The 5 Best 9-Box Software
The 9-box grid is a powerful matrix tool for assessing and plotting a company’s talent pool based on performance and potential.
Why Use a 9-Box Grid For Performance
The 9-box is a matrix tool used to evaluate and plot a company’s talent pool based on a predetermined set of criteria. 9-box grid placements are typically based on two factors that make up the x axis and y axis: performance and potential.
High-performing organizations recognize that an investment in top talent is an investment in the future. Therefore, they rely on intuitive 9-box software to simplify the process.
Leadership succession planning through 9-box software develops future leaders, reduces bias, identifies coaching opportunities, and increases accountability for employees and leaders. The 9-box model provides a visual roadmap to the organization’s future success.
Top Five 9-Box Grid Solutions
WorkDove
PeopleFluent
SAP Success Factors
iMocha
Cornerstone OnDemand
1. WorkDove
WorkDove allows you to save time and money with one integrated, affordable platform to streamline leadership succession, performance reviews, goals, continuous feedback, and more. Offering performance management without the mess, WorkDove allows you to retain and engage the talent you have.
As one of WorkDove’s most popular and coveted tools, the 9-box talent review identifies your organization’s next generation of leadership.
It allows your team to analyze & visualize employee placements across performance and potential.
Features
- Drag and drop capabilities
- Prebuilt configuration
- Configurable 9-box options
- Automated placement requests, reminders, and approvals
- Real-time manager calibration
- Integrated talent reviews
Best For
WorkDove is best for its comprehensive & affordable performance & talent management platform. Additionally, the leadership succession planning/9-box application is easy-to-use, streamlines collaboration, and is configurable.
2. PeopleFluent
PeopleFluent is an integrated talent management and learning solution. It offers performance, compensation, succession, and learning for large or mid-enterprise organizations.
Features
- Gap and trend analysis
- Scenario modeling
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Predictive analytics
Best For
PeopleFluent’s succession planning tool is best for drilling down to see when and where replacements will be required.
3. SAP SuccessFactors
SAP SuccessFactors is an AI-enabled suite that provides cloud HR solutions for core HR and payroll, talent management, analytics and planning, and employee experience management. SAP SuccessFactors HCM offers succession planning at the enterprise level.
Features
Succession organization chart
Talent pools
SAP SuccessFactors Presentations
Best For
SAP SuccessFactor’ succession planning tool is best for assessing the risk factor of key talent loss.
4. iMocha
iMocha is an AI-powered Skills Intelligence Cloud, designed to transform how enterprises approach talent management, talent acquisition, and talent development. iMocha offers strategic workforce planning, supporting internal mobility, managing skills gaps, and enhancing employee development to help you become a truly Skills-First organization.
Features
- Skills gap analysis
- Assessments for top performers
- Upskilling portal
Best For
iMocha’s succession planning tool is best for customized training solutions for performance improvement.
5. Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone OnDemand offers an AI-powered workforce agility platform that can identify skills gaps and development opportunities, retain and engage top talent, and provide multimodal learning experiences to meet the diverse needs of the modern workforce.
Features
- Helicopter view
- Succession snapshot
- Talent pools
Best For
Cornerstone OnDemand’s succession tool is best for attribute-based searches based on resume data for high-potential employees.
Must-Have Features for 9 Box Grid Software
- Assess Employee Performance and Potential
- Drag-And-Drop Calibration
- Configuration
- Automation
Integration to Inform Employee Performance and Potential
Integrating informative resources into leadership succession, such as performance reviews and 360 feedback, ensures leaders see the full picture of talent and more easily find future leaders. Assessing performance and leadership potential based on a set of predetermined criteria reduces bias and rewards high performers.
Drag-And-Drop Calibration
Leadership succession discussions are needed to avoid subjectivity and hold everyone accountable to accurate placements. Drag-and-drop capabilities, along with notes justifying placements, promote more accurate talent reviews with real-time adjustments.
Pre-Built and Fully Configurable Options
Every organization possesses its own language and leadership requirements. Modern 9-box tools must be configurable to capture the requirements/conventions of your team and what it values most in a leader.
Automation
Automated 9-box placement requests, assignment reminders, final sign-offs, and reports from leaders save time and money. Automation means less energy is spent on data collection and can be channeled into more productive conversations.
How WorkDove Leadership Succession Planning Makes Talent a Competitive Advantage
Top 9-Box Solution FAQs
What is succession planning?
Leadership succession planning, while largely defined by the organization practicing it, is the planned practice of identifying future leaders within an organization.
Without a strategy in place for business continuity, organizations run the risk of losing a braintrust of highly valuable resources, knowledge, and processes when that individual who housed the information leaves.
What is the 9-box grid?
A ‘nine-box grid’ is a matrix tool used to evaluate and plot a company’s talent pool based on two factors, which most commonly are performance and potential. Typically on the horizontal axis is ‘performance’ measured by performance reviews. On the vertical axis is ‘potential’ referring to an individual’s potential to grow one or more levels in a managerial or professional capacity. Nine-box grids are actively used during the talent review process. During this process, a group of managers/leaders work together to manually place individuals on the X and Y axis to help identify the highest potential individuals, who needs development, and who needs coaching on performance improvement.
What are the benefits of using a 9-box tool?
Incorporating strategic leadership succession planning through tools like the 9-box grid will save you time, disruption, and expenses when difficult circumstances occur, such as retiring or exited leaders. Strategic succession planning before leadership changes happen leads to improved business results and enhanced business continuity.
