Free 9 Box Grid Templates for Succession Planning |

What happens if your star manager walks out tomorrow without notice and backup? If your stomach just dropped, it’s time to get serious about building a leadership pipeline. You need people ready to step up when it counts—without derailing business continuity.

Succession planning and internal mobility aren’t just HR checkboxes—they’re your edge in retaining and developing top talent.

Not sure where to start? A 9 box grid is a smart first step. It helps you assess employee performance and future potential in one place. You’ll quickly spot your high performers and future leaders worth investing in. 

It also clearly identifies how to offer feedback, training, and development opportunities. That kind of support helps people grow and, more importantly, stay.

What Are 9 Box Grid Templates?

Nine box grid templates are visual frameworks that help managers assess employee performance and potential using a simple 3×3 matrix. These performance review templates give teams a clearer picture of each person’s impact and future growth potential.

Think of a 9 box grid as a talent map that bridges the gap between talent development, performance management process, and succession planning. You get a zoomed-out view of your entire workforce. It makes it easier to spot the high performers, steady contributors, and those needing the right push to thrive.

Here’s what one looks like:

🤔 Feeling overwhelmed? Let’s break down the components of the 9 box grid template:

Vertical axis for performance (low to high)

This shows how well someone is doing in their current role.

• Low performance means they’re falling short of expectations
• Moderate performance shows they’re meeting goals but have room to grow
• High performance means they’re not just meeting expectations—they’re consistently exceeding them

Horizontal axis for potential (low to high)

This measures their future growth capacity.

• Low potential suggests a limited ability to take on more responsibility
• Moderate potential means they can grow with the proper support and development
• High potential signals they’re ready for more prominent roles or leadership opportunities

Now, let’s see what each of the nine boxes stands for:

• Low performance / low potential: Fails to meet expectations and requires reassessment for role fit
• Low performance / medium potential: Underperforms but shows growth potential with support or a better-aligned role
• Low performance / high potential: Underdelivers now but demonstrates strong leadership potential with proper guidance
• Medium performance / low potential: Meets basic expectations but lacks potential to grow beyond the current role
• Medium performance / medium potential: Performs steadily and shows some development potential with the right support
• Medium performance / high potential: Delivers consistent results and could take on greater challenges with focused development
• High performance / low potential: Excels in current role but may not be suited for senior or complex responsibilities
• High performance / medium potential: Performs strongly and could grow further with targeted training or new opportunities
• High performance / high potential: Stands out as a top performer, ready for leadership or high-impact strategic roles

What Makes a Good 9 Box Grid Template?

A Deloitte report found that 86% of business leaders consider planning an urgent and essential priority, but only 14% believe they do it well. Nine box grid templates can help you bridge that gap. But you must consider whether they have all the necessary components. 

Here are some essential elements that make a 9 box grid template effective:

• Box labels or titles: Clear headings like “High Performer” or “Future Leader” that make each category easy to understand at a glance
• Defined box descriptions: Brief explanations for every grid section to ensure consistent employee evaluation
• Clear criteria and flow: Specific definitions for low, medium, and high performance or potential to make evaluations smoother and more objective
• Employee information section: Space to record name, role, department, and review date for organized, trackable records
• Notes and comment fields: Designated areas to add comments and assign review actions to relevant stakeholders for collaborative planning
• Development recommendations: Skill-building suggestions tied to training, promotions, and performance software—ideally with numeric scoring for consistency
• Color coding: Visual cues (like red, yellow, green) to highlight patterns, supported by a legend explaining each label and score
• Team or department filters: Custom filters by team, role, or location for easier analysis across company segments
• Dynamic assignees: Task assignments with tracking for who’s responsible and when actions are completed, ensuring accountability
• Integrations: Syncing with goal-tracking and project management tools to centralize data and streamline succession planning

