Talent management succession planning: the bench
- Cost of filling every role without a ready-now successor from outside
- $175,000
- Bench strength today: roles covered ready-now, percent
- 42
- Roles covered within two years, percent
- 75
- Roles with no successor on the plan
- 3
Every figure on this page is computed from the inputs entered, by the method stated below it. Ninebix publishes no rating rule, no pay benchmark, no replacement-cost rate and no time-to-fill figure: the counts and the assumptions are yours, and the defaults are a worked example to replace with your own figures.
The figures above start from a worked example ($175,000). Change any input and the answer updates as you type.
Download the Talent management succession planning: the bench worked example (CSV)
This is a succession plan worksheet that works the numbers the plan records, for a company with a handful of critical roles or a hundred. Enter the critical roles on the plan, how many have a successor ready now and how many have one ready within two years, and your own figures for the days and the cost of filling a critical role from outside, and it returns bench strength today and within two years, the roles with nobody on the slate, the days of vacancy if every uncovered role fell empty, and what filling every role without a ready-now successor from outside would cost. Every figure is yours; the worksheet publishes no benchmark for time to fill and no fill cost. Free, on the page, no account; the paid plan saves every plan against the roles and the slates it counts.
Bench strength today and within two years
Bench strength is the share of critical roles with a ready-now successor: five of twelve is 42%. Adding the four roles with a successor ready in one to two years lifts the two-year figure to 75%. Both are counts the plan already contains; the worksheet turns them into the two shares a board asks for, and decides nothing about what either should be.
The roles exposed, as a count and as days of vacancy
Twelve roles less five ready now less four ready soon is three roles with nobody on the slate at all. Seven roles have no ready-now successor, and at your own ninety days to fill a critical role from outside that is 630 days of vacancy if every one of them fell empty today. The days are yours from your last few fills; the worksheet multiplies.
The cost of the plan failing, at your own fill cost
Seven roles without a ready-now successor at your own $25,000 to fill one from outside is $175,000 of external fills, which is the figure to set against a development budget. The fill cost covers whatever yours does: an agency fee, interview time, onboarding; the worksheet takes the figure and publishes no benchmark.
Talent management succession planning: the bench: common questions
What is bench strength in succession planning?
The share of critical roles that have a successor ready to step in now. Twelve critical roles with five ready-now successors is bench strength of 42%; counting successors ready within two years as well gives 75%. The worksheet works both from your own counts and sets no target.
How many successors should each critical role have?
Whatever the plan can honestly name: the worked example counts roles by whether they have at least one successor ready now, ready within two years, or none. A role with three names and none ready is still exposed; the worksheet counts readiness, not names.
Is there a free succession planning template?
This is a free worksheet, not a template: critical roles and their ready-now and ready-soon successors in, with your own fill days and fill cost, and bench strength, roles exposed, days of vacancy and the cost of the external fills out, on the page with no account. Ninebix Pro keeps every role, slate and successor's readiness dated against the record.