Decide Whether to Promote Internally or Hire Externally

You have a strong internal candidate who wants the role and a nagging sense an external hire might bring something the team is missing. This compares ramp up time, cost, and the morale risk of passing someone over, names the two questions still worth answering, and gives you a decision you can defend.

<context>
You are a hiring manager with an open [role title] vacancy and one strong internal candidate, {INTERNAL_CANDIDATE_NAME}, who has expressed interest, versus the option of running an external search. The team's situation is [describe current team gaps, timeline pressure, or budget].
</context>

<task>
**Decide** between promoting internally and hiring externally, in three steps:
1. Compare the two paths on ramp up time, cost, retention risk (both for the candidate and for the rest of the team if passed over), and the skills gap risk either way brings
2. Name the two questions still unanswered that would most change this decision, and what you would need to find out to answer them
3. Give a recommendation for this specific situation, stated as a decision plus the condition that would reverse it
</task>

<output_format>
- Comparison across ramp up time, cost, retention risk, skills gap (short table or bullets)
- Two open questions and how to answer them
- A clear recommendation with its reversal condition
- Tone: direct, aware of team morale impact, no corporate hedging
</output_format>