Employee Succession Planning Guide
Purposes, positions, process, and criteria.
Planning Purposes
Leadership continuity
Importance: Critical
Approach: Identify successors
Knowledge preservation
Importance: Important
Approach: Transfer planning
Risk mitigation
Importance: High
Approach: Prepare backups
Development planning
Importance: Essential
Approach: Career paths
Organizational stability
Importance: Vital
Approach: Smooth transitions
Critical Positions
1. Executive leadership
2. Senior management
3. Key technical roles
4. Critical operations
5. Revenue-driving roles
6. Specialized positions
7. Customer-facing roles
8. Strategic positions
Planning Process
1. Identify critical positions
2. Define position requirements
3. Assess current talent
4. Identify potential successors
5. Evaluate succession readiness
6. Develop succession candidates
7. Create development plans
8. Implement development
9. Monitor progress
10. Review and adjust
Successor Criteria
Performance
Assessment: Results track record
Potential
Assessment: Growth capability
Skills
Assessment: Required competencies
Experience
Assessment: Relevant background
Leadership
Assessment: Leadership capability
Fit
Assessment: Position alignment
Succession Planning Checklist
1. Identify critical positions. 2. Define position requirements clearly. 3. Assess current talent pool. 4. Identify potential successors. 5. Evaluate succession readiness. 6. Create development plans. 7. Implement development activities. 8. Monitor progress regularly. 9. Review plans periodically. 10. Adjust as needs change. 11. Document succession plans. 12. Communicate appropriately. 13. Test succession readiness. 14. Update with changes. Succession planning = organizational continuity. Critical positions identified. Requirements defined. Talent assessed. Successors identified. Development planned. Progress monitored. Regular review. Documentation maintained.