Avast antivirus interferes with program

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

I have a program that creates reports, either in PDF or RTF format, user choice. With Avast on, the program errors when I try to create the report, it says I do not have permission to access a file.
If I turn off Avast, the program works fine.

I tried adding an exception to Avast for the folder containing the program, and all contents of that folder including the program. But I get the same error.

How can I stop Avast from interfering with the program?

2

It may be related to avast ransomware shield … (not avast free)

https://support.avast.com/en-ww/article/Antivirus-Ransomware-Shield-FAQ

https://support.avast.com/en-ww/article/Use-Ransomware-Shield