I have always used MSWord for its intended purpose...Word Processing. When it comes to playing with graphics or shapes inside of a word processor, I only see problems. It may not be a problem for others but, in my experience I have always used an external program such as PowerPoint, Visio or similar program to create the graphic/shape, then insert the graphic as a .jpeg (or other similar file) into Word where needed.

You may find that process to be beneficial for your project.