Succession planning and talent reviews, from critical roles to a board-ready plan
A complete kit for CHROs, HR leaders and CEOs who need named successors, tested emergency cover and fair, evidence-based talent reviews, in Canada, the US, the UK, the EU, Australia and New Zealand.
- A 26-sheet Succession and Talent Review Workbook: critical roles and key-person risk, talent profiles, calibration log, nine-box grid, fairness check, slates, bench strength, emergency cover and a dashboard with five charts
- Five fillable forms (15 pages): critical role assessment, talent profile with potential evidence, calibration record, successor development plan, emergency cover and handover plan
- Brand-ready Word templates: policy, sign-off memo, calibration facilitator guide, board and CEO succession pack, 31 messages and scripts, 25 AI prompts and a worked example
- A business-case calculator, a dated rules-by-country sheet, a 45-minute manager briefing with a 14-question LMS-ready knowledge check, and a 12-month calendar
The Succession Planning and Talent Review Kit · Bodhih Pro Kits · 332 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do you do succession planning and run a talent review?
Score which roles would hurt most if empty, name emergency cover for each, gather evidence on performance and potential, calibrate placements with bias checks, build slates with honest readiness levels, develop successors through stretch work and report bench strength to the board. The Succession Planning and Talent Review Kit from Bodhih Training has a file for every step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Do Succession Planning and Run a Fair Talent Review.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
A resignation exposed the gap
A key leader left at short notice and nobody was ready, or even named. The board wants to know it will not happen again.
'Potential' means someone's opinion
Talent reviews run on adjectives and airtime. Strong people who work differently, part-time or at another site are judged lower, and nobody checks.
The plan stops at names
There is a list of successors in a drawer. Nobody owns their development, and the list is out of date the week after it is written.
One person holds the keys
The only person who knows the ERP, the customs rules or the machine line could be gone tomorrow, and there is no handover file.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine your first critical role workshop. You open the Succession and Talent Review Workbook, put the Critical roles sheet on the screen and score each role on four factors with your executive team. Forty minutes later the list includes two roles nobody had thought of, each with a key-person risk score and a tier.
As managers return their talent profiles, every potential score carries an example. In the calibration meeting the bias observer asks one question, a placement moves, and the reason goes into the Calibration log. After the last meeting you run the Fairness check sheet and see whether strong performers in every group were judged the same way.
When you build the slates, bench strength appears role by role: GREEN, AMBER or RED. You write emergency cover for the RED roles first, agree development plans with the people named, and take a one-page memo and an honest business case to the board.
Whether you start with the Start-here map tonight or the self-assessment at your next executive meeting, the next step is small and the file for it is already open.
23 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Succession Planning and Talent Review Kit (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start-here map
The job in ten steps with the file for each, your first hour, your first week, a 30/60/90-day plan and the 'Brand it in five minutes' box.
Succession and Talent Review Workbook
26-sheet master workbook: settings, maturity self-assessment, critical roles and key-person risk, talent profiles with evidence-based potential, calibration log, nine-box counts and grid, fairness check, succession slates, bench by function, emergency cover, development plans, talent pools, retention actions, board skills matrix, weekly trend, decision log, RACI, roadmap, annual cycle, jurisdiction crosswalk, sources register, glossary, What changed log and a dashboard with five charts and traffic lights.
Business-Case Calculator
Six-sheet calculator: your estimates, programme cost by activity and role, vacancy exposure for Tier 1 roles under three situations, three options (do nothing, emergency cover only, do it well) with low and high cases, and a dashboard with three charts.
Critical Role Assessment Form
Score one role (not the person) on strategic impact, impact of a vacancy, scarcity and time to fill, add vacancy likelihood and decide its tier and next action.
Talent Profile and Potential Evidence Form
Manager pre-work for the talent review: performance from the review cycle, four potential indicators each backed by examples, aspiration in the person's own words, retention risk and a proposed placement.
Calibration Meeting Record
Run and record a calibration meeting: attendance, ground rules, bias observer notes, every change with its reason, slates agreed and actions.
Successor Development Plan
A 12-month development plan for a named successor: target role, gaps from the role profile, experience, exposure and education actions, sponsor, check-ins and review.
Emergency Cover and Handover Plan
Who steps in tomorrow: cover person, the first 30 days, critical knowledge and where it lives, passwords and authorities, key contacts, and the test record.
