Succession Planning Template and Checklist
A ready-to-use succession planning template and the process checklist to go with it. Map critical roles, rate readiness, then see exactly where the bench is thin.
- A 9-box grid, readiness ratings and critical-role risk in one template
- Bench-strength ratings: ready now, ready in 1-2 years, or longer
- A development action and owner for every gap
- A process checklist and a bench-strength matrix to keep it honest
What is inside
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A ready-to-use succession planning template
critical roles, risk if vacant, a 9-box grid, readiness ratings and development actions in one place.
- A 10-point process checklist you can map to your talent-review cycle and mark off as you fill the template in.
- A bench-strength matrix that scores each critical role on readiness dimensions and shows where the bench is thin.
- Bench-depth and readiness ratings, ready now, ready in one to two years or longer, so every gap is visible and owned.
Who it is for
Anyone who has to keep critical roles covered, or answer for one left empty.
- HR business partners
- Talent and OD teams
- Heads of HR and CHROs
- Senior leaders and execs
- People managers
- Workforce planning
- Board and remuneration committees
- Founders and COOs
What is in the template
The template is one connected tool, not a course. Each section captures part of the picture, from critical roles through to the development action that closes each gap. Fill them in order and the bench-strength view builds itself.
| Section | Purpose | Filled by | What it captures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Critical roles | Scope the plan | HRBP | The roles that carry the most risk if vacant, with impact and scarcity noted. |
| 2. Risk if vacant | Prioritise | HRBP | How exposed each critical role is today: single successor, none, or a healthy bench. |
| 3. 9-box grid | Place talent | Leaders | Potential successors placed by performance and potential, with evidence behind each placement. |
| 4. Readiness ratings | Rate the bench | Leaders | Ready now, ready in one to two years, or longer, for each named successor. |
| 5. Bench depth | Count the bench | HRBP | How many credible successors each critical role has, not just the first name that comes up. |
| 6. Development actions | Close the gaps | Manager | One concrete action and an owner for each successor who is not yet ready. |
| 7. Bench-strength summary | See the whole | HR | Coverage and readiness across all critical roles, and the roles still exposed. |
Kept in the Excel version, the template recalculates coverage and readiness as you update ratings, so the bench-strength summary is always current rather than a snapshot from last quarter.
The process checklist
Ten steps to fill the template in and keep it current, so it stays a live plan rather than a form filed once. Tick items to track your own progress, it stays in this browser. The download has the same list with an owner column.
- Critical roles listed and agreed with leadersCritical rolesPer cycle
- Risk if vacant rated for each critical roleRiskPer cycle
- Successors named and placed on the 9-box with evidence9-boxPer cycle
- Readiness rated as ready now, 1-2 years or longerReadinessPer cycle
- Bench depth recorded for each critical roleBench depthPer cycle
- Single-successor and no-successor roles flagged as riskRiskPer cycle
- Development action and owner set for every gapDevelopmentPer cycle
- Emergency cover named for the highest-risk rolesContinuityPer cycle
- Bench-strength summary reviewed with leadersBench strengthPer cycle
- Template updated between cycles as people moveGovernanceOngoing
The most common gap is the development action. A readiness rating with no action behind it does not improve on its own, so next cycle the successor is still one to two years away, and the role is still exposed.
Bench strength at a glance
The checklist tells you the template is filled in. This matrix tells you which critical roles are actually covered. Score each critical role on the five dimensions that decide whether it is safe. In Excel the coverage and gaps calculate as you type.
| Critical role | Risk | Successor named | Ready now | Bench depth | Dev plan | Risk covered | Ready |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VP Engineering | Low | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| CFO | High | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 70% |
| Head of Sales | Med | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 60% |
| Head of Product | Med | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 60% |
| Head of Data | High | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20% |
| Coverage at required | 60% | 20% | 20% | 40% | 40% | 62% |
Head of Data is the exposure here: no ready successor, no bench and no development plan, so a single resignation leaves the role uncovered. That is the row the plan exists to catch.
The succession review calendar
| Timing | Action | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle kickoff | List critical roles, rate risk if vacant, and open the template for the cycle. | HRBP |
| During the cycle | Place successors on the 9-box and rate readiness with the leaders who own the roles. | Leaders |
| Within the cycle | Set a development action and owner for every gap the ratings expose. | Managers |
| Quarterly | Update readiness, close or reassign actions, and re-check the highest-risk roles. | HRBP |
| Annually | Full refresh: re-score bench strength, recalibrate the 9-box, and report coverage. | Head of HR |
| After a key departure | Update the template, trigger emergency cover, and decide develop or hire, fast. | HRBP and leader |
How to use it
- List the critical roles
Start with the roles that carry the most risk if vacant, judged on impact and how hard they are to replace, not just seniority.
- Rate the risk if each role is vacant
Mark how exposed each critical role is today, so the plan points at the roles that would hurt most, first.
- Name successors and place them on the 9-box
For each role, name potential successors and place them by performance and potential, with evidence, not affection.
- Rate readiness for each successor
Ready now, ready in one to two years, or longer. Be honest, because an optimistic rating hides the real gap.
- Set a development action for every gap
Each successor who is not ready gets one concrete action and an owner, so the plan builds bench, not just records it.
- Review bench strength each cycle
Update readiness, close or reassign actions, and re-check the roles that still have one successor or none.
Disprz drives up to 50 percent gains in productivity and engagement, the kind of lift you see when each development action in the plan becomes real growth toward a bigger role.
Common mistakes this pack prevents
- A plan that lists favourites instead of the roles that carry the most risk if vacant.
- 9-box placements based on affection, with no evidence to defend them in a review.
- Readiness marked optimistically, so a successor rated ready now is not, when the day comes.
- Bench depth of one treated as safe, when a single resignation leaves the role uncovered.
- Readiness ratings with no development action behind them, so the gap never actually closes.
Which format should you use?
| Format | Best for | What is inside | Editable | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharing and print | The full template, formatted to print or circulate | No | 55 KB | |
| Word | Editing the wording | Every section as editable text you can adapt | Yes | 86 KB |
| Excel | Filling it in live | The grid and scoring set up as a working spreadsheet | Yes | 65 KB |
Questions people ask
What is a succession planning template?
How is this different from the succession planning training template?
What do the readiness ratings mean?
Can I adapt the template and ratings?
Do I have to fill the form three times?
A succession plan only protects the org if the bench is actually developing. That is the part we run.
Bring your talent and leadership teams to a 30-minute working session. We will show how Disprz turns each development action into a tracked learning path, so the readiness ratings in this template move from optimistic to evidenced.