This checklist aims to provide you with a quick way to health-check you current succession planning process. Use this guide to identify if there are key components missing and must be installed for a healthy succession system.

Checklist #1 – Do You Have Success Profiles?

Success profiles cover key factors that make a position critical for the organization. It also includes leadership and technical competencies, the expected proficiency, and the importance level of each competency. Success profiles provide the basis for selecting potential successors.

Checklist #2 – Do You Have Assessment Tools?

Assessments provide an objective and non-biased view into someone’s potential and proficiencies. Using reliable assessment tools such as psychometrics or simulations can measure a person’s values, and competencies that make up his or her potential.

Checklist #3 – Does You Succession Process Link to Development?

Personalized development plans ensure that successors are ready for a critical role much quicker than haphazard plans. In order for them to “hit the ground running” development plans must be based on the requirements of the critical role and are designed more deliberate than traditional development.

Checklist #4 – Do You Have Post Succession Planning Support?

Creating a formalized post succession support process with both the predecessor of the role or the HR team can identify if successors are truly ready and find the new role manageable. This allows for early intervention should any difficulties arise, minimizing negative impact.

Checklist #5 – Is There Top Management Buy-In?

To ensure a successful rollout of your succession system, it is important that top management understands the importance of the process and agrees to the methodology being used. This also amplifies the impact of succession planning communication because it comes from top management directly.

How did you fare? Succession planning is not a one-time affair. You need to have key processes in place and ensure continuous improvement of the system. Failure to install any of the key components is one of the most prominent challenges of succession planning.