Succession planning training equips your HR and management teams to identify potential successors, groom them for critical roles, and protect your business from the disruption of a sudden leadership gap. BOTI’s 2-day workshop turns succession from a “someday” intention into a documented, executable plan — delivered in-house or on-site across South Africa.

When a key leader resigns, retires or leaves unexpectedly, the cost is rarely just recruitment. It is lost client relationships, stalled projects and institutional knowledge walking out the door. This course gives your people a repeatable framework to spot future leaders early, develop them deliberately, and transition them smoothly — so continuity is planned, not improvised.

Course Overview

Planning for the future is always a wise thing to do. Our business succession workshop will help you to identify potential successors and groom them for succession. Over two practical days, delegates move from definitions and diagnosis through to a drafted, owned succession plan — supported by case studies in every module so the learning maps directly onto your own organisation.

This is a practitioner’s workshop, not a theory lecture. Your team leaves with the structure, vocabulary and tools to run the succession process internally and keep it alive year after year.

Who Should Attend

This course is intended for Human Resources personnel and managers. It is especially valuable for:

• HR and L&D professionals responsible for talent and workforce planning
• Business owners and founders planning their own eventual exit or scale-up
• Department, operations and line managers who own critical roles
• Executives building bench strength ahead of growth, restructuring or B-BBEE compliance

Course Outline

The course is delivered across the following modules, each reinforced with a practical case study:

1. Introduction — Workshop objectives and how to get the most from the two days.
2. Succession planning versus replacement planning — Defining business succession planning, what replacement planning is, and the critical differences between the two.
3. Preparing for the planning process — Setting parameters for the process, whether to establish a committee, and gathering operational data.
4. Initiating process — Developing a mission statement, developing a vision statement, and choosing to be a mentor.
5. The SWOT Analysis — Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats relevant to your talent pipeline.
6. Developing the succession plan — Prioritising what the plan will address, setting goals and objectives, developing a strategy, and drafting the plan.
7. Executing the plan — Assigning responsibility and authority, establishing a monitoring system, identifying paths, and choosing your final approach.
8. Gaining support — Gathering data, addressing concerns and issues, and evaluating and adapting.
9. Managing the change — Developing a change management plan, developing a communication plan, implementing the plans, providing constructive criticism, and encouraging growth and development.
10. Overcoming roadblocks — Identifying common obstacles, re-evaluating goals, and focusing on progress.
11. Reaching the end — Knowing when you have achieved success, transitioning, and wrapping it all up.
12. Topics not discussed — Scope notes and signposts to related development.

Succession Planning and the Leadership Pipeline

A succession plan is only as strong as the leadership pipeline feeding it. Naming a single “successor” for a key role is replacement planning; building a pipeline means continuously developing a pool of ready-now and ready-soon people at every level, so the business is never one resignation away from a crisis.

A healthy pipeline answers three questions for every critical role:

• Who could do this job today if the incumbent left tomorrow? (ready-now)
• Who could do it in 12–24 months with the right development? (ready-soon)
• What experience, exposure and coaching closes the gap between the two?

From single-successor thinking to pipeline thinking

Building the pipeline in practice

The course’s SWOT, goal-setting and execution modules give you the mechanics; applied to a pipeline, the work becomes:

1. Map critical and at-risk roles — flag positions where a vacancy would hurt most (rare skills, client ownership, near-retirement incumbents).
2. Assess and segment talent — use performance and potential data to identify ready-now versus ready-soon candidates.
3. Close gaps deliberately — stretch assignments, acting roles, cross-functional exposure, mentoring and coaching (not just classroom training).
4. Review on a cycle — revisit the pipeline quarterly or biannually so it reflects promotions, exits and new hires.
5. Connect it to development plans — link each candidate’s IDP to the specific competencies their next role demands.

Why the pipeline matters for SA businesses now

Beyond continuity, a documented leadership pipeline supports B-BBEE transformation goals — it gives you a structured way to identify and accelerate the development of high-potential talent, including designated groups, into management and executive roles. Skills-development spend that funds this development can count toward your scorecard, where the skills-development target is measured as 6% of the leviable amount (separate from the Skills Development Levy, which is 1% of payroll). Treat the legal and financial points here as general guidance rather than formal advice — confirm specifics with your B-BBEE verification agency or advisor.

Pairing this Succession Planning course with structured leadership and talent development turns the pipeline from a spreadsheet into real, promotable capability.

Why Choose BOTI

• Practical and applied — every module includes a case study so your team leaves with a usable plan, not just notes.
• Delivered your way — in-house or on-site for your team across Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and nationwide, including remote delivery.
• Cost-effective for teams — significant per-delegate savings when you train a cohort together.
• Backed by an established provider — BOTI (Business Optimization Training Institute) has delivered training to leading South African organisations, including Sasol, Glencore and the City of Johannesburg.
• Part of a wider curriculum — slots neatly alongside our leadership, talent and management programmes for a complete development path.

Related Courses and Resources

Build a complete leadership-development path by pairing succession planning with these BOTI programmes:

• Management and Leadership Development Training Course — the pillar programme for building the leaders your pipeline produces.
• Talent Management Course — performance, talent reviews and career planning that feed your succession pool.
• Developing New Managers Course — accelerate ready-soon candidates as they step into their first management role.
• Leadership Development Course — coaching and mentoring skills for managers grooming their successors.
• Book a course or request a proposal — get dates, pricing and a tailored in-house quote.

Further reading: Succession planning is essential in complying with the new B-BBEE targets and Talent management strategies in South Africa.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the Succession Planning Training Course?
The course runs over 2 days. It can be delivered in-house at your premises, on-site, or off-site at a venue in any major South African city centre, with remote delivery also available.

Is the succession planning course accredited?
No — this is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (this is not an accredited qualification). Need accredited training? Ask about BOTI’s QCTO/SETA-accredited programmes in a related area such as our QCTO-accredited Assessment Practitioner programme (220320), and we’ll recommend the right fit.

Who should attend succession planning training?
The course is intended for Human Resources personnel and managers, and is equally valuable for business owners, department and operations managers, and executives building leadership bench strength.

How does succession planning support B-BBEE compliance?
A documented leadership pipeline gives you a structured way to develop high-potential and designated-group talent into management roles, supporting your transformation goals. The skills-development target is 6% of the leviable amount (distinct from the 1%-of-payroll Skills Development Levy). This is general guidance — confirm details with your B-BBEE advisor.