Technical Writing Standards Archives | Shufrans TechDocs Home // Technical Writing Standards Archives | Shufrans TechDocs

The Challenge: Scaling Clarity in a Dynamic Software Environment

M-Files is a leader in intelligent information management, providing innovative software solutions that help organisations manage, find, and secure information more effectively. In the fast-paced software industry, where product updates are frequent and user bases are global, the clarity and precision of technical documentation are paramount. This is especially true for complex document management systems where user understanding directly impacts adoption, efficiency, and data integrity.

M-Files faced the ongoing challenge of ensuring that all its technical documentation—from user guides and administration manuals to API references and release notes—adhered to an uncompromising standard of clarity and consistency. As a growing company, this challenge was compounded by the need to:

• Continuously Onboard New Hires: Integrate new technical writers into the team while ensuring they quickly gained proficiency in M-Files’ established documentation standards, including STE.
• Maintain High Competence: Ensure that all technical writers, regardless of their tenure, consistently applied STE principles to produce unambiguous and highly effective content.
• Support Global Users: Deliver documentation that was easily understood by a diverse, international user base, minimising support queries and enhancing the user experience.

M-Files sought a partner capable of providing continuous, high-quality STE training that could seamlessly integrate into their agile development and talent acquisition processes, fostering a culture of sustained documentation excellence.

The Solution: Shufrans TechDocs’ Partnership for Continuous Improvement

Shufrans TechDocs has partnered with M-Files since 2020, establishing a long-term collaboration focused on continuous improvement in technical communication through ASD-STE100 (Issue 9) training. This ongoing programme is specifically designed to:

• Integrate into Onboarding: Provide new technical writing hires with comprehensive and practical STE training, ensuring they are immediately equipped to contribute high-quality, compliant documentation.
• Reinforce Best Practices: Offer regular refreshers and regular workshops to existing team members, ensuring consistent application of STE rules and addressing evolving documentation needs.
• Tailor to M-Files’ Context: Focus on practical application using examples relevant to M-Files’ specific software solutions and user scenarios, making the learning directly applicable.

Shufrans TechDocs’ commitment to M-Files extends beyond initial training sessions, fostering a continuous learning environment that supports the team’s professional development and ensures sustained adherence to the STE standard.

The Results: A Benchmark in STE Adoption and Documentation Excellence

M-Files’ dedication to continuous STE training with Shufrans TechDocs has yielded exceptional results, positioning them as a benchmark for effective STE adoption:

• Unparalleled Professionalism and Speed of Adoption: M-Files stands out as Shufrans TechDocs’ best-performing client in terms of their team’s professionalism and remarkable speed in acquiring and applying the intricacies of STE. This highlights their strong internal commitment to quality and efficient knowledge transfer.
• Consistently High-Quality Documentation: All technical writers, new hires and seasoned professionals alike, consistently produce clear, concise, and unambiguous documentation. This directly translates to improved user experience, reduced support queries, and enhanced customer satisfaction for M-Files’ global clientele.
• Seamless Onboarding for New Hires: New technical writers are rapidly brought up to speed on STE, allowing them to contribute effectively much faster, reducing ramp-up time and maintaining documentation output quality.
• Optimised Content for Global Reach: The consistent application of STE ensures that M-Files’ documentation is highly suitable for translation, leading to more accurate, efficient, and cost-effective localisation for their international markets.
• Empowered and Competent Team: M-Files’ technical writing team is highly competent and confident in applying STE, fostering a culture of precision and continuous improvement in their daily work.

Testimonials

The impact of this continuous training is clearly reflected in the feedback from M-Files’ technical writers:

Petra Rossi, Technical Writer at M-Files, shared: “I enjoyed the course immensely. In just two days, I think I became a better writer and got a new perspective on my work. I may not apply STE teachings diligently in all areas of life, but they will be a very useful set of tools in my kit. The trainer was very knowledgeable and competent, and quick to pick up on students’ unique strengths and improvement areas. I particularly liked active voice and the rule about phrasal verbs, which helped me look at text from a new perspective. As a fan of puzzles and tests, I enjoyed the quizzes and exercises, and it was very beneficial to apply the rules in practice right away.”

Maarit Nieminen, Technical Writer at M-Files, commented: ‘The workshop was very interesting and useful to my daily work. The quizzes were quite fun, and the worksheet exercises were particularly useful due to the valuable conversations they sparked. It was beneficial to receive feedback during the rewriting time, which will definitely aid the process during the training support period.”

Conclusion

M-Files’ long-standing partnership with Shufrans TechDocs for continuous ASD-STE100 training exemplifies a strategic commitment to documentation excellence. By integrating STE into their ongoing talent development and quality assurance, M-Files ensures that their technical documentation remains a powerful asset, consistently delivering clarity and precision to users worldwide and reinforcing their leadership in intelligent information management.