Succession Planning Policy and Procedure Starter
A brand-ready policy with procedures for critical roles, talent review and calibration, readiness and slates, development, emergency cover, communication, fairness, data protection, AI and board succession.
Leadership Sign-Off Memo and Board Paper
A one-page decision memo for the CEO and board: findings, three costed options, recommendation, decisions requested, risks and sign-off.
Message and Script Library
31 brand-ready emails, messages and spoken scripts: mandate, manager pre-work, calibration, talent pools, slates, 'am I a high potential?', stay conversations, retirements, appointments, all-staff notes and emergency cover.
Board and CEO Succession Pack
For the board and CEO: the board's role, a CEO succession timeline, success profile, emergency CEO protocol, board skills matrix guidance, director succession, a 90-minute board agenda, directors' questions and a resolution template.
Calibration Meeting Facilitator Guide
Run a calibration meeting that holds up: roles, preparation, a timed agenda, four minutes per person, eight bias interrupters, words for hard moments, follow-up and mistakes to avoid.
Worked example pack: Brisemont Distribution
The kit's main files completed for one fictional 900-person distributor in Quebec, Ontario and New York: self-assessment, critical roles, a talent profile, calibration, fairness check, slates, emergency cover, development, retention, business case and board sign-off.
AI Prompt Pack for Succession and Talent Review
25 tool-agnostic prompts by step of the job, each with what to paste in and what to check, plus four human-review rules for talent data.
Team Briefing: 45-Minute Session Plan and Answer Key
A 45-minute manager briefing with timings, materials and facilitator notes, plus a printable answer key for the 14-question knowledge check.
Numbers that matter
Fourteen succession and talent numbers: plain meaning, exact formula, where each lives in the workbook and what to do when it moves.
Rules by country (dated, November 2026)
Canada, the US, the UK, the EU, Australia, New Zealand and India: governance codes, disclosure, discrimination, privacy, language and AI rules, with a timeline.
Readiness, nine-box and bias decision card
If-then rules for critical roles, readiness and each box, six bias interrupters and ten mistakes to avoid.
12-month succession calendar
34 events: the 12-week roadmap milestones, the board week and the rest of the annual cycle, with quarterly source checks. Change the start date to your own kick-off Monday.
Task board (CSV)
28 tasks with description, owner role, week, status and labels. Imports into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
Knowledge check (LMS-ready CSV)
14 scenario questions with four options, the correct letter and an explanation. Imports into Bodhih LMS or any LMS that accepts CSV question banks.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 23 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 69 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner, Jira, Bodhih LMS and other LMSs
- Best for
- Organisations of about 100 to 2,000 people in Canada, the US, the UK, the EU, Australia, New Zealand and other English-speaking markets
The Succession System on One Page
The five parts of a working succession system, a scored readiness baseline, an honest business case and a one-page mandate.
Critical Roles and Key-Person Risk
Scoring roles on impact, scarcity and time to fill, and finding key-person risk from facts people have shared.
Performance and Potential, With Evidence
Performance from your review cycle, four evidenced indicators of potential, the nine-box grid in plain words and the bias research.
The Calibration Meeting
Running calibration with a facilitator, a bias observer and ground rules, recording every change and running a fairness check.
Readiness, Slates and Bench Strength
Readiness levels, building slates, bench strength by role and function, diverse slates and the line between widening access and lawful selection.
Developing Successors
Development plans built from stretch work, exposure and some education, and talent pools with sponsors and programmes.
Emergency Cover and Knowledge Capture
Emergency cover for tomorrow, handover files, delegated authority, knowledge capture and a smaller UK case.
Retention, Career Conversations and What to Tell People
Retention risk, stay conversations and a clear policy on what people are told, with exact words.
Board and CEO Succession
The board's role, the CEO success profile, timeline and emergency protocol, the board skills matrix and the annual board session.
