By HEATHER CALIENDO
The Journal Record
TULSA (12-17-08) -- StoneHenge Partners Inc. is on track to
double its revenue in 2009.
The Tulsa-based information technology consulting firm recently
added several new positions and promoted other employees in
response to rising demand, said Mike Fletcher, StoneHenge Partners
president.
In this economy, spending money wisely has become more crucial,
he said.
"Companies still have work to be done, projects that need
completed," said Fletcher. "It's important they get the whole value
for money they are spending, and we give them value for software
projects."
Ben Herrington, manager of creative solutions for StoneHenge
Partners, said their turnkey project work is their advantage in the
market. He credited the company's growth to its methodology of
combining project management practices with Function Point
Analysis.
Function Point Analysis was created in the late 1970s by IBM to
deliver information to organizations about their software
management and software delivery processes.
StoneHenge consultants break down a company's systems by
function points, or they train the employees how to use Function
Point Analysis.
"Information technology should be a science, but it's treated
like an art," said Fletcher. "Function Point Analysis essentially
puts 'science' back in 'computer science'."
The typical software project is late and expensive, according to
Wayne Wild, manager of business analysis and metrics for
StoneHenge.
Software projects estimated at one year and $1 million will be
delivered in 2.2 years and cost $1.9 million, according to a survey
by the Standish Group.
Wild said many times the estimate for the projects is off
because there isn't a clear breakdown.
"Using the function point methodology breaks down software
projects in small components to be better analyzed and utilized,"
he said.
Few consulting companies in the Midwest offer the methodology,
said Wild.
The method requires more upfront planning than what a typical
consulting firm does, he said. That results in less development
time.
"It ends up being more efficient in the long run," he said. "It
ends up with fewer errors and bugs."
Herrington said the company used Function Point Analysis on two
of its clients: Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group and USIS Commercial
Services Inc. Each case took about three months and hit some
surprises along the way. In the end, the projects were delivered on
time and on budget.
"It means that this is not just a fluke," said Herrington. "This
was on two different clients, so it shows this is a repeatable
process."
Wild said more businesses will start using the process when they
realize how it can reduce risks.
"In a tight economy when people want to spend money on a
software development project, they want to make sure that it is
successful and not drag on twice as long," he said. "That is where
we see the marketplace and a lot of people have interest in this
methodology."
(Reprinted from The Journal Record on Dec. 17, 2008.)