in 2010 are not just bells and whistles. They are based on user testing and will save

users time, improve their performance and lower their costs.


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SmartDraw 2010

dramatically reduces the time it takes to get work done

manages time and resources much more efficiently

creates killer presentations with less effort

enables collaboration between team members

Time Savers

The time savers begin with the new Template Browser. Our testing shows that users can get started five

times faster than before.

All of the most common visuals are in the Basics layout. The complete list is under More.

But its the new search function that really saves time. Like Google, SmartDraw 2010 offers suggestions as

you type and takes you directly to your goal.


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Other examples of time savers include:

Expanded use of the keyboard to add shapes to dozens of different types of visual.

Replacing a shape by simply dragging a new shape on top.


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Managing Time & Resources

SmartDraw 2010s Project Management improved performance and new features can manage projects

with hundreds of tasks.

Hiding and showing columns allows for a clearer view of longer projects.

Collapsing and expanding tasks provide detail or summary views.


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Progress can be tracked with the new percent complete feature.

Projects can be viewed in timeline format to more clearly see milestones.

SmartDraw projects can also be exported to Microsoft Project and imported from Microsoft Project.

Killer Presentations

Whether its to win new business or communicate effectively with co-workers, the best presentations

engage an audience with visuals, not bore them with slide after slide of bullets.

SmartDraw 2010 integrates with PowerPoint to help create career-making presentations in two

unprecedented ways.


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1. SmartDraw can export any visual to a PowerPoint slide with one click, including built-in

sequencing. Sequencing uses PowerPoint animation to reveal the visual in steps so that it is

easier for audiences to follow. Its the technique recommended by presentation experts and

SmartDraw does it automatically.


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2. SmartDraw 2010 can be used to create an entire PowerPoint presentation using its new

Storyboard feature.

It is easier to compose slides and move them around using a SmartDraw storyboard than with

PowerPoint. Sequenced SmartDraw visuals can be added to each slide. Slides can be added and

removed from the presentation by simply dragging them on and off the storyboard line.

One click builds an entire PowerPoint deck.

All of the visuals used are stored in the storyboard file making it easy to share and update. Users

can even make libraries of their frequently used slide to re-use in multiple presentations.

Collaboration

No one works in a vacuum. SmartDraw 2010 makes it even easier to collaborate with co-workers with the

following new features:

SmartDraw 2010 reads and edits Visio files. Convert single Visio files or whole folders of Visio files at

once with the batch convert feature.


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SmartDraw Single User Licensing

Install and use one copy of SmartDraw on a single computer. Single User Licenses are perpetual andinclude, free of charge, all maintenance releases for the version originally purchased. Upgrades releases

are available for a fee.

SmartDraw Volume Licensing

SmartDraw offers volume licensing to enterprises.

About SmartDraw.com

SmartDraw.com is the creator of SmartDraw, software that helps companies solve their communication

problems.

Everyone understands that "a picture is worth a thousand words," whether it's a flowchart to explain a

business process, a Gantt chart to show a project schedule, an organizational chart, or a map to the

emergency exit.





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SmartDraw solves this problem, making it possible for everyone in an organization to communicate

effectively resulting in fewer errors, increased productivity, and more sales.

Each year more than three million people install and use SmartDraw.

SmartDraw.com is privately-held and is headquartered in San Diego, CA. A pioneer of the direct-to-userInternet distribution model, SmartDraw.com has enjoyed sustained rapid growth since its inception in

1994 and has been awarded numerous industry accoladesincluding the Delloite & Touche Fast 50

Award, five years in a rowand now counts more than half the Fortune 500 as its customers.

Information on the Web

For more information on SmartDraw, please visitwww.smartdraw.com. See the links below for specific

areas of interest.

DownloadFree trial copy of SmartDraw.com

http://www.smartdraw.com/downloads/

Purchase SmartDrawBuy online or through other methods

http://www.smartdraw.com/buy/Volume LicensingSmartDraw for work groups

http://www.smartdraw.com/buyinfo/volume/index.htm

Cool ExamplesSee examples of drawings from real users

http://www.smartdraw.com/examples/

Learning CentersStep-by-step tutorials for all kinds of graphics

http://www.smartdraw.com/resources/how-to

SmartDraw FeaturesLearn about all of SmartDraws major features in minutes

http://www.smartdraw.com/product/features/

SmartDraw VideosSee SmartDraw in action

http://www.smartdraw.com/videos/

SmartDraw SupportGet your support questions answered in a timely fashion by our team

http://www.smartdraw.com/support/

About SmartDraw.comRead customer testimonials, press releases, and news lettershttp://www.smartdraw.com/about/
http://www.smartdraw.com/http://www.smartdraw.com/http://www.smartdraw.com/http://www.smartdraw.com/downloads/http://www.smartdraw.com/buy/http://www.smartdraw.com/buyinfo/volume/index.htmhttp://www.smartdraw.com/examples/http://www.smartdraw.com/resources/how-tohttp://www.smartdraw.com/resources/how-tohttp://www.smartdraw.com/product/features/http://www.smartdraw.com/videos/http://www.smartdraw.com/support/http://www.smartdraw.com/about/http://www.smartdraw.com/about/http://www.smartdraw.com/support/http://www.smartdraw.com/videos/http://www.smartdraw.com/product/features/http://www.smartdraw.com/resources/how-tohttp://www.smartdraw.com/examples/http://www.smartdraw.com/buyinfo/volume/index.htmhttp://www.smartdraw.com/buy/http://www.smartdraw.com/downloads/http://www.smartdraw.com/

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