Most organisations have succession planning. Most succession plans don’t work.

The problem usually isn’t the planning itself. It’s that succession planning operates separately from development. Names appear on charts. Potential successors are identified. But the development required to actually prepare those people for bigger roles doesn’t happen systematically.

Integrating succession planning with L&D changes this. Here’s how.

Why Succession Planning Fails

Common succession planning problems:

Planning without development. Someone is identified as a successor, but no deliberate development follows. The plan assumes readiness will somehow emerge.

Development without focus. Development programs exist but aren’t connected to specific succession needs. Generic leadership development doesn’t prepare people for specific roles.

Time horizon mismatch. Succession planning looks years ahead; development often focuses on immediate needs. The two never connect.

Static plans. Succession charts are updated annually (maybe) but don’t respond to changing circumstances or development progress.

Lack of accountability. No one owns ensuring successors actually become ready. Planning is complete when the chart is filled.

The result: succession events arrive and identified successors aren’t actually ready. External hires fill roles that were supposedly planned for internal successors.

The Integration Model

Effective succession planning integrates with L&D through several mechanisms:

Capability Profiling

For each critical role, define the specific capabilities required:

Functional expertise: What technical knowledge and skills are required?

Leadership capabilities: What leadership skills are essential for this role?

Business acumen: What business understanding is needed?

Relationship and influence: What stakeholder relationships are critical?

Specific experiences: What experiences provide essential preparation?

These capability profiles become the foundation for development planning.

Gap Assessment

For each identified successor, assess the gap between current capability and role requirements:

What capabilities are already strong? Build on these.

What capabilities need development? Prioritise these.

What experiences are missing? Plan for these.

The assessment must be honest. Optimistic assessments lead to unready successors.

Development Roadmaps

Create specific development plans for each successor:

Formal learning: Courses, programs, and educational experiences

Experiential learning: Assignments, projects, and rotations that build capability

Relationship development: Exposure to key stakeholders and networks

Coaching and mentoring: Ongoing support for development

Timeline and milestones: Specific checkpoints for progress

Roadmaps should be multi-year, matching succession timeline.

Progress Tracking

Monitor development progress against roadmaps:

Regular reviews: At least quarterly assessment of development progress

Capability reassessment: Periodic evaluation of capability growth

Roadmap adjustment: Updates based on progress and changing needs

Readiness recalculation: Ongoing estimate of when successor will be ready

Progress tracking creates accountability for development actually happening.

L&D’s Role

L&D should be integral to succession planning, not peripheral:

Capability Framework Contribution

L&D understands capability development. Contribute to:

• Defining capability profiles for critical roles
• Validating that profiles reflect actual role requirements
• Ensuring capabilities are developable

Development Resource Provision

L&D provides development resources:

• Learning programs that build required capabilities
• Connections to external development opportunities
• Coaching and mentoring resources
• Assessment and feedback mechanisms

Progress Assessment

L&D supports progress tracking:

• Capability assessment methodologies
• Development progress evaluation
• Readiness determination

Advocacy

L&D advocates for development investment:

• Making the case for successor development resources
• Pushing back when development is neglected
• Highlighting risks when successors aren’t progressing

Integration Mechanisms

Practical mechanisms for integration:

Joint Planning Sessions

Succession planning and L&D leadership should meet regularly:

• Review successor development progress
• Identify development needs and resources
• Address obstacles to development
• Adjust plans based on circumstances

Shared Systems

Systems should connect succession and development:

• Talent management platforms that link succession data with development plans
• Learning systems that track successor-specific development
• Analytics that show succession readiness trends

Accountable Ownership

Clear ownership for integration:

• Someone owns ensuring successors receive development
• Metrics track development investment and progress
• Consequences exist for neglected development

Resource Allocation

Budget and resources aligned:

• Development resources specifically allocated for successors
• Time protected for developmental experiences
• Coaching and mentoring capacity dedicated

The Talent Review Integration

Most organisations have talent review processes. These should connect to development:

During talent review:

• Identify development priorities for each successor
• Assign development actions with clear ownership
• Set expectations for progress

After talent review:

• Translate decisions into development plans
• Secure resources for planned development
• Communicate expectations to managers and successors

Before next talent review:

• Track progress against plans
• Prepare progress reports for review
• Identify obstacles requiring leadership attention

Talent reviews without development follow-through are planning exercises, not development systems.

Common Obstacles

Obstacles to succession-development integration:

Manager hoarding. Managers protect top talent from developmental moves. Address through culture change and explicit expectations.

Day job pressure. Successors are too busy with current roles for development. Address through protected development time and explicit prioritisation.

Budget constraints. Development resources aren’t available. Make the business case for investment in critical role readiness.

Leadership attention. Senior leaders don’t maintain focus on development between planning cycles. Build reporting and accountability mechanisms.

Successor engagement. Identified successors aren’t engaged in their own development. Communicate expectations and opportunities.

Measuring Success

How do you know if integration is working?

Process metrics:

• Percentage of successors with development plans
• Percentage completing planned development
• Investment in successor development

Progress metrics:

• Successor capability growth over time
• Reduction in readiness gaps
• Development milestone achievement

Outcome metrics:

• Internal fill rate for critical roles
• Successor performance after promotion
• Time to full effectiveness in new roles

Track these over time to understand whether integration is producing results.

Starting the Integration

If succession and development are currently disconnected:

1. Map current state. How do succession planning and L&D currently interact (or not)?

2. Identify integration opportunities. Where could connection create value?

3. Start with critical roles. Begin integration for your most important succession needs.

4. Build mechanisms gradually. Add joint planning, shared systems, and accountability over time.

5. Demonstrate results. Show that integration improves succession outcomes.

6. Expand from success. Use demonstrated value to build broader integration.

The Strategic Perspective

Succession-development integration isn’t just an operational improvement. It’s strategically important:

Leadership continuity. Organisations with strong succession-development integration have smoother leadership transitions.

Development ROI. Development investment targeted at succession needs produces clearer returns.

Talent retention. Visible development investment in high-potential people improves retention.

Strategic agility. Ready internal talent enables faster response to opportunities.

Organisations that get this right have competitive advantage in leadership capability. Those that don’t face chronic succession struggles.

The Bottom Line

Succession planning without integrated development is wishful thinking. Identifying successors doesn’t make them ready.

L&D must be central to succession planning, not peripheral. The integration requires:

• Capability profiling for critical roles
• Gap assessment for identified successors
• Specific development roadmaps
• Progress tracking and accountability
• Joint mechanisms connecting planning and development

The organisations that integrate succession and development will have ready internal leaders when they need them. Those that don’t will continue the cycle of planning followed by external hiring.

Build the integration. Make succession planning actually work.