What are the differences between workforce and succession planning?

Workforce planning focuses on analyzing and forecasting an organization's human resource needs to ensure that it has the right number of employees with the right skills at the right time. In contrast, succession planning is a strategic process that prepares for the future by identifying and developing internal talent to fill key leadership positions as they become available. While workforce planning addresses overall staffing and skills requirements, succession planning is more specific to leadership continuity and talent development. Both are essential for organizational stability but serve different purposes within HR strategy.