The Ultimate Succession Planning Toolkit for HR Leaders [Free Templates]
Only one in three board members and C-level execs say their organization has strong talent discussions – a reminder that succession planning often falls short. How well is it supported in your organization? Now’s the time to take action and support the future of your company.
A succession planning toolkit gives HR leaders the structure, clarity, and confidence to navigate leadership transitions without disrupting business momentum. The case for a proactive, disciplined approach is undeniable. A Harvard Business Review study revealing that poorly managed CEO and C-suite transitions cost S&P 1500 companies nearly US$1 trillion in lost market value annually. Without a plan in place, organizations risk far more than empty seats – they risk their future.
Contents
The importance of succession planning
What to include in your organization’s succession planning toolkit
How to put your succession planning toolkit to work
The importance of succession planning
Business continuity depends on people being ready to step into critical roles without delay or disruption. When key employees leave (whether suddenly or through planned transitions), organizations risk losing more than just capacity. They lose knowledge, momentum, and confidence, both internally and externally.
A clear succession plan ensures that future leaders are identified early and developed with intent, reducing the chaos and cost that often come with rushed replacements. It also signals to high-performing employees that their growth matters, which boosts engagement and retention. Without it, teams are left directionless, power struggles can emerge, and organizations risk falling behind.
Leadership transitions aren’t rare – they’re constant – and businesses without a succession plan will feel each one as a crisis. With the right preparation, however, these moments become smooth handovers, not emergencies. Planning ahead protects stability, preserves knowledge, and gives organizations the agility to keep moving forward, no matter who’s at the helm.
What to include in your organization’s succession planning toolkit
Effective succession planning starts with a solid strategy, but it’s brought to life through a set of practical tools and templates. Each one plays a different role depending on what you’re trying to achieve, from identifying successors to developing them over time.
In this article, we’ve gathered all the tools that every HR professional needs to create and implement strong succession plans across the business. Different situations call for different approaches: identifying potential successors, evaluating performance and potential, creating development pathways, or preparing for the transition of critical roles like the CEO.
A clear, well-organized toolkit ensures consistency, provides clarity across departments, and lets HR teams act quickly and confidently when change is on the horizon.
Here’s a range of succession planning tools and templates that you can mix, match, and adapt depending on your organization’s size, maturity, and strategic priorities.
Core succession planning tools
These are the foundational resources that help HR professionals identify key roles, track potential successors, and clarify the responsibilities of the critical roles. They bring structure and consistency to the planning process and support transparency and alignment across the organization, making it easier to map leadership pipelines and prepare individuals for advancement.
Simple succession planning template
Track and manage potential successors for key roles.
A simple succession plan template outlines a position, the current role holder, and the expected timeline for transition. It also captures the key competencies required, names of potential successors, their readiness level, and a brief overview of their development plan.
The template includes key performance metrics for each critical role and who to contact if the position becomes unexpectedly vacant. This format is especially useful for smaller organizations or teams beginning their succession planning journey, offering structure without complexity.
Best for: When you need a clear, accessible view of leadership pipelines and want to regularly assess the progress of potential successors.
CEO succession planning template
Ensure leadership continuity at the highest level.
A CEO succession planning template begins by clearly defining what the organization needs from its next CEO. This takes into account the company’s long-term strategy, upcoming challenges, and the skills required to navigate them. The template also outlines ideal characteristics, experience, leadership capabilities, and cultural fit.
The template also profiles potential successors, both internal and external, based on how well they meet these criteria and how ready they are to step into the role. Depending on the board’s assessment, it provides a plan for either recruiting or developing candidates and maps out the company’s operational direction over the next three to five years to align leadership selection with business priorities.
This type of template is particularly important for larger organizations or those facing significant transformation, where a thoughtful, deliberate approach to CEO succession is essential.
Best for: Boards of directors and executive teams seeking a structured, forward-looking approach to CEO succession that aligns with long-term business strategy and leadership needs.
Career progression framework template
Map out how employees can grow within an organization.
A career progression framework template defines job levels, outlines role expectations, and details the skills and competencies needed at each stage of an employee’s journey, from entry-level to leadership. It also includes clear performance benchmarks and identifies potential vertical and lateral career paths, giving employees and managers a shared understanding of what growth looks like.
This template supports succession planning by offering employees a visible path forward. It links career progression with learning, feedback, and advancement opportunities. The career progression framework can be particularly useful in organizations that want to build internal talent pipelines, reduce attrition, and create transparent, equitable pathways for growth. By aligning employee development with business needs, the framework helps HR teams manage skills gaps, improve engagement, and foster long-term retention.
Best for: HR teams designing internal career paths that support workforce development, succession planning, and retention across all levels of the organization.
Roles and responsibilities template
Define what is expected from individuals and positions.
This practical document outlines the role title, reporting lines, department, and a summary of the role’s purpose, followed by a detailed list of key duties and expectations. It also includes the necessary skills, qualifications, and competencies to succeed in the role, which helps create clarity (for both the employee and employer) around job performance and accountability.
