Six steps for bottom-up succession planning

“Fundamental Steps

Given today’s workplace reality, the succession plan now calls for a number of fundamental steps.

1. IDENTIFY POSITION REQUIREMENTS

2. CONSIDER INTERNAL TALENT POOL

3. CONDUCT A GAP ANALYSIS

4. DETERMINE OPTIMAL SOURCE OF TALENT

5. DEVELOP A TRAINING PLAN

6. RE-ASSESS

Planning for the Entry Level

“When planning for entry level employees, weigh the answers to the following questions:

1. How many employees are over 45, 50, 55, and 60?
2. How many of those employees are in front-line jobs, supervisory jobs, and management jobs?
3. Do the supervisory jobs get filled from the front-line ranks?
4. Do the management jobs get filled from the supervisory ranks?
5. How long does it take to train a new employee to the point of competence in each of these levels?
6. What was the average retirement age in your organization each year over the last 10 years in each of these levels?
7. Who are you in competition with for your work force?
8. Is your competition for employees facing a similar challenge? If not, why not?
9. What are the implications of running key departments understaffed for significant periods?
10. What does your collective agreement require in terms of opportunities for employees to transfer between jobs?
11. What are the alternatives to hiring?

Meeting Your Requirements for the Future”