Fairness, Data, AI and the Annual Cycle
Law and data across markets, AI with human decisions, the 12-week programme, reading the dashboard and the annual cycle.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Succession-Planning-Map.pdf: the job in ten steps with the file for each, your first hour, your first week, a 30/60/90-day plan and the 'Brand it in five minutes' box
Workbooks
- Succession-and-Talent-Review-Workbook.xlsx: 26 sheets including Settings, maturity self-assessment, critical roles and key-person risk, talent profiles, calibration log, nine-box counts and grid, fairness check, succession slates, bench by function, emergency cover, development plans, talent pools, retention actions, board skills matrix, weekly trend, decision log, RACI, roadmap, annual cycle, jurisdiction crosswalk, official sources register, glossary with UK and US terms, What changed log and a dashboard with traffic lights and five charts
- Succession-Business-Case-Calculator.xlsx: 6 sheets comparing do nothing, emergency cover only and do it well as cost ranges, low case first
Fillable forms
- Critical-Role-Assessment-Form.pdf: four factors, vacancy likelihood, tier and decision
- Talent-Profile-and-Potential-Evidence-Form.pdf: performance from your review cycle, four potential indicators with examples, aspiration and a bias self-check
- Calibration-Meeting-Record.pdf: attendance, ground rules, bias observer notes, changes with reasons, slates and actions
- Successor-Development-Plan.pdf: gaps, experience, exposure and education actions, check-ins and readiness
- Emergency-Cover-and-Handover-Plan.pdf: first 30 days, knowledge, access and authority, contacts and the test record
Word templates
- Succession-Planning-Policy-and-Procedure-Starter.docx: a brand-ready policy with procedures
- Leadership-Sign-Off-Memo-and-Board-Paper.docx: the one-page decision memo
- Calibration-Meeting-Facilitator-Guide.docx: roles, agenda, bias interrupters and words for hard moments
- Board-and-CEO-Succession-Pack.docx: CEO timeline, success profile, emergency protocol, board skills matrix and agenda
- Succession-Message-and-Script-Library.docx: 31 emails, messages and spoken scripts
- Worked-Example-Pack-Brisemont-Distribution.docx: the main files completed for one realistic case
- AI-Prompt-Pack-for-Succession-and-Talent-Review.docx: 25 prompts with human-review rules
- Team-Briefing-Session-Plan-and-Answer-Key.docx: a 45-minute manager briefing and the answer key
Cheat sheets
- Numbers-That-Matter-Succession-KPI-Card.pdf: fourteen numbers with formulas and what to do when they move
- Succession-and-Talent-Rules-by-Country-November-2026.pdf: the dated rules sheet for Canada, the US, the UK, the EU, Australia, New Zealand and India
- Readiness-Nine-Box-and-Bias-Decision-Card.pdf: if-then rules, bias interrupters and ten mistakes to avoid
Calendar, import and LMS
- Succession-12-Month-Cycle.ics: roadmap milestones and the annual cycle for Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar
- Succession-Programme-Task-Board.csv: tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
- Knowledge-Check-Questions-LMS.csv: 14 scenario questions for Bodhih LMS or any LMS
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Identify your critical roles with a scored, defensible method and see where key-person risk sits
- Gather evidence on performance and potential that holds up in a calibration meeting
- Run calibration meetings with ground rules, a bias observer, a change log and a fairness check
- Build succession slates with honest readiness levels and read bench strength by role and function
- Name and test emergency cover for every critical role
- Agree development plans built mostly from real work, and run talent pools with sponsors
- Hold stay and career conversations and tell people what they need to know without labels
- Take a CEO succession plan, emergency protocol and board skills matrix to your board
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Strategic Workforce & Talent Planning
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentMarking and Rating Consistency Assessment for Assessors and Reviewers
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentDecision-Making Under Uncertainty
Take the assessment →JobularyIf-then plans that make habits stick (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 3
There is good evidence that potential ratings can carry bias even when performance ratings do not. In a study of nearly 30,000 workers at a large North American retail chain, reported by Yale School of Management, Alan Benson, Danielle Li and Kelly Shue found that women were 7.3% more likely than men to receive a high performance rating but received potential ratings 5.8% lower, and the authors estimated that lower potential ratings explained up to half of the gender gap in promotions. The lesson is not about one company. It is that potential, the most subjective judgement in the process, needs the most evidence and the most checking. Chapter 4 shows how to check your own data.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Critical roles | The top team copied from the org chart | Four-factor scoring, tiers and key-person risk, including roles below the top team |
| Potential | A gut-feel rating | Four indicators, each with an example, separate from performance |
| Calibration | Managers present; HR takes notes | Facilitator guide, bias observer, change log with reasons and a fairness check |
| Slates and cover | A list of names | Readiness levels, bench status by role and function, and tested emergency cover plans |
| Board and CEO | Not covered | CEO timeline, success profile, emergency protocol, skills matrix and a board agenda |
| Compared with a consultant or talent software | Consultants bring outside judgement and facilitation; software automates records at scale | Lets your team run the method and keep the record in-house, so paid help goes on the judgement calls |
Made for you if…
- CHROs, HR directors and heads of people in organisations of about 100 to 2,000 people
- HR business partners and talent or organisational development leads asked to run the talent review
- Chief executives and founders who want to answer the board's 'who is next?' question
- Board chairs and nomination committee members who oversee CEO and executive succession
- Operations and site leaders responsible for key-person risk in plants, warehouses and branches
- HR consultants who want a structured, documented method for clients
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone looking for legal advice: the kit is educational; employment, privacy and governance rules need checking with an adviser in your country
- Organisations that want software or an algorithm to rate potential or rank people: the kit keeps those decisions with people, on evidence
- Building or fixing your performance appraisal cycle: that is The Performance Review Cycle Kit; this kit takes ratings from it
- Anyone who needs a guarantee that successors will be ready, stay or succeed: no method can promise that
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Know who runs it on Monday
Open the Start-here map and give it one hour. Whether you begin with the self-assessment tonight or the critical role workshop next week, you will know what to do next and which file to open.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use, including use within your own organisation with your HR team, managers and board. Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
What buyers say
No ratings yet. Only people who have bought this kit can rate it - every buyer gets a one-click rating link a couple of days after their purchase.
