Succession Planning Report

Organisation / unit: [Company, division, or team this report covers] Prepared by: [Name and role of the plan owner] Date: [Date] Review cadence: [e.g., reviewed twice yearly] Next review: [Date] Audience: [e.g., board, owners, executive team]

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1. Scope and purpose

[State which roles this report covers, the planning horizon, and what the reader should do with it.]

• Roles in scope: [The critical roles assessed below]
• Planning horizon: [e.g., the next three years]
• Out of scope: [Roles handled through normal recruitment, covered elsewhere, or deferred]

2. Critical roles and key-person risk

[List the roles that would genuinely threaten the organisation if they fell vacant. Rank by overall risk — highest first — so attention follows exposure.]

Role	Incumbent	Why the role is critical	Departure risk	Impact if lost	Overall risk
[Role title]	[Name]	[Revenue / knowledge / relationships at stake]	[High / Med / Low]	[High / Med / Low]	[High / Med / Low]
[Role title]	[Name]	[Why this seat matters]	[High / Med / Low]	[High / Med / Low]	[High / Med / Low]
[Role title]	[Name]	[Why this seat matters]	[High / Med / Low]	[High / Med / Low]	[High / Med / Low]

3. Successors and readiness

[For each critical role, name the candidates in line and grade how ready each one is. Aim for more than one credible name behind each role.]

Role	Successor	Readiness	Key strengths	Main gap to close
[Role 1]	[Name]	[Ready now]	[What they already bring]	[What is missing]
[Role 1]	[Name]	[Ready in 1-2 yrs]	[Strengths]	[Gap]
[Role 2]	[Name]	[Ready in 1-2 yrs]	[Strengths]	[Gap]
[Role 2]	[Name]	[Ready in 3+ yrs]	[Strengths]	[Gap]
[Role 3]	[None identified]	[Gap — action required]	[—]	[Start external search / accelerate]

4. Development actions

[The specific work that turns near-ready candidates into ready ones. Each action closes a named gap, has an owner, and has a target date.]

Successor	Target role	Development action	Owner	Target date
[Name]	[Role]	[Stretch assignment / rotation / deputising / training / mentoring]	[Name]	[Date]
[Name]	[Role]	[Development action]	[Name]	[Date]
[Name]	[Role]	[Development action]	[Name]	[Date]

5. Emergency cover

[Separate from long-term succession: who holds each critical role on an interim basis if the incumbent disappears tomorrow, while a permanent successor is confirmed.]

Critical role	Interim cover	What they would need on day one
[Role 1]	[Name]	[Access, authority, and briefing required]
[Role 2]	[Name]	[What they would need]
[Role 3]	[Name]	[What they would need]

6. Risk summary and priorities

[Pull the picture together: where is the organisation most exposed, and what are the top actions for the coming period.]

• Highest-risk role(s): [Which role(s) carry the most unaddressed risk and why]
• Top priorities this period: [The two or three most important actions to reduce exposure]
• Roles with strong cover: [Where the organisation is well protected]

7. Review cadence

[How the plan stays alive.]

• Routine review: [How often the full report is reviewed and by whom]
• Trigger reviews: [Events that prompt an immediate refresh — a resignation, restructure, or new risk]
• Board / owner visibility: [How and when the most senior roles are reported upward]

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Optional additions

• Retention measures: [Steps taken to keep high-risk incumbents and key successors engaged.]
• Knowledge capture: [Where critical institutional knowledge is being documented to reduce dependence.]
• External benchmark: [Whether the market could supply each role, and the realistic lead time if so.]