How do I manage and review Succession Plans?

Understanding succession readiness state

The succession readiness indicator is a primary metric displayed on the home page. This metric specifies when a successor will be ready to take over a given role. All of the successors in a pipeline are assigned a succession readiness state.

Readiness states are configurable and tailored to fit the needs of individual companies or organizations. The number of readiness states used, their names and associated timeframes are all configured by Eightfold support staff during succession planning setup.

The following is an example of a three-tiered readiness state model:

• Ready Now

• Ready Soon

• Ready Later

In this example, Ready now may denote an immediate or 0-3 month timeframe while Ready soon may indicate a 6-24 month timeframe.

Adding notes and actions

The succession plan Action feature allows users to assign action items to the overall succession plan or to a specific successor within the plan. This gives HRBPs and managers the opportunity to flag succession plans for further review with leadership. These notes are visible on the heat map view, by hovering over any successor and clicking on .

Adding actions

Successor actions are managed on the succession plan management page. Overall plan actions are managed on the home page. Users can add or remove actions for a specific successor or to the overall succession plan; for example, your organization can set Broaden knowledge and Develop in role as actions you can annotate with.

Status updates may accompany each action:

• Not Started

• In Progress

• Completed

To add a plan action on the home page:

1. Navigate to the desired plan on the home page.

2. Select the note icon in the rightmost column of the table.

3. Select the plus icon in the Succession plan actions window.

4. Select the desired action from the Action drop-down menu.

5. Click Save.

To add a successor action on the plan management page:

1. Identify a successor from the ordered list of successors.

2. Select the note icon in the rightmost column of the table.

3. Select the plus icon in the Successor actions window.

4. Select the desired action from the Action drop-down menu.

5. Click Save.

The Add note field is also available in the action window.

Adding notes

The add note field is a free-type space and can be used to provide details regarding a new action or other pertinent information. An Action or Status is not required to save a note. Notes can be added to the overall succession plan in addition to being added to a successor action.

To add a note to the overall succession plan:

1. Navigate to the Notes table at the bottom of the page.

2. Select the plus icon in the upper right corner of the notes table.

3. Type the note.

4. Click Save

When a note is added, a notification appears in the form of a red circle with the number of notes inside of the circle.

Successor list and tally

Successors are listed on the home page in the same order that they appear on the succession plan management page. Clicking on a successor's name navigates to their profile in the HRBP/Manager View.

A pop up modal also appears when hovering over a successor’s name on the home page. The card contains the successor’s name, current role, time in role, readiness, and the number of succession roles they are associated with.

Successors associated with more than one role/plan receive a notification on the card which appears as a caution symbol. This notifies users of possible conflicts with other succession plans.

The number of available successors are clearly marked and color-coded on the home page:

• Red triangles indicate no successors

• Yellow triangles indicate one successor

• Green triangles indicate two or more successors

Multiple succession plans warning

When reviewing succession plans, a warning indicates when a successor appears in more than X succession plans, where X is configurable by group_ID. For example, you might want to set visual warnings for successors who appear in more than 2 plans.

Stats bar

The stats bar is located just below the search filter on the home page. It provides a brief overview of key Succession Planning metrics in percentage form. Percentages are based on all active succession plans within a company or organization.

The stats bar can be enabled or disabled through configuration. The overhead view offered by the stats feature gives users a clear understanding of Succession Planning progress and stalls.

Pipeline strength

The pipeline strength feature is a dynamically computed metric based on the number of successors in a given role. A level of low, medium, or high is assigned to each role.

Values are configured by Eightfold support staff during Succession Planning setup. An example of corresponding values are low, 0-3 successors, medium 3-4 successors, or high 5 or more successors.

Diversity metrics

Pipeline diversity is displayed on the home page using company-specific metrics, such as ethnicity and gender. Metrics are customized by Eightfold support staff and may be based on corporate goals regarding diversity and inclusion.

After customization, the Diversity of pipeline column depicts unique percentages for each metric. For instance, if a company identifies ethnicity as a metric, the column may read Ethnic 44% for a particular pipeline. Another pipeline may have an ethnic percentage of zero if there are no ethnic successors added to that pipeline.

Reviewing metrics with Succession Planning Insights

With the Insights feature HRBPs and managers can review insights tailored to succession planning. The Insights link is located in the top navigation menu of My Career Hub alongside the Succession Planning feature set.

Insights data is divided into three tabs or categories:

• Overall succession metrics

• Succession plans

• Succession roles

Overall succession metrics

The overall succession metrics category comprises several key percentages such as the number of leadership succession plans available, and succession plans based on geography, business unit, and function. Diversity metrics regarding gender and ethnicity are also present in this tab.

Succession plans and succession roles

The succession plans and succession roles metrics offer in-depth accounts of the overall metrics feature.

Under succession roles, for instance, roles without plans are listed including the incumbent currently in the position and their business unit.

The succession plan tab provides more details for specific metrics such as ethnicity and gender. HRBPs and managers can learn more about roles that adhere to company goals for diversity and inclusion in this tab.