Do You Know How Strong Your Succession Management Approach Is?
Complete the short, evidence-based maturity model assessment designed for organizations that want to understand whether their succession management approach is truly future-ready—or quietly putting the organization at risk.
Why Succession Management Risk Is Hard to See
Most organizations don’t fail at succession planning because they lack effort.
Most often, they struggle because:
- The pipeline isn’t tested until it’s needed—and by then it’s too late
- Day-to-day performance masks future-role gaps
- Leaders overestimate readiness because they’ve “seen” someone succeed in one context
- Succession discussions are periodic, while readiness changes slowly and quietly
- The warning signs don’t look like failures—they look like “we’ll be fine”
The result is a false sense of security—until a critical role opens or business conditions change.
This assessment is designed to surface risks before they become visible.
Complete the Assessment if…
✔ You want to compare your succession management approach to best practices
✔ You’re confident in your leaders—but less confident in the systems behind the succession decisions
✔ You’ve inherited or evolved a process that seems to work, but hasn’t been pressure-tested
✔ You need clarity before making further investments into the effort or leadership development
This is not a leadership effectiveness assessment.
It evaluates the design, consistency, and readiness of your succession management approach from an outside perspective.
Areas Assessed in Maturity Model
Beyond an overall Maturity Level, this model evaluates succession planning across four critical areas that together define strategic-level succession effectiveness. Each area is assessed independently and is composed of multiple dimensions, with maturity levels assigned to capture the consistency, depth, and impact of current practices.
PROCESS MATURITY
Assesses how clearly defined, consistent, and repeatable your succession management processes are. It measures areas such as: talent identification and development, governance, efficiency, measurement, and business alignment
FUTURE READINESS
Evaluates how well your organization is preparing leaders for the future, not just current roles and immediate business priorities.
TALENT CULTURE
Examines the extent to which leader actions and organizational norms support succession management and leader development.
OUTCOMES & IMPACT
Focuses on whether succession management is producing meaningful results. This includes bench strength, readiness coverage, and process.
What You Will Receive
You will receive a thorough report with diagnostic insights into your succession management process to inform decisions, highlight opportunities, and suggest improvements. Most importantly, it provides real-world actions you can take tomorrow to improve the value of your succession planning program.
✔ A comprehensive Succession Management Maturity Report
✔ Clear insight into where confidence and capability diverge
✔ Identification of system-level risks, not just surface issues
✔ A maturity profile you can confidently discuss with senior leaders
Optional (recommended):
✔ A live debrief to interpret results and discuss implications
Download an Example Report
Pressure-Test Your Succession Planning Approach
Take the Succession Planning Maturity Assessment
Requires ~15 minutes to complete
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of the survey and report
There is no cost to complete the survey or receive the report.
Who should complete the survey?
Ideally, the survey is completed by an HR leader, Talent Management/OD professional, or senior executive with visibility into succession practices. Some organizations complete it collaboratively.
How long does the survey take?
Most respondents complete the survey in approximately 15–20 minutes.
Do I need to compile any data to respond to the survey?
No. When precise data is unavailable, informed estimates are encouraged. You will be asked to share metrics like % of ready now leaders, but you are given ranges to choose from, so no exact numbers are needed. If you don’t know an answer, there is a Do Not Know option.
Is this a benchmark against other organizations?
No. This is a maturity-based diagnostic focused on the strength and consistency of your system — not external comparisons. As the database becomes larger, there may be an opportunity for broader benchmarks.
Will someone contact me after I complete the survey?
You will receive your results from Decatur Street Consulting. If you would like support interpreting the results, you can schedule a conversation. If you have any questions about the results, feel free to contact [email protected]