Like other Microsoft applications, Project has capabilities for Object Linking and Embedding (OLE). This allows you to insert files that were created in other applications into Project. The power of this tool is that the objects keep their format and their links to the original application, meaning they can easily be edited.

You can insert an object directly into the Project screen, or you can attach it to a task or resource in the Notes field. We prefer using the Notes method as it keeps things more organized, so that’s the method we’re going to focus on.

To insert an object into your task or resource, first open the task or resource’s information dialog to the Notes tab. Then, click the Object button.

Next, you will be asked whether you want to create a new object or use an existing one. For our purposes, we’ll use an existing object. Then, we’ll browse to the file.

Note that there are also checkboxes in this dialog to create an active link to the file and to display it as an icon. If you don’t display the file as an icon, the entire thing will be inserted into the notes.

Once we click OK, we will see the file or its icon in the Notes field.

Here’s the cool part. You can double-click the icon to open the file in its original application.

And, changes made to the original file will be updated in your project if you checked the Link option.

Here are some tips for using objects in Project:

ü      If you’ve received a project from someone else, be careful about opening objects as they can be harmful to your computer.

ü      If you’re opening an object created by someone else, you may get an error if you don’t have the application that was used to create it installed on your computer.

ü      You will get an error if you try to access an object in a place that does not exist, or that links to a file that has been moved or deleted.

ü      If you’re sending a project to someone else, make sure that any linked files are accessible from a central location. For example, if your object’s path is C:\Bob’s Stuff\Document.doc, and you send your project to Sue, she will not have that folder or that file and will receive an error when she tries to open the object.