Succession Planning Software vs. Consulting: Which is Right for Your Organization?
When it comes to succession planning, organizations often explore two key support options to help them get started with the process: software solutions and consulting services. Each of these options offers different advantages, and their selection often depends on the organization’s specific needs, goals, and resources.
Succession Planning Software vs. Consulting Services
- Succession planning software provides digital tools to streamline the process, helping organizations identify key roles, assess talent, and track progress through automated workflows, templates, and reporting features.1
- In contrast, succession planning consulting offers expert guidance from seasoned professionals who work directly with leadership teams to develop tailored strategies, facilitate discussions, and ensure plans align with business goals.2
The Limitations of Software and the Value of Consulting
While both approaches to succession planning can complement each other, they differ significantly in their purpose, effectiveness, and long-term impact. At first glance, succession management software may seem like a quick, cost-effective solution. It offers automation, reporting, and data-driven insights that help track talent pipelines. However, organizations that rely solely on software often find themselves facing unexpected challenges — namely, that software can’t build or execute a succession strategy on its own. This is where succession planning consulting comes in. Consulting provides tailored expertise, deep analysis, and hands-on guidance from experienced professionals to ensure organizations develop and sustain a successful succession plan.
Differences Between Succession Planning Software and Consulting
So which approach is best? Below, we compare the key differences between succession planning software and consulting, and why expert guidance often delivers superior results.
| Feature | Succession Planning Software | Succession Planning Consulting |
| Approach | Data-driven automation, reporting, and tracking | Hands-on expertise, customized strategy, and development planning |
| Customization | Offers templates but limited to standard functionalities | Fully tailored to organizational culture, industry, and unique leadership needs |
| Data and Insights | Tracks talent metrics and visualizes trends | Provides deep qualitative insights and expert analysis beyond data |
| Implementation Speed | Quick setup, but requires HR expertise to manage | Slower but comprehensive, ensuring strategic alignment and sustainability |
| Cost | Lower upfront cost, but often underutilized | Higher cost but greater long-term ROI due to expert involvement |
| Scalability | Works well for large, structured organizations with strong HR teams | Adaptable to all organizations but requires consultant engagement |
| Support | Requires internal management and training | Ongoing expert guidance with hands-on implementation |
The Software Illusion: Why Technology Alone Falls Short
Many organizations invest in software, expecting it to “handle” succession planning for them. However, software is a tool — not a sustainable solution. Without a well-defined succession planning strategy, even the most advanced platforms struggle to deliver meaningful outcomes.
Here are some of the most common pitfalls of relying solely on succession planning software:
- Lack of strategy: Software provides data, but it can’t design a succession plan or determine leadership criteria.3
- Underutilization: Many organizations fail to use the succession planning software to its full potential due to complexity, lack of training, or integration challenges.4
- No leadership development: Although succession planning software can track progress, it cannot coach, mentor, or develop leaders.5
- Failure to adapt: Software technology follows algorithms, but it lacks the ability to navigate the nuances of organizational culture and leadership dynamics.6
Ultimately, succession planning software is only as effective as the plan behind it. Without expert guidance, most organizations struggle to extract real value from their investment.
Why Succession Planning Consulting Delivers Better Results
Consulting offers what software cannot — strategic expertise, human insight, and real-world experience. Succession planning consultants don’t just gather data; they help make sense of it. More importantly, they provide the knowledge and structure necessary to turn succession planning from a theoretical process into a practical, results-driven initiative.
Key benefits of succession planning consulting over software include:
- Tailored solutions: Consultants assess each organization’s unique needs and design a succession plan that aligns with specific goals, culture, and leadership structure.7
- Strategic decision-making: Unlike software technology, which relies on algorithms, consultants apply critical thinking and expertise to identify potential successors and leadership gaps within an organization.8
- Holistic leadership development: Consultants go beyond tracking data. They help develop leadership pipelines through coaching, mentoring, and hands-on support.9
- Higher engagement and buy-in: Employees are more likely to embrace succession planning when it’s a guided, interactive process rather than a passive software tool.10
- Long-term sustainability: Consultants ensure that succession planning remains an ongoing initiative, rather than a one-time software purchase that loses momentum.11
When to Choose Succession Planning Software vs. Consulting
Choose software if…
- A structured succession plan is already in place.
- Internal HR resources can effectively implement the succession plan.
- There is a need for tracking, storing, and reporting on leadership data.
- The organization is looking for an automated, hands-off way to collect and manage succession planning data.
- There is an existing internal team dedicated to implementing the succession planning process.
Choose consulting if…
- There is no clear succession planning strategy.
- Internal HR resources do not have the time, knowledge, tools, or experience required to implement a structured succession planning process.
- Leadership data is not yet available; help is required to identify critical roles, nominate succession candidates, and assess and develop leadership capabilities.
- The organization would benefit from a hands-on approach that drives real talent development.
- There is no internal champion for the succession planning process; the organization would benefit from external accountability and support from experts during the implementation process.
The Best of Both Worlds: Can Software and Consulting Work Together?
For some organizations, a hybrid approach to succession planning works best. Consulting helps establish a strong succession planning foundation, while software supports execution through data management and tracking.
At SIGMA, we offer expert-led succession planning consulting that integrates seamlessly with HR technology. Our Succession Planning Sprint is a fast-track solution that delivers a customized succession plan in 30 days with only a four-hour commitment from the leadership team. Unlike succession planning software, we provide hands-on guidance to assess talent, create succession plans, and develop future leaders.
Get Succession Planning Done Right with SIGMA
If your organization is serious about succession planning, don’t rely on software alone. Partner with experts who can help you build a sustainable, effective, and strategic succession plan that meets the needs of your organization.
Complete the contact form below to learn how our Succession Planning Sprint can help you develop the future-ready leaders you need today.
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1 Atwood, C. G. (2020). Succession planning basics (Second edition.). ATD Press.
2 SIGMA Assessment Systems. (2025). Succession Planning Guide.https://www.sigmaassessmentsystems.com/succession-planning-guide/
3 Rothwell, W. J. (2021). Effective succession planning: Ensuring leadership continuity and building talent from within. (6th ed.). AMACOM
4 Gruver, E. (2024). Unlocking the complexities of succession planning. Central Penn Business Journal.
5 Gurdjian, P., Halbeisen, T., & Lane, K. (2014). Why leadership-development programs fail. In The McKinsey quarterly (Number 1, pp. 121-). McKinsey & Company, Inc.
6 Cappelli, P. (2009). Talent on demand – managing talent in an age of uncertainty. Strategic Direction (Bradford, England), 25(3).
7 Ready, D. A., Conger, J. A., & Hill, L. A. (2010). Are you a high potential? Harvard Business Review, 88(6), 78-84.
8 Charan, R., Drotter, S., & Noel, J. (2011). The leadership pipeline: How to build the leadership-powered company (2nd ed.). Wiley.
9 Day, D. V. (2000). Leadership development: A review in context. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(4), 581-613.
10 Ibarra, H., & Scoular, P. (2019). The leader as coach. Harvard Business Review, 97(6), 112-123.
11 Dennison, K. (2024). The importance of succession planning, now more than ever. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/karadennison/2024/06/25/the-importance-of-succession-planning-now-more-than-ever/