Free 9 Box Grid Templates at a Glance

Template name	Download template	Ideal for	Best features
Performance Review Document Template	Get free template	HR professionals, managers, and team leaders reviewing individual employee performance	Skill and growth assessment, self/peer reviews, goal/objective tracking, performance improvement planning
Comprehensive Performance Review Template	Get free template	HR teams, managers, and employees for career planning and structured reviews	Self-appraisals, collaborative feedback, progress bars, career mapping
Quarterly Performance Review Template	Get free template	Evaluating short-term objectives and achievements	Goal/OKR tracking, performance summaries, soft skills evaluation, rating scale
Employee Evaluation Form Template	Get free template	Daily/weekly employee assessments	Task/milestone tracking, star ratings, awards/milestones, improvement plan guidance
Employee Weekly Report Template	Get free template	Encouraging self-evaluation and addressing weekly challenges	Weekly activity tracking, self-evaluation, improvement plan support, retention strategy
Performance Report Template	Get free template	Visualizing project-based performance and leadership potential	Real-time KPI monitoring, visual charts, trend analysis, contribution tracking
30-60-90 Day Plan Template	Get free template	Leadership potential evaluation and succession planning	Goal/milestone tracking, calendar view, structured evaluation, training needs identification
Employee Action Plan Template	Get free template	Addressing performance issues with actionable roadmaps	Incident reporting, improvement tracking, digital signatures, corrective initiatives
Succession Planning Template	Get free template	Detailing leadership transitions and talent management	Role mapping, hierarchy outlining, skills/abilities tracking, performance monitoring
Corporate Succession Planning Template	Get free template	Scheduling and automating succession tasks	Task automation, feedback delivery, agenda detailing, resource management
Employee Development Plan Template	Get free template	Targeted training for future leaders	Personalized growth plans, collaborative feedback, training/resource tracking
Skill Gap Analysis Template	Get free template	Identifying and bridging skill gaps for leadership	Custom skill fields, target scoring, dashboard visualization, upskilling options
9 box grid template by Whatfix	Download this template	Succession planning and talent management	Customizable fields, clear grid definitions, training needs identification
9 box Grid Template by Miro	Download this template	Start-ups and teams new to succession planning	Editable fields, color coding, clear axis criteria
9 Box Grid Talent Review Template by TestGorilla	Download this template	Visual mapping of employee contributions	Ready-to-use Excel, customizable, project participation tracking
PDF 9 Box Grid Talent Review Template by Primalogik	Download this template	Reference for building custom 9 box grids	PDF format, clear grid layout, skill gap identification

16 Free 9 Box Grid Templates

You could build a 9 box grid from scratch—mapping axes, scoring systems, and role definitions yourself. Or you could skip the setup and use ’s free templates.

, the everything app for work, gives you everything in one spot: build talent profiles, set growth checkpoints, assign feedback, and track succession plans across teams.

With , you can build talent profiles, create checklists, and track future leaders. Plus, its evaluation tools let you assign development plans, set growth checkpoints, and more— all in one place for seamless employee performance management and succession planning.

1. Performance Review Document Template

You can’t identify next-gen talent without first understanding how your team performs today. The Performance Review Document Template helps you spot those high-performing employees from the talent pool and prepare them to hold the baton with actionable feedback.

You can use this template to:

• Assess skills, growth trajectory, and current role fit
• Collect self and peer reviews for balanced insights
• Set clear goals and objectives within a specific timeline to streamline performance management and talent mapping
• Highlight achievements to boost morale
• Create a performance improvement plan using built-in performance management software features to deliver timely support

2. Comprehensive Performance Review Template

Help your employees reflect, grow, and own their impact as successors with the Performance Review Template. Team members can use it to run self-appraisals, and managers can deliver structured feedback to plan career growth opportunities for each employee.

This career map template helps you:

• Empower employees with self-appraisals and set goals for performance review appraisals
• Monitor their growth through progress bars for performance reviews
• Hold collaborative career conversations to plan the employee’s future in the company
• Assign employee performance review tasks to managers and stakeholders 

3. Quarterly Performance Review Template

Make feedback a routine with the Quarterly Performance Review Template. 

