Where your organisation uses the Microsoft 365 Group integration for Projects, a Microsoft 365 Group can be created or associated with an Altus Project. This provides the connected SharePoint location used by the Documents tab.

The document library provides a collaborative location for documents used during Project delivery or produced by the Project team.

Keeping Project documents in a shared repository helps:

• Make information easier for stakeholders to find
• Reduce duplicate or conflicting copies
• Ensure users work from the latest version
• Support consistent document governance
• Enable Microsoft 365 collaboration capabilities

Because the document experience is based on SharePoint, authorised Project team members can use available SharePoint functionality such as collaborative editing, comments, version history, folders, and document management.

Important:
The connected Documents library is available only where your organisation uses the mechanism that creates or associates a Microsoft 365 Group with the Altus Project.

If a Microsoft 365 Group has not been created or associated with the Project, the standard connected document library will not be available through this mechanism.

Your organisation may instead use another document-management approach or a customised SharePoint setup. Always follow your organisation's document storage, security, retention, and information-governance requirements.

Where This Is Performed

Project → Documents

Tip:
If the Documents tab or expected document library is unavailable, check whether a Microsoft 365 Group has been created or associated with the Project.

Upload New Documents

1. Open the required Project.
2. Select the Documents tab.
3. Select + Upload.
4. Browse to and select the document you want to add.
5. Confirm that the document appears in the Project document library.

Tip:
Before uploading a new document, check whether an existing version is already stored in the library. Updating the existing document can help avoid duplicate copies.

View or Update Existing Documents

1. Open the required Project.
2. Select the Documents tab.
3. Select the required document or tile to open it.
4. Review or update the document using the available Microsoft 365 application.
5. Alternatively, select Open in SharePoint to manage the document directly from the underlying SharePoint location.

Where supported by the file type and your Microsoft 365 permissions, multiple users can collaborate on the same document.

Work Directly in SharePoint

For additional document-management functionality:

1. Open the required Project.
2. Select Documents.
3. Select Open in SharePoint.

You can then use the SharePoint functionality available to your organisation, including:

• Creating and managing folders
• Creating new documents
• Uploading documents
• Editing existing files
• Collaborating on Microsoft 365 documents
• Reviewing document version history

Tip:
Use Open in SharePoint when you need more document-management functionality than is available directly from the embedded Documents experience in Altus.

Use an Existing SharePoint Document Library

Your organisation may already have an established SharePoint document location that should remain the authoritative repository for Project documentation.

Where the organisation uses Microsoft 365 Group-based Project document management, an authorised administrator can configure the underlying document-management setup in Power Apps to redirect the Project to the appropriate existing SharePoint location rather than maintaining a separate default repository.

This may be appropriate where:

• An existing Project document library is already in use
• Project documentation must remain within an established Microsoft Teams or SharePoint collaboration space
• The organisation has predefined document structures
• Information-governance requirements determine where Project documents must be maintained

Important:
Redirecting or changing the Project's document location is an administrative configuration activity.

Standard Project users should not attempt to change the underlying document-management configuration. Contact your Altus administrator or implementation partner where an existing SharePoint repository needs to be used.

Tip:
If an established Project repository already exists, confirm the intended document location with your administrator before uploading files. This helps avoid creating parallel document libraries for the same Project.

Maintain One Authoritative Document Location

Whether your organisation uses the standard Microsoft 365 Group-associated library or an existing SharePoint location, Project teams should know which repository is authoritative.

Avoid maintaining the same working documents across multiple uncontrolled locations, such as:

• The Project's connected SharePoint library
• Another SharePoint Project site
• A Microsoft Teams channel
• Individual OneDrive locations
• Local computers

Where multiple collaboration locations exist, clearly define which location holds the controlled Project documentation.

Best Practice:
Include the approved document location as part of Project onboarding and handover so Project Managers and team members know where documentation should be created, stored, and maintained.

Understand Access and Permissions

Access to Project documents depends on access to the underlying Microsoft 365 Group and SharePoint location.

If a user cannot open, upload, or update a document:

• Confirm that the expected Microsoft 365 Group is associated with the Project
• Confirm access to the relevant SharePoint location
• Check whether the document has additional permission restrictions
• Contact your Altus, Microsoft 365, or SharePoint administrator where required

Important:
Access to the Altus Project and access to its underlying document repository should not be assumed to be identical. Always follow the permissions and governance model configured by your organisation.

Key Considerations

• The connected Documents experience depends on your organisation using the Microsoft 365 Group association mechanism for Projects.
• A Microsoft 365 Group must be created or associated with the Project for its connected SharePoint document library to become available through this mechanism.
• The standard Altus Documents experience uses the associated SharePoint location.
• Open in SharePoint provides access to broader SharePoint document-management functionality.
• An existing SharePoint document location can be used where an administrator has configured the Project accordingly.
• Changes to the underlying document-management setup should be performed by an authorised administrator or implementation partner.
• Avoid creating parallel repositories containing competing versions of the same Project documents.
• Document access depends on the permissions applied to the associated Microsoft 365 Group and SharePoint location.
• Follow your organisation's security, document-retention, records-management, and information-governance requirements.

Tips

• Confirm that a Microsoft 365 Group is associated with the Project before expecting the connected Documents library to be available.
• Check for an existing document before uploading another copy.
• Use clear and consistent file names.
• Use SharePoint version history rather than maintaining multiple manually numbered copies where appropriate.
• Use folders or your organisation's agreed document structure to keep information organised.
• Confirm the authoritative Project document repository during Project setup.
• If an existing Project repository already exists, speak with your administrator before introducing another document location.
• Include the approved document location in Project handover information so future Project owners can quickly find the correct repository.