How To Create Succession Plans Inside Microsoft Teams

Succession planning is not just a C-suite thing anymore. Whether it's preparing for leadership transitions or just future proofing your key roles, a solid succession plan is non-negotiable for any organization looking to thrive long-term. But it does come with its own challenges.

Mainly because many succession plans are tucked away in spreadsheets that don't even make sense to its users and they end up never being revisited. So the solution is simple. Make succession plans accessible and user friendly so that they can serve their true purpose. And what better way to achieve that than to put it inside a tool everyone already uses like Microsoft Teams? Let's get into it!

What Is Succession Planning?

Succession planning is a framework that allows you to identify and develop internal talent in order to fill key roles in the future. That way, when someone leaves, whether it be retirement or unexpected departures, you won't be left scrambling to keep operations smooth sailing.

But don't get us wrong, succession planning is not just about emergencies. It's a structured plan that also supports long-term growth, cultivates a culture of continuous improvement, and strengthens your employee engagement. If you do it right, it’s a proactive strategy that aligns your people with the future needs of your organization.

Why Is Succession Planning Crucial?

Succession planning is a must have, simply because it ensures organizational stability, especially in the event of a change. When key people leave the company, you shouldn't be left running around trying to figure out replacements. Not only that, succession plans allow for you to discover the hidden gems within. As you plan and identify the strengths of your workforce, you'll be developing your own talent. That means that you won't have to go through the trouble and costs of recruiting all over again.

This allows for you to replace key roles with people who already are used your company, your procedures, and culture. As you identify and prepare the next generation of leaders, you ensure your company has the right talent to continue driving success. It also strengthens retention by showing employees that there are clear paths for career advancement within the organization.

A well thought succession plan is the key to sustained success, especially in the super agile and ever-evolving workspace of the modern world. With a solid succession plan, your organization i bound to stay competitive.

Succession Planning Inside Microsoft Teams

Teamflect is a great teammate to have if you're a Microsoft Teams user. Not only because of its performance management capabilities but also because of its talent management features with the Professional plan. So without further ado, let's take a look how you can streamline succession planning, and identify, develop, and retain top talent seamlessly without worrying about who will take over each position later!

1. Create Your Succession Plan Through The Chat

Teamflect makes it incredibly easy to reach your notifications and data right through the Teams chat thanks to its strong and seamless integration. So when you receive a notification about succession plans in your chat, you can simply click on "Create Succession Plan" and get started!

2. Role Summary and Competencies

When you first open up the succession plan you'll be met with what role you've been chosen to create this plan for. Everything you need to know about the succession plan is right here on the first page;

• Role summary
• Employment type
• Role level
• Role category
• Required competencies

To take it one step further, before you get to choosing the right people for the job, you can get detailed information on each of the competencies including;

• Competency level whether it's experienced or professional.
• Description of the competency and what it entails in more detail.
• Expectation from the competency with regards to the role and how it contributes to it.
• Competency experts within the company if they have been assigned.
• How much weight the competency holds for this succession plan.

Once you have all this information you can get started on choosing your potential successors.

3. Select Successors

At this next stage, Teamflect will not only make AI-driven potential successor recommendations but it also let's you;

• See who is already on the same career path to the role you're looking to fill.
• See who is already a direct report.
• Search for people specifically if you have someone already in mind.

Once you know who you wish to pick, you can simply add them all to your successor list.

4. Evaluate Successors

Once you know who your potential successors are, you'll be able to assess and rate the competencies of your selected successors, and provide comments to further support your evaluations. To do that you will;

• Select readiness in terms of timeline whether they are ready now, in 6 months or longer.
• Rate their competency levels for the required competencies for the role.
• Add additional comments about the potential successor and even utilize the enhance with AI feature for more detailed and professional approach.
• Mark as preferred and select which of the employees in your potential successor list you feel fits the position best.

Once you're done rating and evaluating all of your potential successors you are done and ready to go. Congratulations, you've just created your succession plan! Utilizing Teamflect makes succession plans easy to navigate and centralizes all the necessary information you need to get started. Harness the power of succession plans to stay ahead of any trends and fish out the true talent within!

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