What is succession planning analytics?

Succession planning is a strategic HR function. Its purpose is to map out key
positions in the organization and identify potential successors who are (or will be)
ready to step into those key positions when they become vacant. Organizations with
effective succession planning programs are more resilient.

Succession Planning and Management

Five-Step Process
Succession planning and management is an essential component of the broader
human resources planning process. It involves an integrated, systematic approach
for identifying, developing, and retaining capable and skilled employees in line with
current and projected business objectives.
STEP 1. Identify Key Areas and Positions
Key areas and positions are those that are critical to the organization's operational
activities and strategic objectives.

 Identify which positions, if left vacant, would make it very difficult to achieve
current and future business goals
 Identify which positions, if left vacant, would be detrimental to the health, safety,
or security of the Canadian public

STEP 2. Identify Capabilities for Key Areas and Positions

To establish selection criteria, focus employee development efforts, and set
performance expectations, you need to determine the capabilities required for the
key areas and positions identified in Step 1.

 Identify the relevant knowledge, skills (including language), abilities, and

competencies needed to achievebusiness goals
 Use the Key Leadership Competencies profile
 Inform employees about key areas and positions and required capabilities

STEP 3. Identify Interested Employees and Assess Them Against

Capabilities
Determine who is interested in and has the potential to fill key areas and positions.

 Discuss career plans and interests with employees

 Identify the key areas and positions that are vulnerable and the candidates who
are ready to advance or whose skills and competencies could be developed
within the required time frame
 Ensure that a sufficient number of bilingual candidates and members of
designated groups are in feeder groups for key areas and positions

STEP 4. Develop and Implement Succession and Knowledge

Transfer Plans
Incorporate strategies for learning, training, development, and the transfer of
corporate knowledge into your succession planning and management.

 Define the learning, training, and development experiences that your

organization requires for leadership positions and other key areas and positions
 Link employees' learning plans to the knowledge, skills (including language),
and abilities required for current and future roles
 Discuss with employees how they can pass on their corporate knowledge

STEP 5. Evaluate Effectiveness

Evaluate and monitor your succession planning and management efforts to ensure
the following:

 Succession plans for all key areas and positions are developed;
 Key positions are filled quickly;
 New employees in key positions perform effectively; and
 Members of designated groups are adequately represented in feeder groups for
key areas and positions

Approach to succession planning and

management
There is not a "one-size fits all" approach to succession planning—
what works in one organization may not work in another, given
different contexts and resources. Moreover, an approach may
evolve over time as an organization learns what works and what
needs to be improved.
Different organizations are at different stages in their approach to
succession planning. You can use the following chart to assess the
state of succession planning in your organization. The information
you gather can be used to build a more comprehensive, leading
approach to succession planning.

Traditional Approach
Replacement Planning

 Focus is limited to executive-level positions.

 Focus is on identifying immediate and short-term
replacements.
 Plans are limited to identifying one or two potential successors
for senior positions.
 Plans are linked to individual job requirements.
 Potential candidates are identified based solely on feedback
from their immediate supervisor.
 Succession planning is done in isolation from other HR
disciplines (e.g. diversity initiatives, recruitment, and learning,
training and development).

Leading Approach
Succession Planning and Management

 Focus is on key areas and positions at different levels.

 Focus is on the development of talent for the longer term.
 Plans include developing pools of talent for key areas and
positions.
 Plans are linked to building competencies and skills that are
required to achieve current and future business goals.
 A systematic process is used to assess candidates based on
feedback from multiple perspectives and sources of
information.
 Processes are in place to integrate succession planning with
other HR disciplines.

Assess the state of succession planning

and management in your organization
Current state

 Is succession planning currently done? If so, how?

 To assess the current state, consider starting discussions
among key decision makers and stakeholders, establishing a
committee or conducting a survey.
 What areas need improvement?
 Is succession planning linked with the broad human resources
planning process and aligned with business planning?

Desired state

 How will you involve representatives from other human

resources disciplines (e.g. performance management; training,
learning and development, staffing and recruitment;
and employment equity and official languages) to ensure
succession planning is integrated with the broad human
resources planning process?
 How will you involve representatives from program planning
(e.g. corporate and strategic planners) to align succession
planning and to minimize the impact of any organizational
changes (e.g. changes in priorities, restructuring).
  Have you defined the business case and communicated it to
enhance engagement of key stakeholders (e.g.
managers, employees and bargaining agents)?
 Have the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders been
determined and clearly communicated?
 Which aspects of the succession planning process will be
decentralized to the business unit level and which will be kept
at the corporate level?
 Is there a communications plan, including key messages (e.g.
that succession planning does not guarantee promotions for
individual candidates)?
 How will you ensure the transparency of the process?
 What data and technology are needed?
 What resources (e.g. financial, human, technological) are
needed?
 What tools (e.g. procedures, templates) are needed to support
the process?
 Have you considered implementing a pilot project?
 How will effectiveness be tracked, monitored and reported?

Key values: transparency, fairness and

accessibility
Succession planning and management must reflect the core values
of fairness, access and transparency. It is important to ensure that:

 the succession planning process is transparent and well

communicated to all employees;
 candidates are assessed objectively, without personal
favouritism;
 employees who express an interest in career advancement
have a reasonable opportunity to be considered for
future positions; and
 appointments are based on merit.

Succession planning and management should ensure that

employees who express an interest in and who have the potential to
fill key areas and positions are provided with appropriate
opportunities to acquire the necessary skills and competencies to
compete for these positions when they become available.
Succession planning does not entail guaranteed promotions for
individual candidates. It is important that organizations carefully
identify capabilities for key areas and positions and manage
employee expectations to avoid misunderstanding.
Although the focus of succession planning and management is on
key areas and positions, development initiatives should occur
alongside more broad-based learning initiatives. In other words, all
employees should be encouraged to have learning plans and
participate in learning, training and development opportunities to
further their careers. However, the analysis of key areas and
positions may suggest that
developmental programs and activities be tailored to
build competencies for certain areas.

Roles and responsibilities

Executives

 Ensure that succession planning is integrated with human

resources planning and business planning
 Communicate and champion the importance of
effective succession planning and management
 Participate in the succession planning process and talent
review meetings for executive level positions

Managers

 Participate in identifying key areas and positions

 Identify capabilities (knowledge, skills and abilities) required
for key positions
 Identify critical or emerging gaps and communicate these
to employees so that they can better tailor their learning plans
 Consult with stakeholders, including representatives of
bargaining agents and employees
 Reserve time to discuss career development with each
employee.
 Provide employees with opportunities for development
  Conduct performance reviews and assist employees to
determine needs for further development
 Participate in talent review meetings and in developing
succession plans for key positions
 Link succession planning strategies to program and financial
planning to minimize the impact of developments such as
expenditure reviews
 Promote a transparent approach by communicating
succession planning initiatives
 Evaluate the effectiveness of succession planning initiatives
and amend the succession plan as required

Human resources professionals

 Develop human resources tools for managers and employees

 Provide timely advice and guidance to managers, e.g. by
helping to identify vulnerable positions (e.g. for
which incumbents will be retiring or leaving for other reasons
within the next several years) or key areas and positions
 Engage in and ensure ongoing discussions with bargaining
agents
 Ensure ongoing discussions with corporate planners and
ensure that links are made to program management
 Facilitate Performance Management Program exercises and
talent review meetings as requested
 Consult with functional communities (e.g. financial
management, information technology) that can provide a
horizontal, Government-wide perspective on identifying
current and future human resources needs
 Help managers to evaluate succession planning initiatives
 Help communicate key areas and positions to employees