You can use it to:

• Categorize and add attributes to track goals, OKRs, and other KPIs
• Offer summaries on current performance, goal achievements, improvements, and work ethics
• Identify areas of improvement in soft skills like problem-solving and communication 
• Highlight their achievements and deliver constructive criticism for the quarter
• Rate contributions on the scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, and build a stack ranking for employee performance

4. Employee Evaluation Form Template

Regular evaluations highlight which employees consistently meet or exceed expectations. These people are most likely to handle more prominent roles successfully in your company.

With the Evaluation Form Template, you can easily track performance and milestones, spot top talent early, and confidently plan for succession.

You can use this template to: 

• Track how many hours an employee has contributed 
• Evaluate how many tasks they have completed to measure team performance and efficiency
• Monitor their pace of reaching milestones to understand their potential and growth 
• Highlight the awards and milestones they have achieved, and give star ratings to the employee’s skill set
• Guide your performance improvement plan 
• Ensure that evaluations are based on consistent, objective criteria

5. Employee Weekly Report Template

The Employee Weekly Report Template isn’t a 9 box grid itself, but it’s a powerful complement that helps employees evaluate their progress and surface blockers early.

It also gives your teams a platform to voice their challenges and issues for that week. That way, you can address the problems quickly, improve workplace satisfaction, and retain your top talent employees.

You can use this template to:

• Track weekly activities, time spent, and employee contributions—all in one place
• Spot and solve recurring workplace issues—including employee retention strategies—to improve the employee experience and support success
• Encourage self-evaluation using the built-in rating scale
• Guide employees in creating their improvement plan and offer support where needed

6. Performance Report Template

Performance management can get complicated quickly, especially when scaling your team and considering succession planning. Who’s handling what? Are they improving over time? With so many moving parts, the Performance Report Template gives you a clearer view. It brings everything together with smart, easy-to-read visuals that help you stay on top of employee growth and project progress.

You can use this template to: 

• Monitor progress and KPIs in real-time
• Measure the cost overruns during the program/project/milestone timeline
• Quantify time spent, progress, and budget through visuals and charts
• Analyze employee performance trends to identify the best performers and their leadership potential

7. 30 60 90 Day Plan Template

Create checkpoints for the employee performance evaluation with the 30-60-90 Day Plan Template. This 9 box grid will help you evaluate the employees you are considering for more significant responsibilities and choose the best ones from them. 

Moreover, this can help you measure performance and progress. Identify training needs and offer support every thirty days to groom them for critical roles.

This template will let you:

• Set individual goals and tasks for the employees and monitor progress accordingly
• Assess how employees who got recent promotions are settling into their new roles
• Monitor milestones with calendar view
• Find the best people for leadership roles through periodic performance evaluation
• Use a structured evaluation process to assess new employees’ leadership potential

8. Employee Action Plan Template

Want your employees to thrive in future leadership roles? Set them up for organizational success with the Employee Action Plan Template. It gives them a clear, actionable roadmap to build the skills, mindset, and experience they’ll need to grow into leadership with confidence. Managing talent has never been easier.

You can use this template to: 

• File incident reports to ensure accountability in both employees and their supervisors
• List your findings, and support them with data
• Create an action plan for improvements to develop a high-performing team ready to take on leadership roles
• Add timelines, status, and notes for each improvement action in the “Corrective Initiatives” section
• Track progress according to the issue and set success criteria as pass or fail
• Take digital signatures of employees and reviewers

9. Succession Planning Template

The performance evaluation templates will show you where each employee stands in terms of leadership capabilities. Now it’s time to outline the role transition and talent management strategies with the Succession Planning Template. 