It’s especially valuable when establishing a new position, onboarding a new hire, supporting performance management, or preparing employees for internal mobility. In the context of succession planning, the roles and responsibilities template helps identify what future successors will need to take on, making it easier to spot gaps, set development goals, and prepare employees for more senior roles.
It also plays a crucial role during organizational restructuring, helping teams navigate change by clearly outlining evolving responsibilities. Used effectively, it supports alignment, reduces role confusion, and improves collaboration across functions.
Best for: HR professionals and team leaders who need to define, communicate, or adjust job expectations to support hiring, performance, restructuring, or workforce planning.
Evaluating and selecting potential successors
This set of tools supports objective, data-informed decision-making, helping HR teams and business leaders to assess readiness, performance, and leadership potential using structured methods and templates to identify high-potential individuals early, guide development efforts strategically, and make confident, fair succession decisions.
9 box grid
Map employees across performance and potential.
Using a 3×3 matrix, individuals are placed into one of nine categories based on how well they meet performance expectations and what their potential is
The 9-box grid is a snapshot of where talent currently sits within the organization, from underperformers to future leaders, which is particularly useful during succession discussions. It highlights who is ready for advancement, who may need further development, and where support or intervention is required through an objective, data-driven evaluation that promotes fair, consistent talent conversations.
Best for: HR teams and leadership groups conducting succession planning and talent reviews across mid to senior-level roles.
Employee evaluation template
Assess individual performance.
By evaluating individual performance, managers and HR teams can track progress against goals and guide development conversations. Typically, the employee evaluation template includes sections for performance ratings, areas of excellence, and challenges.
Importantly, the template standardizes how feedback is captured and communicated across the organization and provides a consistent framework for performance reviews, ensuring evaluations are fair, actionable, and aligned with company objectives. Used regularly, these templates support open dialogue, reinforce expectations, and highlight growth opportunities, helping employees stay motivated and focused.
They also give HR teams the performance data they need to support decisions around promotions, training, and succession planning. The template’s flexibility means it can be adapted to different roles, departments, or review cycles, making it a core resource in any performance management system.
Best for: HR professionals and managers conducting structured performance reviews to support employee development, engagement, and organizational alignment.
360 feedback template
Collect performance feedback from a range of sources.
Together, peers, managers, direct reports, and sometimes external stakeholders, offer a well-rounded view of an employee’s strengths and development areas, which is where a 360 feedback template comes in handy. It typically includes both quantitative rating scales and open-ended questions, delivering a mix of measurable data and qualitative insights.
The template standardizes the feedback process, promotes fairness, reduces bias, and makes it easier to analyze feedback across teams and roles. This is especially valuable for succession planning and leadership development, as it brings forward perspectives that traditional top-down evaluations often miss.
Customizable by function or seniority, this tool supports a culture of continuous improvement and trust, and when used consistently, it enhances individual performance and strengthens collaboration and accountability across the organization.
Best for: HR teams facilitating leadership development, performance reviews, or talent development initiatives that require multi-source, well-rounded feedback.
Planning development and monitoring readiness
Once you’ve identified successors, these tools guide the development journey by helping HR teams and people leaders to define the skills, experiences, and support each individual needs to step confidently into future roles. This part of your succession planning toolkit ensures that successors are not only selected but fully prepared for their new roles when the time comes.
Training needs analysis template
Identify the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities.
What skills, knowledge, or abilities do employees need in order to improve their performance and meet business goals? Without a training needs analysis (TNA), training can be hit and miss, and individuals identified for succession may not meet a new role’s needs.
A TNA helps HR and L&D teams diagnose whether performance issues are caused by skills gaps and whether training is the right solution, or which gaps need to be filled by training to support a succession plan. The template typically includes fields for goals, desired job behaviors, skills required, current skill levels, and training recommendations.
It can be used at the organizational, team, or individual level to prioritize learning needs, plan targeted training programs, and ensure alignment with strategic objectives. By uncovering gaps early and focusing resources where they’ll have the most impact, a TNA template supports more efficient, tailored development initiatives and avoids wasting time and budget on irrelevant training, which is especially valuable during change, growth, or when new roles and technologies are introduced.
Best for: L&D and HR professionals assessing skill gaps to plan targeted, business-aligned training that supports individual and organizational performance.
Leadership development plan
Cultivate future leaders through skills, competencies, and experiences.
A leadership development plan outlines clear goals, learning activities, timelines, and evaluation methods tailored to each individual’s growth path, while aligning with the organization’s long-term priorities. This includes formal training, mentoring, job rotations, and stretch assignments to support experiential learning.
When used effectively, a leadership development plan engages high-potential employees, strengthens succession pipelines, and ensures your leadership bench is prepared for both current demands and future challenges.
It also builds accountability by clarifying expectations and tracking development over time among employees, managers, and senior leaders. Leadership development plans are most effective when they’re part of a culture of continuous learning and when supported by senior leadership involvement and measurable outcomes.
