From skills data to strategic decisions

Succession & Capability Strategy delivers a prioritised capability roadmap with clear decisions – which gaps to close first, through which interventions (hire, develop, or redeploy), and with what investment. A skills gap analysis identifies where the shortfalls are; this service tells you exactly what to do about them, in what order, and with what business case.

Most clients scope Succession & Capability Strategy alongside Skills Strategy & Design and Assessment Calibration – so the roadmap is built on a completed taxonomy, great work profiles, and calibrated assessment data from the start. If you are already at that stage, the service can begin immediately.

A governance model designed from the outset – one that defines who can add, rename, or retire skills, how often the taxonomy is reviewed, and what triggers an out-of-cycle update. Taxonomy Governance delivers exactly that: clear decision rights, a structured review cadence, and a Governance Charter with executive sponsorship. A taxonomy maintained this way earns trust rather than losing it.

For most organisations, 2-4 hours per quarter – running quarterly light reviews, preparing for the annual deep audit, and managing any triggered reviews when the organisation changes significantly. For enterprise organisations with complex, multi-division taxonomies, the governance function may require up to half an FTE. We design the model, document it, and train whoever owns it internally.

Standard HR planning typically works from headcount, job titles, and performance data. Strategic workforce planning works from skills – a live, comparable picture of what your people can actually do, mapped against what your strategy requires. The difference is that decisions are made on evidence rather than assumption, and the gaps between current capability and future need become something you can act on systematically rather than manage reactively.

Taxonomy Governance can be scoped once a taxonomy is in place – whether built by MuchSkills or brought from elsewhere. Succession & Capability Strategy works best once skills data is live in MuchSkills; most clients scope it as part of a broader engagement. Talk to us and we'll advise on the right sequencing for your situation.

Usually the Head of L&D, HR Director, or Talent & Performance Manager – the person responsible for connecting people strategy to business strategy. At larger organisations, a Head of Workforce Planning or equivalent may lead. Executive sponsorship is required for Taxonomy Governance – the Governance Charter is signed at that level.