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As I continue to receive requests for succession planning metrics, I’ve developed this one-page reference outlining sample options. Instead of merely listing the metrics, I’ve started with the questions each one answers.
This reference categorizes 24 metrics into eight areas: Leadership Pipeline, Internal Mobility, Retention and Risk, Development and Performance, Cost and Efficiency, Employee Engagement, Talent Assessment, and Program Effectiveness. For example:
- under Leadership Pipeline, the question “How many potential successors do we have for each critical role?” is answered by the Bench Strength Ratio, which measures the number of qualified candidates ready to fill critical positions.
- Similarly, under Retention and Risk, the question “How many critical roles are at risk due to potential retirements?” is addressed by the Retirement Risk Index, which tracks the number of critical positions held by employees nearing retirement age.
These metrics are just examples and may not be right for your organization; they’re intended to spark ideas so you can determine which ones—whether on this sample list or not—are most relevant to your needs. Lastly, while individual metrics are important, integrating them into a cohesive narrative that tells the full story of your succession planning efforts can help translate insights into action.
