What it is
A practical business process
Identify the work and roles that matter most, understand bench strength, and prepare people deliberately.
The business value
Succession planning protects more than a position.
It protects the organization’s ability to keep leading, serving, deciding, and growing through change.
01ContinuityKeep critical work, decisions, and relationships moving when leadership changes.
02ConfidenceGive boards, employees, partners, and customers a transition they can trust.
03GrowthBuild real leadership options instead of filling roles under pressure.
What it is not
A promise or a spreadsheet
Names in boxes are not succession planning. Useful plans are evidence-based, reviewed regularly, connected to development, and honest about risk.
The working sequence
From critical role to credible readiness.
Name the critical work
Start with continuity and organizational risk, not hierarchy alone.
Study the evidence
Separate readiness, potential, aspiration, and current performance.
Build capability
Use real experience, reflection, coaching, and formal learning.
Keep the plan alive
Review movement, risk, and evidence as the organization changes.
Interactive practice · contribution × readiness
The Nine-Box, Reframed.
Use this working map to discuss one person and one future role. Contribution describes demonstrated impact in the current work. Readiness describes evidence for the demands of the next role. These are separate judgments; neither is a permanent label or a promise of promotion.
Try it with fictional colleagues
Select a name, then select a box. Choose another name to compare placements. You can also type your own example above; nothing is saved or sent.
Readiness for this role ↑
Contribution in current role →
From the BRITER succession planning tools
Assess the role, then build readiness.
Start with the future role's real requirements. Invite the person's own account before comparing evidence together. A gap is information, not a verdict.
Define the destination
Name the outcomes and observable behaviors. Select 5–7 competencies and set each target level: Awareness, Applying, Proficient, or Leading others in it. Only then consider people.
Locate the person
The employee and leader rate independently before sharing. Compare in conversation, prioritize two or three gaps by impact on the future role, and ask, “What does this look like from where you sit?”
Build the route
Choose one competency, one real-work developmental move, and one visible 90-day milestone. The employee writes the plan; the leader coaches it. Name support and set the review date.