Best for: HR and L&D teams preparing high-potential employees for leadership roles and ensuring continuity in critical positions through structured, future-focused development.
Coaching plan template
Guide individual professional growth through structured coaching.
Designed to address skill gaps, performance challenges, or career development goals, a coaching plan aligns personal growth with organizational priorities while offering employees personalized support. It supports accountability by assigning clear roles and responsibilities, backed by regular check-ins, success metrics tracking, and feedback loops to keep progress on track and measurable.
Whether aimed at improving leadership capacity, addressing underperformance, or supporting new managers, a coaching plan builds confidence, sharpens capability, and strengthens engagement, and is especially effective when tailored to the employee’s role, learning style, and aspirations.
Best for: HR professionals and people managers creating structured, individualized development journeys that drive performance, support retention, and build a culture of continuous improvement.
How to put your succession planning toolkit to work
A succession planning toolkit is only valuable if it’s actively used to guide decisions, shape development plans, and support business continuity. Here’s how to apply these tools in practice, embed them in your HR processes, and ensure they deliver measurable impact.
1. Start by identifying critical roles and career paths
Begin by mapping out the roles that are essential to your organization’s ongoing performance and strategic direction. These are the positions that, if left vacant, would create significant disruption or knowledge loss. Think beyond the executive layer and include specialist roles, project-critical positions, and operational leaders.
Use the following tools:
- Simple succession planning template: Track successors for each key role, along with timelines and development status.
- CEO succession planning template: Guide executive leadership transitions with a structured, long-term approach.
- Roles and responsibilities template: Clearly define what each role entails so that successors are aligned with expectations.
- Career progression framework template: Map pathways to leadership across departments and job families to identify where talent can grow into critical roles.
Try this: Involve department heads early to validate which roles are truly business-critical and ensure buy-in on development paths.
2. Evaluate internal talent
Once key roles are defined, assess who in the organization could potentially step into them. Focus on both current performance and future potential. This step ensures you’re building your pipeline based on evidence, not assumptions.
Use the following tools:
- 9-box grid template: Visually map employees based on performance and potential to identify rising stars and those needing support.
- Employee evaluation template: Standardize performance reviews to ensure fair and consistent feedback across roles and teams.
- 360 feedback template: Gather input from peers, direct reports, and managers to provide a full picture of an individual’s leadership readiness.
Try this: Make talent evaluation a cross-functional conversation involving both HR and business leaders to avoid bias and surface hidden talent.
3. Plan development and track progress
Identifying successors is only the first step. The next step is preparing them. A structured development plan bridges the gap between where someone is now and what the future role requires. This includes building skills, offering stretch assignments, and tracking progress against clear goals.
Use the following tools:
- Training needs analysis template: Identify gaps between current skills and future role requirements.
- Leadership development plan template: Create customized learning pathways for high-potential employees.
- Coaching plan template: Provide tailored, one-on-one support to help individuals grow into leadership roles.
Try this: Regularly review and update development plans in partnership with line managers. Link progress to measurable outcomes like project delivery, team feedback, or role-specific competencies.
4. Support the process with software tools
Software helps you gather, organize, and use the data you need for succession planning effectively. When your succession planning toolkit is supported by digital tools, it becomes easier to keep information current, spot gaps, and involve the right people in the process.
Here are a few types of tools that can support your work:
- HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems): Maintain up-to-date records on employees, roles, and reporting structures, giving you a clear overview of the organization.
- ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems): Help evaluate external candidates alongside internal successors, particularly for leadership roles.
- LMS (Learning Management Systems): Link development plans to actual learning activities and track progress across leadership competencies.
- Competency management tools: Help define and assess the skills needed for each role, making it easier to evaluate and develop successors consistently.
- Succession planning software: Provides dashboards, talent maps (such as 9-box grids), and alerts for review cycles to keep succession planning visible and on track.
Try this: Before adding new tools, look at what you already use for performance, learning, or workforce planning. Often, the information you need is already there—it just needs to be organized to support your succession efforts.
5. Make succession planning an ongoing process
Succession planning shouldn’t be a one-off exercise. To be truly effective, it must be embedded into your workforce strategy and reviewed regularly. Treat it as a dynamic process that evolves with your business.
Do this:
- Encourage managers and teams to use the templates in their own planning conversations, rather than just relying on HR.
- Review succession plans and development roadmaps quarterly or biannually, particularly during strategic planning or performance review cycles.
- Store all templates and completed plans in a central, accessible location, ideally within your HR platform or shared drive.
- Promote transparency where appropriate. Letting employees know they’re being considered for future roles boosts motivation and engagement.
- Align succession planning with broader workforce planning, talent reviews, and leadership development programs.
Over to you
An effective succession planning toolkit gives HR the structure and flexibility needed to prepare for change, develop internal talent, and reduce business disruption, but the real value lies in using it consistently across teams, over time, and in response to changing organizational needs. By integrating the right tools into your everyday processes and building a culture of proactive talent development, you position your organization to thrive through every transition.
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