Succession Planning Course
Prepare for changes in key roles before a replacement is needed. In six recorded lessons, Mike Pritula covers role risks, talent assessment, development and succession reviews. Study AI examples for role profiles, analysis and development planning alongside the core HR methods.
- 6 recorded lessons
- Role risk and successor assessment
- Development and review guides
- Homework review
- Diploma
By Mike Pritula — No. 1 HR instructor on Udemy, 21 years in HR
The job in front of you Sound familiar?
The company depends on key employees, but nobody has agreed who could replace them.
You need criteria for choosing critical roles and assessing possible successors.
Employees enter a talent pool without a clear development plan or expectations.
Succession plans become outdated as roles, people and business priorities change.
What you will have after the course
A view of critical roles and risks
Use business impact, replacement difficulty and role risk criteria to decide where succession planning should start.
A successor assessment and development approach
Compare performance, potential and readiness. Choose assessment methods and prepare development actions for the target role.
A process for keeping plans current
Define responsibilities, communication and confidentiality. Use a scorecard, review calendar and audit questions to track gaps.
| Competency | Actions | When | Who helps | How we measure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Management | Shadowing with the Project Manager | 3 months | Mentor + manager | Team feedback, task execution |
| Communication skills | Course + negotiation | 6 months | HR | 360° assessment |
| Leadership | Mini-project management | 6 months | Manager | Project results, team involvement |
Start today, for free
The free PapaHR performance review page provides self-assessment questions, a competency scale, a final rating and a 9-box grid of potential and performance. Use it to prepare the assessment side of the succession process taught in the course.
- In Talent and development PapaHR shows key positions, their successors and how ready they are, and flags roles with nobody to cover them.
- Place people on the 9-box grid using the performance review and the decision of HR.
- Talent, succession and performance reviews are in Pro and in the academy subscription.
Tools you get in the course
Key-role risk rating table
Review business impact, skill uniqueness, dependencies, risk of leaving and whether a successor is available.
Lesson slidesCompetency-based job profile
Describe the role purpose, results, technical and leadership competencies, soft skills, values and development needs.
Lesson slidesAssessment method selection table
Choose methods for performance, leadership potential, readiness for a role or a broader assessment.
Lesson slidesIndividual development plan
Record the competency, actions, timing, support and measures. The lesson includes a filled example.
Lesson slidesSuccession communication plan
Decide what managers, talent pool participants and other employees need to hear and which formats to use.
Lesson slidesSuccession planning scorecard
Review roles, successors, bench strength, readiness, risks and recommended actions.
Lesson slidesSuccession review calendar and audit checklist
Schedule reviews and check role relevance, successor gaps, assessments, readiness and employee interest.
Lesson slidesWho this course is for
HR generalist
needs a structured way to prepare cover for key roles
HR business partner
helps managers assess role risks and successor readiness
HR director
sets the succession process and links it with business priorities
Talent development specialist
plans development for employees in the talent pool
Program
01
01 · Lessons 1–2
Identify critical roles and business risks
Connect succession planning with business and HR strategy. Use impact, replacement difficulty, role risk and competency profiles to prioritise positions. Review AI examples for role analysis and profile drafting.
- 1Introduction to succession planning
- 2Identifying key positions and critical competencies
Result: A set of criteria for selecting critical roles and describing their requirements.
02
02 · Lessons 3–4
Assess and develop successors
Use the 9-box grid to examine performance and potential. Compare interviews, 360 feedback, reviews and assessment centres. Plan development through mentoring, shadowing, rotations and projects. Review AI examples for assessment and learning.
- 3Assessing talent and identifying successors
- 4Developing and training the talent pool
Result: An assessment approach and development plan for a potential successor.
03
03 · Lessons 5–6
Communicate and maintain the process
Plan inclusive selection, manager and employee communication, confidentiality and implementation. Define metrics, reviews, responsibilities and audit checks. Examine AI examples for dashboards and early warning signals.