If your organisation seeks to cultivate a culture of continuous clarity and achieve documentation excellence, explore how Shufrans TechDocs can help. Learn more about our ASD-STE100 training and consulting services:

🗓️ View our training calendar.

www.shufrans.com

The Challenge: A Global Jigsaw Puzzle of Technical Communication

Komatsu, a world leader in heavy equipment and a pivotal player in the mining industry, operates with a vast and intricate global network. Ensuring absolute clarity and consistency in its technical documentation is paramount, directly impacting operational safety, efficiency, and customer satisfaction worldwide. However, with documentation teams spread across various offices and encompassing diverse job roles – from Curriculum Designers, Technical Information Engineers, Instructional Designers, Field Experts, Parts Manual Editors, Curriculum Developers, Curriculum Trainers, Translators, and Engineers – maintaining a unified voice and unambiguous standard presented a significant challenge. This was particularly acute for documentation pertaining to complex mining machinery and operational procedures.

Inconsistencies could lead to:

• Misinterpretations of critical maintenance or operational procedures, especially for high-value mining assets.
• Increased rework and delays in document creation and updates.
• Higher translation costs due to varied source text.
• Challenges in onboarding new team members to consistent communication standards.
• Potential safety risks in the field or during equipment operation, with severe consequences in mining environments.

Komatsu sought a solution that could not only standardise their technical language but also cater to the specific needs and daily tasks of their varied documentation professionals across different regions, with a strong emphasis on their vital mining operations.

The Solution: Targeted STE Training with Shufrans TechDocs

Shufrans TechDocs partnered with Komatsu to implement a comprehensive ASD-STE100 (Issues 7 to 9) training programme tailored to their unique global requirements. Recognising that a one-size-fits-all approach would not suffice, Shufrans TechDocs delivered focused, personalised training sessions to various Komatsu offices, addressing the specific challenges faced by each job role:

• Trainers, Curriculum Designers & Developers, Instructional Designers, Curriculum Trainers: Learnt to craft training materials and curricula that were consistently clear, concise, and easy for global learners to understand, accelerating knowledge transfer and reducing ambiguity in instructional content for both heavy equipment and specialised mining curricula.
• Technical Publications Supervisors, Technical Information Engineers & Parts Manual Editors: Gained mastery in applying STE rules to complex technical specifications, operational manuals, and parts catalogues, ensuring precision for critical procedures and accurate identification of components, vital for the high demands of mining equipment.

• Engineers & Field Experts: Acquired skills to contribute clear, unambiguous input for documentation and communicate technical information precisely, bridging the gap between practical knowledge and written instructions, directly enhancing safety and operational efficiency on site, especially for complex machinery used in mining.
• Translators: Benefited from working with STE-compliant source text, leading to faster, more accurate, and more cost-effective translations due to the reduced ambiguity and increased consistency of the original English.

The training emphasised practical application, utilising Komatsu’s own documentation examples where relevant, to ensure immediate and tangible skill transfer. Shufrans TechDocs’ expertise in ASD-STE100 (Issue 9) ensured that Komatsu’s teams were equipped with the latest standards and best practices.

Testimonials

Elaine Emerson, Illustrated Parts Catalog Editor II at Komatsu, shared: “Very professional, easy to understand. Rule ‘Do not use different technical names for the same thing’ is my favorite because I find this happens frequently in our Parts books and it is frustrating. I thought the quizzes and exercises were helpful. I thought the workshop was managed very well and it exceeded my expectations. I was not looking forward to this training class, but I now hope I have the privilege to attend another one.”

Dennis Lane, Technical Editor at Komatsu Mining Corp, commented: “The training was excellent. The trainer was knowledgeable and easy to understand, ensuring all students grasped each concept and participated actively. The examples used in training were from our own documentation. As a former trainer myself, I recognise the exemplary dedication and effort that went into preparing and presenting this programme, especially to an international audience. The workshop held learners responsible for applying new knowledge, with reviews presented in a non-judgemental and supportive manner. This was a well-designed and well-executed programme.”

The Results: Unifying Communication, Enhancing Operations

By embracing ASD-STE100 training with Shufrans TechDocs, Komatsu achieved significant improvements across its technical communication landscape, with notable impacts on its documentation:

• Enhanced Clarity and Reduced Risk: A consistent and unambiguous language standard drastically minimised misinterpretations in vital documentation, directly contributing to improved safety protocols and reduced operational errors, which are paramount in the high-risk mining sector.
• Boosted Efficiency and Consistency: Teams could produce documentation more efficiently, with less rework, and a higher degree of consistency across all content, regardless of the author’s location or specific role.
• Optimised Global Reach: Improved source text consistency facilitated more accurate and cost-effective translation, ensuring Komatsu’s global communications were understood without compromise.
• Accelerated People Development: The tailored training programmes significantly upskilled documentation professionals across all roles, fostering a culture of precision writing and contributing to their long-term professional growth and career pathways within Komatsu’s global operations, including the specialised demands of mining.
• Stronger Internal Collaboration: A shared understanding and application of STE fostered better communication and collaboration among geographically dispersed teams, benefiting cross-functional projects involving mining equipment development and support.

Komatsu’s investment in STE training with Shufrans TechDocs has transformed their technical documentation from a potential source of ambiguity into a strategic asset, reinforcing their commitment to excellence in safety, efficiency, and global operations. This success story underscores the power of targeted professional development in driving critical operational improvements.

If your organisation faces similar challenges in global technical communication, discover how Shufrans TechDocs can help. Learn more about our ASD-STE100 training and consulting services:

🗓️ View our training calendar.

www.shufrans.com