It will help you:

• Map out who your leadership team will be and their hierarchy 
• Outline exactly how their roles and responsibilities will shift with the promotion 
• Clarify the skills and abilities they must develop for the role
• Develop a pipeline of leadership talent to support your future goals
• Track potential successors’ performance to outline future leadership roles 

10. Corporate Succession Planning Template

The Corporate Succession Planning Template is another talent management framework you can use to map the responsibilities of your company’s future successors. This template is excellent for ensuring your successors receive the best possible guidance.

This template will help you:

• Turn your succession plan into tasks to ensure all stakeholders are pulling their weight in grooming the new leaders 
• Automate feedback delivery to high-potential employees to hone their skills continuously
• Detail the agenda for every leadership role and provide the necessary resources

11. Employee Development Plan Template

Proper succession planning requires more than finding the right people to be your successors. You also need talent management action steps to equip them with the necessary training and resources to handle bigger responsibilities. 

The Employee Development Plan Template can do that for you with a quick and actionable employee growth plan.

You can use it to:

• Create personalized career development initiatives for each employee
• Collaborate with teammates and management to deliver feedback

12. Skill Gap Analysis Template

Not everyone will ace every skill—and that’s okay. But your future leaders should be adaptable, strategic, and open to growth. The Skill Gap Analysis Template helps you pinpoint where support is needed and guides your team toward the development they need to step up with confidence.

You can use it to: 

• Set a target score and use it as a benchmark to measure skill 
• Create Custom Fields for skills fitting your company’s leadership roles
• Customize Dashboards to visualize and track skill gaps by team or role
• Offer targeted upskilling options accordingly

13. 9 Box Grid Template by Whatfix

9 box grid template by Whatfix is a straightforward talent management framework that clearly defines each grid, so you know exactly how to use it. You can also customize the fields to fit your organization’s needs and steer your succession planning in the best direction for you.

This template lets you: 

• Identify employees as high performers and high-potential ones easily
• Manage succession planning and leadership development.
• Highlight specific training needs to help employees grow
• Provide a structured approach for talent management action steps and discussions among team leaders and managers
• Allocate resources to employee development efforts 

14. 9 box Grid Template by Miro

The 9 box Grid Template by Miro is a great starting point if you’re new to succession planning. It’s detailed yet easy to follow, with clear performance and potential criteria marked along the X and Y axes—so you won’t be left guessing what each grid means.

You can use this template to: 

• Categorize employee performance and potential as high, medium, or low on both axes
• Compare them with what’s expected from your company’s leadership roles
• Customize color and edit fields as per your needs 

15. 9 Box Grid Talent Review Template by TestGorilla

The 9 Box Grid Talent Review Template by TestGorilla is a ready-to-use Excel worksheet designed to help you easily evaluate employee potential and performance.

It has a ready-to-use reference layout to see exactly how a 9-box grid works. Then, you can tweak the customizable fields to fit your own succession planning needs.

This template lets you:

• Analyze  employee performance over the past three to six months
• Simplify evaluating performance and participation in key projects and outcomes
• See how they work with other team members

16. PDF 9 Box Grid Talent Review Template by Primalogik

Want to create a 9 box grid template from scratch? The PDF 9 Box Grid Talent Review Template by Primalogik is a solid starting point. It lays out precisely what to include in each grid to effectively measure employee performance and potential.

You can use this template to: 

• Review the talents and assess their suitability to hold more senior leadership positions 
• Identify and address skill gaps and training needs 

Shape Your Successors the Smart Way With

Companies that place high performers in key roles each quarter are 2.2x more likely to outperform competitors. Want the same edge? Use 9 box grid templates for talent management decisions and succession planning. These help you identify top talent, assess potential, and build a solid leadership pipeline.

With , you can manage all your 9 box grid templates in one spot—free. Customize them for different roles, set reminders, and automate talent tasks. You’ll also get a clear view of each employee’s progress on Dashboards.

Build your leadership pipeline—without the chaos.

Start using to map talent, track growth, and plan succession in one place. ✅

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