# Succession Plan > Creates succession planning frameworks for key roles with readiness assessments, development paths, risk analysis, and transition timelines. Use when preparing for leadership continuity. - Skill: `reaperinvest/succession-plan` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/succession-plan` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/succession-plan/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/succession-plan --- # Succession Plan ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Identify and prepare successors for key leadership or critical roles - Create a continuity plan in case a key person leaves unexpectedly - Build development paths for high-potential team members - Assess organizational risk from single points of failure **DO NOT** use this skill for general career development plans, hiring strategies, or org chart restructuring. This is specifically for succession and continuity planning. --- ## Core Principle SUCCESSION PLANNING IS NOT REPLACEMENT PLANNING — IT IS ONGOING DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE WHO CAN STEP INTO CRITICAL ROLES WHEN THE TIME COMES. --- ## Phase 1: Brief ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Company size** | "How many people are on your team?" | 5-25 | | **Key roles** | "Which roles are critical — if someone left tomorrow, what would break?" | Must be provided | | **Current bench** | "Do you have anyone in mind who could grow into those roles?" | Unknown — will assess | | **Timeline** | "Planning horizon — 1 year, 3 years, or 5 years?" | 1-3 years | | **Urgency** | "Is this proactive planning or responding to an upcoming departure?" | Proactive | | **Budget for development** | "Budget available for training, coaching, or stretch assignments?" | Minimal — mostly on-the-job | **GATE: Confirm brief before proceeding.** --- ## Phase 2: Assess ### Role Criticality Matrix For each key role, evaluate: - **Impact if vacant** — what breaks, what stalls, revenue impact - **Time to fill externally** — weeks or months to hire and ramp - **Knowledge concentration** — is critical knowledge in one person's head? - **Risk level** — High / Medium / Low based on the above ### Successor Readiness Assessment For each potential successor: - **Ready now** — could step in within 30 days with minimal support - **Ready in 1 year** — needs specific development to close gaps - **Ready in 2-3 years** — high potential but significant gaps remain - **No successor identified** — flag as critical risk **GATE: Present the assessment and wait for user input before building development plans.** --- ## Phase 3: Build ### Deliverables **1. Succession Planning Document** - Role-by-role succession map with named successors and readiness level - Risk summary with roles ranked by vulnerability - Development plan per successor with specific actions and timelines **2. Development Action Plans** - Skill gaps identified per successor - Specific actions: stretch assignments, mentoring, training, shadowing - Milestones and check-in dates (quarterly minimum) **3. Emergency Continuity Plan** - For each critical role: who takes over tomorrow if needed - Knowledge transfer checklist — documentation, credentials, relationships - 30-day stabilization playbook for each critical vacancy **4. Knowledge Documentation Template** - Process documentation for critical workflows - Key contacts and vendor relationships - Decision-making authority and escalation paths --- ## Phase 4: Polish ### Review and Update Cadence - Quarterly: check successor progress against milestones - Annually: full reassessment of critical roles and bench strength - Trigger-based: update immediately when roles change or people leave ### Communication Guidelines Advise on how to discuss succession planning transparently without creating anxiety — frame it as investment in people, not replacement threat. --- ## Example 1: Solopreneur Preparing to Step Back **Critical roles:** CEO/Founder (everything), Lead Sales, Operations **Approach:** Document all processes, cross-train a senior team member, identify external candidates for advisory support ## Example 2: Growing Startup (20 people, 3 department leads) **Critical roles:** CTO, Head of Sales, Head of Operations **Approach:** Identify one internal successor per role, create 12-month development plans, establish emergency coverage pairs --- ## Anti-Patterns - **Secret succession plans** — hiding the plan creates politics. Be transparent about development opportunities. - **Naming one successor only** — single points of failure in the succession plan defeat the purpose. Identify 2 candidates per role. - **All development, no documentation** — if critical knowledge lives in someone's head, a successor cannot access it. Document first. - **Ignoring the founder role** — solopreneurs are the biggest single point of failure. Plan for your own absence. - **Set and forget** — a plan created once and never reviewed is a false sense of security. --- ## Recovery - **No internal candidates:** Build a plan combining external hiring pipeline with accelerated development of closest internal candidates. - **Founder cannot delegate:** Start with documenting one process per week. Delegation is a muscle built gradually. - **Key person resistant to knowledge sharing:** Frame it as reducing their burden, not replacing them. Everyone benefits from documented processes. - **Too many critical roles:** Prioritize by impact. Start with the top 3 highest-risk roles and expand later.