FG-0207 Succession Protocol
Description
Plan for continuity when key participants become unavailable. What happens when the primary human lead is unavailable? What happens when a critical AI agent's model is deprecated? Succession Protocol ensures that the collaboration can continue operating, perhaps at reduced capacity, when key participants are absent. This is operational planning for the inevitable.
Implementation
Identify single points of failure in your collaboration (key humans, critical agents, essential tools). For each, document: what they do that others cannot, what knowledge they hold exclusively, and who or what would take over their functions. Test succession plans periodically by operating without the key participant.
Success Indicators
- The team can identify who takes over any critical function
- Essential knowledge is documented, not held exclusively by one participant
- The team has operated successfully during planned absences
- Model transitions (e.g., AI model upgrades) are handled without disruption
Failure Modes
- Succession plan exists but has never been tested
- Key knowledge concentrated in a single human or agent with no documentation
- Plans that assume specific AI models rather than capabilities
- Confusing succession planning with replacement planning: they're different