Succession Hub FAQ
Answers to common setup and operating questions about Succession Hub.
For what the app is and how to set it up from scratch, see the
Succession Hub Overview.
Setup
Do I need to enable anything before Succession Hub works?
Yes. Succession Hub requires a license and is disabled by default. An admin enables it from the Apps Marketplace. Once enabled, five core modules turn on automatically: Leadership Pipeline, Succession Planning, Leadership Assessment, Executive Dashboard, and Development Tracking. Three additional modules — Advanced Analytics, Board Reporting, and Transition Planning — stay off until you enable them individually in Settings.
What is the minimum setup to get useful data on the dashboard?
Create at least one critical role and add at least one succession candidate to it. A critical role with no candidates produces a coverage-gap alert but contributes nothing to the bench-strength or readiness metrics. The role and a candidate must both exist before the dashboard reflects meaningful data.
Permissions and access
Who can see and manage succession data?
Succession Hub enforces three access tiers:
- Function tier — admin, app admin, anyone with the HR Manager or Succession Planner role. Sees all succession data across the organization and can create, edit, and delete plans, roles, candidates, assessments, and programs.
- Manager tier — any manager who is not in the function tier. Read-only access to high-potential, assessment, and candidacy records of their own direct reports only. No Succession, Development, or Analytics tabs are shown.
- Employee tier — everyone else. Sees only their own My Profile page.
The audience for the function tier is admin-configurable under Settings → Who can access the succession pipeline. The default grants access only to admins and app admins.
Who can change Settings?
Only an admin, an app admin, or someone with the Succession Admin role can access the Settings page.
Day-to-day
What is bench strength and how is it scored?
Bench strength measures how well a critical role is covered by succession candidates. The app classifies each plan as:
- Weak — no candidates at all
- Insufficient — fewer candidates than the plan’s minimum (default 2)
- Adequate — at least 1 Ready Now candidate
- Strong — at least 2 Ready Now candidates
- Excellent — 3 or more Ready Now candidates
The minimum number of successors required per plan defaults to 2 and is admin-configurable.
What readiness levels can a candidate have?
There are five: Ready Now, Ready in 1 Year, Ready in 2 Years, Ready in 3 Years, and Development Needed. Readiness feeds the bench-strength dashboard, coverage analytics, and the talent pipeline flow (Ready Now / Ready Soon / Developing).
How many leadership assessment types are there?
There are 11 types: 360° Feedback, Leadership Competency Assessment, Potential Assessment, Performance Review, Succession Readiness, Leadership Potential, Role Readiness, Competency Assessment, Self Assessment, Manager Assessment, and External Assessment. Each type has its own competency set. Competency scores are on a 0–100 scale, and the overall score is the average across all competencies rated.
How does Succession Hub use Performance Management data?
When the integration is enabled (it is on by default), performance ratings from Performance Management feed into readiness scoring and high-potential identification. The integration is display-only — Succession Hub reads the data live; it does not copy or sync it. You can turn individual integrations on or off under Settings → Integrations.
What types of talent pools can I create?
There are three types: Diversity, Skills-based, and Saved Group. Skills-based pools can auto-populate from employee skill proficiency, so the pool stays current as skills data changes. Members can be added manually, via auto-population, through import, or from a talent review session.
What succession review types exist?
Five: Quarterly, Annual, Board Review, Ad Hoc, and Emergency. Each review tracks findings, recommendations, and action items. The next review date is calculated automatically — 3 months for quarterly, 1 year for annual, 3 months for board reviews, and none for emergency reviews.
What transition types does Succession Hub support?
If the Transition Planning module is enabled, you can create transitions of four types: Planned, Emergency, Promotion, and Lateral Move. Each transition tracks the outgoing and incoming employees, milestone timeline, knowledge-transfer plan, communication plan, and risk mitigations. A transition’s health status is computed from milestone completion versus elapsed time: On Track, Minor Issues, At Risk, or Critical Issues.
When something looks wrong
Why can’t I see the Succession, Development, or Analytics tabs?
Those tabs are visible only to the function tier — admins, app admins, and users with the HR Manager or Succession Planner role. Managers see only the Talent tab (scoped to their own reports). Regular employees see My Profile and, if Advanced Analytics is enabled, the Pipeline Health page. Ask your admin to check the access settings under Settings → Who can access the succession pipeline.
I set up a critical role but the dashboard still shows no bench-strength data — why?
A critical role alone does not contribute to bench-strength metrics. You must also add at least one succession candidate to the role’s plan. Until both exist, the dashboard treats the pipeline as empty for that role.
My employees say they cannot see their succession profile — what is wrong?
Employees see their own profile at Succession Hub → My Profile. If it is not showing, check that the app is enabled for your organization and that the employee has access. The app’s audience settings may exclude certain groups.
Why did a notification not go out for a coverage gap?
Coverage-gap alerts require two conditions: the Coverage Gap Alerts toggle must be on in Settings → Notifications, and a recipient group must be assigned to the coverage-gap alert category. If no recipient group is configured, the alert is skipped silently. Check both the toggle and the recipient assignment.
Readiness change emails are not being sent — what should I check?
Readiness-change notifications are off by default (unlike most other notification types). Go to Settings → Notifications and confirm the Readiness Alerts toggle is on and a recipient group is assigned.
Licensing and limits
Does Succession Hub require a license?
Yes. It is licensed and opt-in per tenant. An admin enables it from the Apps Marketplace; it is disabled by default until then.
Are there limits I should know about?
| Item | Limit |
|---|---|
| Minimum successors per plan | Default 2, admin-configurable |
| Assessment template competencies | Up to 20 per template |
| Assessment template questions | Up to 100 per template |
| Assessment template duration | Up to 180 minutes |
| Succession plan templates — minimum candidates | 1–10 |
| Readiness score range | 0–100 |
| Retention-risk score range | 0–100 |
| Candidate fit score range | 0–100 |
| Candidate rank | Must be greater than 0 |
| Development plan target date | Cannot be more than 5 years in the future |
| Performance Improvement Plan extensions | Maximum 2 extensions |
| Assessment currency | Considered current for 6 months |
| Analytics data retention | No automatic purge — data is retained indefinitely |
| Report export formats | PDF and CSV |
More help
- Succession Hub Overview
- Ask AI — the assistant answers Succession Hub questions from these articles.