The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
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AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
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Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
The Succession Planning and Talent Review Kit: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkWhat exactly is in the kit?
An e-book, the 26-sheet Succession and Talent Review Workbook and a business-case calculator (no macros), five fillable PDF forms, eight Word templates, three cheat sheets plus the Start-here map, a 12-month calendar, a task board and an LMS-ready knowledge check: 23 files in all.
Can I use this with my team?
Yes. The personal licence covers use within your own organisation, including sharing the forms, templates, briefing and knowledge check with your HR team, managers and board. For use across several client organisations or a group of companies, ask about a company licence at solutions@bodhih.com.
Does it work in my country?
The method works anywhere: critical roles, evidence, calibration, slates, development, cover and governance. The dated rules sheet and the workbook's Crosswalk cover Canada (federal, Quebec and Ontario), the US, the UK, the EU, Australia, New Zealand and India. Laws differ and change, so check the official source and your adviser.
How long does it take to set up succession planning?
The kit is built as a 12-week first cycle for an organisation of a few hundred people, with a calendar and task board, then an annual rhythm. Smaller organisations often move faster. The first-hour path gives you a baseline and your first gaps the same day.
Do we need succession planning if we only have 100 people?
Usually yes, in a lighter form. Smaller organisations are often more exposed, because one person holds a skill, licence or relationship nobody else has. Start with critical roles and emergency cover; add calibration and talent pools as you grow.
What is a nine-box grid, and is it fair?
It plots performance against potential to start development conversations. It is only as fair as the evidence behind it. The kit takes performance from your review cycle, scores potential on four indicators with examples, calibrates with a bias observer and runs a fairness check before results are used.
What is the difference between a succession plan and an emergency cover plan?
A succession plan names who could hold a role in the coming years and how they will get ready. An emergency cover plan names who steps in tomorrow if the role holder is suddenly away, with the first 30 days, access and authority written down. You need both.
Should we tell employees they are high potential or on a succession plan?
Tell people the programme exists, tell them when they join a talent pool and agree their development, and tell successors they are on a slate as a development commitment, not a promise. Most organisations do not share box labels. The message library has the exact words.
Is succession planning required by law?
There is usually no general legal duty for private employers, but governance codes and listing rules for listed companies often expect board oversight of succession, and promotion and development decisions are covered by anti-discrimination law almost everywhere. The dated sheet lists examples by market; check with counsel.
Can I do this without a consultant or talent software?
Yes. The kit gives you the method, the facilitator guide and the record. Many organisations bring in an outside facilitator for the first calibration or the board session, and some move to software later; the workbook's structure carries over.
How do I measure my team's starting point?
Start with the 16-practice self-assessment in the workbook. If you also want an outside measure of the people running the process, AssessAll's Strategic Workforce & Talent Planning and Decision-Making Under Uncertainty assessments, and its Rating Consistency assessment for reviewers, are designed for that (assessall.com).
How do I turn a successor's development plan into habits?
Write each action as an if-then plan tied to a real moment in the week, and review it at each check-in. Jobulary's guide to if-then plans at work explains the technique in plain words (jobulary.com).
How much does The Succession Planning and Talent Review Kit cost?
₹1,499 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $39 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
