Leadership Continuity & Succession Planning
Comprehensive onboarding program to establish, vet and setup for success - new trusted project leaders.
Sponsor and Ecosystem Impact
Succession planning ensures continuity in essential projects, reducing operational and security risk as contributors or maintainers change over time.
Succession Planning
This playbook is intended as a guide for pracitioners, with their own resources to reach goals of enduring, trusted leaderhip.
Resources
Process Milestones
Note: that some milestones may not currently apply to a project and will be refined as part of the initial
- Kick off meeting: Maintainer meets with OSS Wishlist admin and pracitioner (whether sponsor employee or verified pracitioner) to align on goals and timeline.
- Leadership Structure & Distribution
- Pathways to Trusted Leadership
- Continuity During Change
- Maintainer Sustainability Support
- Wrap up meeting: Maintainer meets with OSS Wishlist maintainer and pracitioner
- Survey (maintainer and pracitioner)
Leadership Continuity & Succession Planning – Peer Review Rubric
Purpose: Evaluate how well the project reduces leadership concentration risk, supports healthy turnover, and maintains trusted stewardship over time.
Scoring Scale per Criterion:
0 = Missing / Not Evident
1 = Weak / Ambiguous
2 = Adequate but Limited
3 = Strong and Effective
4 = Excellent / Exemplary
A. Leadership Structure & Distribution (0–12 pts)
| Criterion | Indicators of Excellence | Score |
|---|---|---|
| A1. Defined Leadership Roles | Responsibilities and authority limits documented . | 0–4 |
| A2. Avoidance of Power Concentration | Shared governance; checks & balances; redundancy in key roles. | 0–4 |
| A3. Leadership Accountability | Clear expectations and performance oversight; removal processes exist. | 0–4 |
B. Pathways to Trusted Leadership (0–12 pts)
| Criterion | Indicators of Excellence | Score |
|---|---|---|
| B1. Contributor Growth Pathways | Transparent criteria to obtain permissions or become maintainer. | 0–4 |
| B2. Mentorship & Skill Transfer | Knowledge sharing, onboarding documentation, rotation of duties. | 0–4 |
| B3. Community Trust in Leadership | Leaders recognized as legitimate through open processes. | 0–4 |
C. Continuity During Change (0–12 pts)
| Criterion | Indicators of Excellence | Score |
|---|---|---|
| C1. Planned Succession | Named backups; leadership transition policies; graceful exit pathways. | 0–4 |
| C2. Crisis/Emergency Readiness | Response documented for sudden absence of key maintainer(s). | 0–4 |
| C3. Misconduct / Conflict Scenarios | Escalation pathways aligned with Code of Conduct enforcement. | 0–4 |
D. Maintainer Sustainability Support (0–8 pts)
| Criterion | Indicators of Excellence | Score |
|---|---|---|
| D1. Fair Eligibility for Funding Support | Clear criteria for who can be funded for leadership work. | 0–4 |
| D2. Wellness & Retention | Policies address burnout, over-load, and equitable distribution of labor. | 0–4 |
✅ Total Score: / 44 pts
| Rating | Descriptor |
|---|---|
| 40–44 | Excellent — Strong resilience and trusted leadership continuity |
| 32–39 | Strong — Some improvements needed |
| 24–31 | Adequate — Vulnerabilities to turnover |
| 12–23 | Weak — High risk to project continuity |
| 0–11 | Not Viable — Leadership depends on too few people |
Reviewer Notes:
- Enduring leadership concerns:
- Leadership risks or single points of failure:
- Recommendations for improvement: