wgsetup and resource pool

[Mark]

Hi
We have windows 2000 & XP/MS Project 2003. We have a resource pool .mpp
file with approx 20-25 projects at a time linked to it and about 45 staff in
it(at the moment - could get bigger if this works!). We are contemplating
installing/configuring some sort of email/workgroup collaboration. MS
Project Server or resource pool and wgsetup?

From the vast range of experience out there based on the situation above
what do you recommend? There is a considerable financial (and technical)
investment involved with Project Server but it should provide more
functionality and better resource management capabilities. Wgsetup (a feature
which isn't particularly well advertised by MS) seems to provide a cheap and
reasonably painless method of communicating for project staff. I know this
is a bit general and non-specific but I would appreciate any comments/advice
from anyone who has implemented wgsetup v server.
Thanks
Mark

 

[Sarah]

Mark,

I haven't been directly involved in the implementation of Server, but
I've used both, and I MUCH prefer Server. There are severe limitations
to the Workgroup feature which make it quite user-UNfriendly at times.
I am a project analyst, and all of the resources who had to use the
Workgroup complained about it. You can't resize the window you get
through your email, so you have to scroll a lot. You also have severe
limitations on what information you can include in the status request.
With Server, Project Web Access is much more customizable. It takes
quite a bit of training to show users how to set it up, but once they
know how, they can make it show them what they want to see, how they
want to see it, and you're much more likely to get responses when you
request status.

SarahK