Stability in Project 2007 and resourcing

[Guloluseus]

Ah, another day, another problem
I have a programme that deals specifically with resourcing, that has reached about 6000 lines so far, with more to come. each task has between 1 and 3 resources allocated to it, along with recurring tasks (generally over a period of 1-3 weeks).

I have one large resource (asphalt tonnage) which tends to be around 50-300 units per day, and is a key part of the programme. Viewing the resource graph, I should be getting from 700-1400 units per day, over a year long programme. What I tend to see is a blank graph, followed by Project crashing out for an unspecified reason. If i try and view other resources these tend to be OK, but at some point I KNOW it will crash out.



My assumption is that the number of activities and resources are killing Project- it has gone past the point it can handle. I ran th eprogramme on Project 2010, wich seemed much stabler- can anyone confirm if this is the case? the resource handling seemed a lot stabler.

Second question is related to the first. If I use a split screen to show resource chart and Gantt chart, the only items showing in the gantt are those that use the resource- if I am tracking asphalt, I would see first layer asphalt, 2nd layer asphalt, but not other items such as white lining, traffic management etc, nor the drop down header. Is there a way of achieving this in Project 2007, or if not, can 2010 deal with it? I would prefer to upgrade to 2010, but my company is loath to spend money (on planning at least) unless I can say "yes - it does this better".

Sorry for the long post, any help gratefully received

[JulieS]

Regarding stability - I don't find Project 2010 to be any more or less stable. They key is to ensure that you have Project 2007 (or any other release) fully patched. Project 2007 is up to SP 3 and Project 2010 is at SP-1 plus several cumulative updates.

Regarding what is shown in a split (combination view) - no - it hasn't changed in Project 2010. What is visible in a lower pane is dependent upon what you have selected in the upper pane.

You could open a second window showing the Gantt chart (Window, New Window) and arrange the two windows so you can see all data.

[Guloluseus]

tried the dual window system- works well, I have to say. Had not thought of this as a method, as most of the software I use has a major problem with the same file being open twice. thanks again

[JulieS]

The good news is you aren't really opening a second copy of the file, just a new window. This is available in other Office products as well.

You are welcome and thank you for the feedback.