Succession & vacancy planning

What does the Succession page show?

Open Members → Succession for a board-level forecast of what's coming up across every seat, so you don't have to scan the roster seat by seat. It's a read-only view — a snapshot of your current seats and terms — that updates the moment a seat, term, or assignment changes:

• Expiring terms — current terms ending within the next 90 days, soonest first. Each row shows the seat, its current holder, the term's end date, and a badge with the days remaining (highlighted once 30 days or fewer are left). If you can assign terms and the seat still exists, each row also has a Renew term button — see below.
• Term-limited members — currently-serving members who have reached their seat's term limit and so can't simply be renewed; each one needs a successor. Each row shows the member, their seat, how many terms they've served against the seat's limit, and when their current term ends.
• Open seats — any seat with an unfilled slot right now, whether it's fully vacant or below its capacity. Each row shows the seat, how many of its slots are currently filled, and a status badge (Vacant if none are filled, Partially filled otherwise). A seat with no capacity limit is marked "(uncapped)" and never shows as open. If you can assign terms, each row also has an Assign a member button — see below.

Any of the three lists can be empty — for example, "No terms expiring soon" — which just means nothing currently falls into that category.

Every "as of today" judgement here — whether a term has already expired, how many days are left on it, and whether a seat counts as open — is made against your board's own configured timezone (set on its Settings page), not wherever the server happens to run. So the forecast always agrees with the date on your board's own calendar, including late in the evening or early in the morning.

What does the forecast headline mean?

At the top of the page, a headline reads something like "3 seats need succession next term," with a line underneath breaking down how many seats are open now, how many terms are ending within the forecast window, and how many members are at their seat's term limit. The headline counts every seat that shows up in at least one of the three lists above, without double- counting a seat that appears in more than one (for example, a seat that's both expiring soon and already vacant only counts once).

Filling a vacant seat from here

If your role can assign terms, every row in the Open seats list has its own Assign a member button — no need to leave the page. It opens a dialog with:

• Member — a searchable list of members eligible for that seat right now (currently active or on leave, and not already holding the seat). If everyone eligible already holds the seat, the dialog says so instead of offering the field.
• Start date and end date — the start date defaults to today; the end date prefills from the seat's defined term length and updates as you change the start date, until you edit it directly. Leave it blank for an open-ended (current) term, or edit it for a partial term.

Submitting assigns the member to that seat through the same action the Seats & terms page uses — a confirmation toast appears, and the row updates immediately to reflect the new occupant. If the assignment fails (for example, the seat filled up in the meantime), the dialog shows the error and stays open so you can try again.

Renewing an expiring term from here

If your role can assign terms, every row in the Expiring terms list whose seat still exists has its own Renew term button. It opens the same kind of dialog as Assign a member, pre-filled to start the day after the current term ends — so there's no gap in the seat's service record — with the end date prefilled from the seat's defined term length. Choose who's serving next (which can be the same member, if their status still allows it, or a successor) and submit; it writes a brand-new term through the same action the full Terms table uses, leaving the ending term's own record untouched.

How do I act on what I see here?

Beyond assigning a member to a vacant seat inline, the Succession page is read-only — it doesn't have its own controls for adding seats or editing terms directly. Use the Manage seats & terms button on the page to jump to Members → Seats & terms, where you can add a seat, assign or edit a term, or set the terms and limits that feed this forecast. See Roles vs. positions for how seats, terms, and term limits work.