From a Vision to Reality: The Transformation of Technical Writing at Miele

The purpose of a vision

What makes a good company vision (or in this case ‘department vision’)? Well, first of all, it needs to set out a clear objective, or to paint a picture of what the future should look like. The next step is to give this image life. Ideally, visions are the checkered flag for the path a company or an organizational unit treads. Viewed in this way, a vision proves itself in how much it drives action.

After all, a good vision is not simply wishful thinking or a pie in the sky idea: it has to be based on sound facts and observations. A vision needs to be broad enough to provide a framework for strategic action even in unexpected situations, so broader than a target group persona, for example. However, it must also be specific enough that everyone involved can relate to it.

Choosing the right vision

If you consider visions from this perspective, it soon becomes clear that treading the path to develop a functioning vision must be a systematic process. Firstly, the initial situation should be described as precisely as possible. Miele found it beneficial to consider aspects beyond the current topics prevalent in technical communication. In over 70 interviews in different countries, David Kavermann and his team determined how users use their household appliances and the technical documentation that comes with them.

They discovered many surprises in the process! David Kavermann also noticed: “The best thing about developing the vision was that many assumptions we had already made were confirmed.“ If everything had been new to them, that would have meant they had made assumptions before that would have lost track of reality. The analysis turned their assumptions into certainties, providing them with a new basis for arguments.

The next step involved coming up with several scenarios for the future based on the research. A cross-functional approach was important here to ensure that the technical writing department didn’t just develop a vision for themselves, but coordinated this with a wide variety of stakeholders, e.g., the R&D, marketing, and customer service departments. This enabled the scenarios to be embedded in a wider context within the company. Often it became clear that the different departments had the same vision in their sights, but were pursuing it using different means. The work on the scenarios and the vision became a tool for comparing the efforts of different departments against each other.

Allowing the vision to become a reality

The final step centered around allowing the new vision to become effective within the company. David Kavermann and the cross-functional project team can look back on six months of intensive work, but it had all been worth it. Even while developing the vision, the visibility of the technical writing department within the company was improved significantly. The work on the joint vision led to a new awareness in other departments of the added value created by the technical documentation for a product, and thus for the company.

Since then, the technical writing department has been involved in decisions and forums to which they previously had no access. Conversely, the technical writing team contributes significantly toward the work of other departments. A vision has always proven to be a useful tool when content will be used across departments. Individual projects can be evaluated to see how they fit into the vision and then assessed in terms of how they drive forward the overarching goals of the company.