Advanced 10-Day Professional Program

Duration: 10 Training Days
Daily Duration: Approximately 3–4 Hours
Total Training Hours: Approximately 50-60 Hours
Level: Advanced
Theory: 40%
Practical: 60%
Delivery: Classroom / Virtual / Blended
Language: English / Arabic

Course Overview

The Talent Management and Succession Planning program is designed to help HR professionals and organizational leaders develop a practical and structured approach to identifying, developing, and preparing talent for critical and future roles.

The program focuses on the essential areas organizations need to establish an effective talent and succession system, including identifying critical positions, distinguishing between performance and potential, identifying high-potential employees, conducting talent reviews, building succession plans, assessing successor readiness, and developing targeted development plans.

The course is delivered over 10 half-day training sessions, with approximately 40% theoretical learning and 60% practical application.

Theoretical Component – 40%

The theoretical component covers the essential frameworks and concepts required to understand and manage organizational talent effectively, including:

• Strategic Talent Management
• Critical Role Identification
• Performance vs. Potential
• High-Potential Employee Identification
• Talent Assessment
• 9-Box Grid
• Talent Review and Calibration
• Succession Planning
• Successor Readiness
• Succession Risk
• Talent Development
• Individual Development Planning

Practical Component – 60%

The practical component allows participants to apply these concepts through structured workshops, exercises, simulations, and case studies.

Participants will work on:

• Critical Role Mapping
• Talent Assessment Exercise
• Performance–Potential Analysis
• 9-Box Grid Workshop
• Talent Review Simulation
• Succession Planning Matrix
• Successor Readiness Assessment
• Individual Development Plan
• Final Talent & Succession Planning Project

By the end of the program, participants will have developed a practical Talent and Succession Planning Framework that can be adapted to their organization’s requirements.

10-Day Course Outline

Day 1 – Introduction to Strategic Talent Management

Theoretical

• What is Talent Management?
• Why Talent Management matters
• Linking talent priorities to organizational strategy
• Talent Management vs. traditional HR practices

Practical

Talent Management Diagnostic

Participants assess a sample organization’s current talent management practices and identify key gaps.

Output: Talent Management Gap Analysis

Day 2 – Identifying Critical Roles

Theoretical

• What makes a role critical?
• Strategic importance
• Skill scarcity
• Business dependency
• Replacement difficulty
• Knowledge concentration

Practical

Critical Role Mapping Workshop

Participants evaluate a sample organizational structure and identify priority roles.

Output: Critical Roles Matrix

Day 3 – Identifying Talent

Theoretical

• What defines talent?
• High Performer vs. High Potential
• Key Talent
• Emerging Talent
• Performance and potential criteria

Practical

Talent Identification Exercise

Participants assess employee profiles using defined criteria.

Output: Talent Assessment Sheet

Day 4 – Performance, Potential and the 9-Box Grid

Theoretical

• Understanding performance
• Understanding potential
• Potential indicators
• Introduction to the 9-Box Grid
• Limitations and appropriate use of the tool

Practical

9-Box Grid Workshop

Participants evaluate simulated employee profiles and position them within the matrix.

Output: 9-Box Talent Matrix

Day 5 – Talent Review and Calibration

Theoretical

• Purpose of Talent Reviews
• Calibration principles
• Evidence-based talent decisions
• Common assessment biases
• Roles of HR and managers

Practical

Talent Review Simulation

Participants conduct a simulated Talent Review meeting and resolve different managerial assessments.

Output: Calibrated Talent Review

Day 6 – Succession Planning Fundamentals

Theoretical

• What is Succession Planning?
• Replacement Planning vs. Succession Planning
• Identifying succession priorities
• Building successor pools
• Short-term and long-term succession

Practical

Succession Mapping Workshop

Participants identify possible successors for selected critical roles.

Output: Succession Planning Matrix

Day 7 – Successor Readiness and Succession Risk

Theoretical

• Assessing successor readiness
• Ready Now
• Ready in 1–2 Years
• Longer-term successors
• Succession risk
• Business continuity considerations

Practical

Successor Readiness Assessment

Participants evaluate potential successors and identify development gaps.

Output: Successor Readiness Map

Day 8 – Developing Talent

Theoretical

• Development strategies for high-potential employees
• Stretch Assignments
• Job Rotation
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Cross-Functional Exposure

Practical

Talent Development Workshop

Participants select appropriate development interventions for different employee profiles.

Output: Talent Development Plan

Day 9 – Individual Development Planning

Theoretical

• Connecting development to future roles
• Competency gaps
• Career aspirations
• Development objectives
• Measuring development progress

Practical

Individual Development Plan Workshop

Participants prepare a structured development plan for a potential successor.

Output: 12-Month Individual Development Plan

Day 10 – Integrated Talent & Succession Planning

Theoretical

• Integrating Talent Management and Succession Planning
• Roles and responsibilities
• Review cycles
• Basic talent indicators
• Implementation considerations

Practical

Final Applied Project

Participants develop an integrated Talent and Succession Planning Framework for a simulated organization or, where appropriate, their own organization.

The project includes:

• Critical Roles
• Talent Identification Criteria
• Talent Matrix
• Successor Pool
• Successor Readiness
• Development Priorities
• Implementation Actions

Final Output: Talent & Succession Planning Framework

Who Should Attend?

The program is suitable for:

• HR Directors
• HR Managers
• Talent Management Managers
• Talent Development Specialists
• Organizational Development Professionals
• HR Business Partners
• Learning & Development Managers
• Workforce Planning Professionals
• Department Heads
• Senior Managers involved in Talent Reviews or Succession Planning

Course Level

Advanced

Previous experience in Human Resources, people management, organizational development, or management is recommended.

Key Learning Outcomes

By the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• Identify critical organizational roles.
• Differentiate between performance and potential.
• Establish practical talent identification criteria.
• Apply the 9-Box Grid appropriately.
• Participate effectively in Talent Review discussions.
• Identify potential successors for critical positions.
• Assess successor readiness.
• Identify key succession risks.
• Develop practical development plans for key talent.
• Build a structured Talent and Succession Planning Framework.

Flexible & Customizable Training

The recommended format for this program is 10 half-day training sessions of approximately 3–4 hours per day.

The program duration, content, practical activities, case studies, participant level, training schedule, and learning outcomes can be customized according to the organization’s needs, industry, internal HR systems, competency framework, and strategic priorities.

The program may also be redesigned as a 5-day intensive course or an extended professional development program where required.