---
title: "Manually manage performance activity availability"
slug: "manually-manage-performance-activity-availability"
tags: ["Totara Perform", "How-to", "Site Administrator", "Content Creator"]
updated: 2025-07-22T10:52:18Z
published: 2025-07-22T11:18:53Z
canonical: "totara.help/manually-manage-performance-activity-availability"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://totara.help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Manually manage performance activity availability

Both Site Administrators and Staff Managers can manually manage the availability of a [performance activity](/19/docs/what-are-performance-activities) subject instance, for example closing or reopening an appraisal activity for a particular employee.

## **As a Site Administrator**

To manually manage the availability of a performance activity as a Site Administrator you must first ensure you are logged in as a Site Administrator, then follow these steps:

1. Navigate to *Quick-access menu > Activity management* (/mod/perform/manage/activity/index.php)*.*
2. Alongside the activity for which you wish to open or close an instance, click the icon of two people (![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/manage_participation.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-06T07%3A05%3A22Z&se=2026-11-06T08%3A05%3A22Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=54a6AZ4IejyITwBRDxk9kZKVjyTqmUccSt6S9PIRSCk%3D)) to **Manage participation.**
3. View the **Subject instances**, **Participant instances** or **Participant sections** tabs to navigate to the instance or section of the performance activity you wish to open or close.
4. Click the icon of three dots (![three_dots(1)](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/three_dots(1).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-06T07%3A05%3A22Z&se=2026-11-06T08%3A05%3A22Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=54a6AZ4IejyITwBRDxk9kZKVjyTqmUccSt6S9PIRSCk%3D)) alongside the instance you wish to manage.
5. Select whether you wish to:
6. Read the warning message to ensure you are aware of the effects the action will have.
7. Then either click the **Close** button (if you are closing an instance) or click the **Reopen** button if you are opening an instance.
8. You can also click **Cancel** if you no longer wish to continue with the action.

## **As a Manager**

As a Staff Manager, you can manually manage the availability of performance activities for members of your team. To do this follow these steps:

1. Navigate to *Develop > Activities* (/mod/perform/activity/index.php).
2. Above the list of activities, on the right-hand side, click the **Manage participation** button.
3. From the dropdown menu select the performance activity you'd like to manually manage availability for.
4. Click the **Continue** button.
5. View the **Subject instances**, **Participant instances** or **Participant sections** tabs to navigate to the instance or section of the performance activity you wish to open or close.
6. Click the icon of three dots (![three_dots(1)](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/three_dots(1).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-06T07%3A05%3A22Z&se=2026-11-06T08%3A05%3A22Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=54a6AZ4IejyITwBRDxk9kZKVjyTqmUccSt6S9PIRSCk%3D)) alongside the instance you wish to manage.
7. Select whether you wish to:
8. Read the warning message to ensure you are aware of the effects the action will have.
9. Then either click the **Close** button (if you are closing an instance) or click the **Reopen** button if you are opening an instance.
10. You can also click **Cancel** if you no longer wish to continue with the action.

The exact wording of the option to close or reopen an instance will depend on the type of instance for which you are performing the action. For example, if you are closing a subject instance it will read **Close subject instance**, and if you are closing a participant instance it will read **Close participant instance**.When manually managing availability in either role it is important to know that closing an instance will prevent any further submissions, regardless of the affected user's progress. If the answers have not been submitted then the status will be changed to **Not submitted**.  
  
Opening an instance will change it to **Not started** if there are no responses saved within it, or return it to the **In progress** status if there were responses, even if it was previously completed. Any submitted responses by the participant will be saved as a new draft. Responses will be unavailable for viewing in this state (and will become visible again when the conditions for visibility are fulfilled).

![Course badge](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/course-badge_appraisals-in-totara-perform(3).svg?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-06T07%3A05%3A22Z&se=2026-11-06T08%3A05%3A22Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=54a6AZ4IejyITwBRDxk9kZKVjyTqmUccSt6S9PIRSCk%3D)

Get involved in the conversation about [Performance management](https://totara.community/container/type/workspace/workspace.php?id=546) in the Totara Community.

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