- 5Inclusion, communication and implementation
- 6Maintaining and improving the system
Result: A communication and review process for keeping succession plans relevant.
Your profile after the course
What you can add to LinkedIn and your CV — and what this work pays.
Your Name
HR Specialist · Succession planning and talent development
Experience
Prepared critical-role criteria, a successor assessment approach and development plan, with communication, confidentiality rules and a review calendar.
Licenses & certifications
Succession Planning — Mike Pritula AcademyDiploma after the course
Skills
- Critical Role Analysis
- Successor Assessment
- 9-Box Talent Reviews
- Successor Development
- Succession Governance
Medians in the U.S.; pay depends on country, company and experience. * U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
Your diploma after the course
Complete the course assignments and get a personal diploma of Mike Pritula Academy.
- Add it to Licenses & certifications on LinkedIn
- Every diploma has its own unique code
- The QR code on the diploma opens its online version
- Issued on Accredible, the platform Google, Udacity and Rosetta Stone use for their certificates, so it cannot be forged
- Identify critical roles and business risks
- Assess and develop successors
- Communicate and maintain the process
Learn from your phone
Recorded lessons fit into your day: on the way to work, at lunch or in the evening.
- Recorded video lessons — watch at any time
- A year of access, at your own pace
- Role risk, development and succession review guides in the lesson slides
- Homework reviewed, Diploma after completing the assignments
Mike Pritula
Founder of Mike Pritula Academy and PapaHR
Mike Pritula founded the academy and built PapaHR, the HR system where the templates of his courses work for real companies. The playbooks are his own HR practice, step by step.
What graduates of the academy say
Graduates of related Mike Pritula Academy courses, from the surveys they fill in when they get the diploma.
“What’s more, the course gave me more confidence in my own experience, which let me change jobs and broaden my role. You change people’s lives!”
Course: HR Director · Profile on LinkedIn
“I now work with much more focus. I don’t try to do everything at once — I build my support around each client’s real request. I feel calm inside now — because there’s a system, and it works.”
Course: Career Coaching · Profile on LinkedIn
“The training also changed the way I see my role as an HR professional. I started applying some of the approaches almost immediately — when working with managers and challenging employees, conducting 1:1 meetings and coaching sessions, and resolving workplace conflicts.”
Course: People Partner · Profile on LinkedIn
“HRBP isn’t about “processes for the sake of processes” — it’s about speaking to the business in the language of numbers and strategy. The practical cases helped me roll out new analysis tools while I was still studying.”
Course: HRBP · Profile on LinkedIn
Price
for one person, access for a year
- 6 recorded lessons
- Role risk, development and succession review guides in the lesson slides
- Homework review
- Diploma
a year for one person
- All 150+ courses of the academy, this one included
- All playbooks, now and new ones
- Homework review and certificates
- PapaHR Pro for up to 50 employees
a year for a team of up to 10 people
- Everything in the annual subscription
- For up to 10 people of your team
- PapaHR Pro for up to 200 employees
Questions
Are key roles always management positions?
No. The course uses business impact, unique knowledge, dependencies and replacement difficulty to identify critical roles. A specialist role may also need a succession plan.
How will I assess possible successors?
The course covers performance, potential and readiness, using the 9-box grid, interviews, 360 feedback, performance reviews and assessment centres.
What AI content is included?
The programme discusses AI uses for role analysis, competency profiles, assessment, development planning, dashboards and early warning signals. It also covers transparency and bias in the process.
How can PapaHR support succession planning?
Talents, the 9-box grid, successors and performance reviews are available in PapaHR Pro. Use them alongside the course's role risk, assessment and development guides.
Do I get a Diploma?
Yes, after completing the course assignments. Homework is reviewed.
What does the annual subscription give?
All 150+ courses of the academy for a year, including this one. You can study the recorded classes at your own pace. The team subscription covers up to 10 people.