HRIS and Its Role In Succession Planning: Since succession planning at mid-sized firms is still a relatively new concept, it was not expected that many managers would agree to the help rendered by the HRIS in this department. In fact, most managers felt that they themselves make better and faster decisions regarding successors, as compared to an automated HRIS. Once again, the data management capabilities of HRIS are brought to the fore, as it was felt that an HRIS identified specific key positions and minimized costs associated with succession planning.